the spindle is meant to be turned by the screw on the shaft of the crank. The roller looks like it should fold over to put pressure on the product. It looks to me that the spindle has been replaced. Try to slide it to mess with the screw on the shaft. Turning the spindle by hand would strip the teeth. It is a fair trade tobacco cutter, I assume for plug tobacco. Found through Google.

I traveled Europe with a pelican hard case. It can be locked with a pad lock. Variable foam interior and it is water proof. There is a small screw to open if the air pressure changes so that it can be opened. You will need a better strap than the one that comes with it. Also I had a card from customs that showed what I carried out of the US. Paying customs duty on the way back in to the USA could be very expensive.

It could be a medical instrument from the early 1900, made by C G Heynemann. Just a guess.

I carried a MAMIYA 645 medium format film camera around Europe for several trips. While I got some really great shots, the weight got to me as I got older. Almost any quality camera will give you great shots. Buy something to travel with that shoots a good picture but does not weigh a ton. Also, you want something that will not break your pocket book when it is stolen which happens more than any of us would believe. Also, breakage. I saw a man drop a HASSELBLAD medium format over the side of a boat in dry dock about 50 feet. You can guess how many parts it broke into.