What This Tool Is Called
This antique kitchen implement is commonly known as:
Wooden Cabbage Cutter / Kraut Cutter
Cabbage Slaw Slicer / Shredder
Sauerkraut Slicer
Sometimes described as a primitive mandoline-style cabbage slicer
Key identifying description from the photos:
Wooden frame with a slanted cutting opening
Metal blade(s) set diagonally across the cutting channel
Round finger/holding hole at one end
Side screws/clamps that appear designed to secure the slicer to a table or work surface
When It First Appeared
The style of hand-powered cabbage slicers became widespread in Central and Eastern Europe in the 1700s–1800s, closely tied to home sauerkraut-making traditions.
The specific “primitive wooden board with fixed blade(s)” form seen here is most commonly associated with late 1800s to early 1900s household and farm kitchens.
Based on your description, this example is best presented as Early 1900s (circa 1900–1930).
Who Created It
There is no single known inventor credited with the cabbage slaw/kraut cutter.
Instead, it is a traditional folk/household tool that evolved over generations in communities where cabbage preservation was a seasonal necessity.
Many were made by:
Local carpenters
Small metalworking shops
Regional toolmakers
Or even home-built versions using available wood and a sharpened steel blade
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