Who can guess what this "tool" is?

[dwasifar]

Three paint sticks held together on a pivot with a wing nut to tighten them, and pen lines drawn on them:

This is a makeshift tool, but what is it for? I know the answer but what's your guess?

 

[The Cobbler]

home made square & 45?

 

[jakemac]

An articulated story stick for duplicating layout lines on a repeating project.
To simplify, it's a pattern.

 

[619DioFan]

To help save time on a painting project, you can stir up 3 different cans of paint at once.

 

[dwasifar]

Actually Cobbler came closest.

The wing nut adjustment is to allow the sticks to be lined up with the pen lines:

And then its function is obvious:

It's a center finder for circles.

I found this the other day tucked into a nook under my workbench. Clearly I made it at some point, but I don't remember doing it, or why I needed it. It took me a couple of minutes even to figure out what it was.

 

[the gypsy]

it is the unfinished tool from the Asian martial arts, defending oneself with a personal fan. It is missing the fine silk woven material between the wooden paddles.