What was this item used for?

The picture isn't real clear but from what you describe and from what I can see, it looks like part of an oxen yoke.

Could it be a piece of the plow that farmers used when plowing with horse drawn plows? Or on their wagons to keep the horses in line? Just a thought...

If it is a farm implement, the people to ask right now would be someone who is Amish. They still use a lot of the old type farm implements.

Don't get rid of the shutters if they are in good shape. If you don't, someone else may want them.

I don't have the shutters. They were at my town wood pile. At the transfer station. There is always something good there.

I doubt my wood piece (which is oak) could be a farm implement for oxen. It is only 30" long and 2" wide. Tis a puzzlement!

Great piece of timber. You could reclaim it, turning it into a light fitting...as I did!

Don't know what it is, but I want one!! ;)

Is there a disused railway nearby? The piece has definitely been fashioned to accomodate something square shaped, on both ends, like square dowels. I am wondering if it is part of some sort of a lock?

I can't really tell how large it is, but could it be part of an old quilting frame?

When I first saw the pic I would have said it looked like the same thing I found in one of my barns and it was a barn trim. Put where two boards came together but the other things you pointed out on it didn't go with that..I think the gals that think it could have been attached to livestock for working are right...

it looks like a fence post. You dig a hole, cement this into it and then hang the fence onto it.

It does look like some sort of yolk. I would love to see the shutters!!!

It looks like a tapestry /rug frame. The square holes in the ends would have held long wooden rods with square ends. The run is attached to the rods and rolled up so the rug can be worked on while sitting. The wingnuts allow for the rug to be advanced/rolled and then held in place as the project progresses.

Thanks everybody for their thoughts and suggestions! I really appreciate it! We have found many a strange and wondrous item courtesy of our town "dump"! Here is another such find my daughter discovered in our town wood pile. I know what this one is, but can anyone else guess?

I have a yoke, its about 30" wide... I am asking on a facebook group I am on, someone there might know. Its called Dusty Old Thing. I misread your original comment, I thought you found it on your wood pile. I wish we had a place like that here. I'd be there all the time!

Your item kind of looks like a wooden wrench. I don’t know if there ever was such a thing, but maybe?

Debbie, you are right. It was the insert in a slant top desk (at least my desk which has one is slant topped!) My daughter found it in our town wood pile.

A couple of weeks ago I bought this one at an estate sale for $8 and then painted it. I collect blue and white china and this holds some small items.

Dianacircle we did find it at our town wood pile! You would love it for sure. We drive in, leave the recyclables and the trash then next stop is wood pile, then stone pile and glass place then best of all swap shop! My daughter and granddaughter love it too! Maybe the best thing we ever found was this six board chest. Inside it says something about sending Winchester rifles west. We found this before we had a fancy "transfer station" then it was truly a dump where everything was just tossed into a big pile!