Bronze age woodworking

[robin wood]

I am currently working on a great woodworking project that means I get to play all day every day with bronze age woodworking techniques. I can,t post pics from where I am but I have been astonished at how effective bronze tools are. Yesterday I made a canoe paddle in an hour which is pretty much what it would take with steel tools.
the bronze tools work in a different way following the grain much more than steel tools and lifting the fibres away more than cutting through them. It all takes quite a bit or learning new techniques but even after just a couple of weeks I am finding it to be a remarkably good way of working wood.
When we look at the woodwork made in the bronze age and earlier in the neolithic it shows remarkable skill,I am quite in awe of how good these folk were.

 

[John Fenna]

I look forward to seeing pics when you can do that!

 

[Bundleman]

Sounds very interesting.

 

[dwardo]

"primitive" is often a word bounced about regarding these ancient methods and skills, far from it, just different.

 

[Dreadhead]

hungry for pics

 

[robin wood]

Few pics on Daily Mail site here http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencet...understand-people-crossed-channel-1500BC.html

And some more on my blog http://greenwood-carving.blogspot.com/
sorry can,t post pics here due to limited on.ine time in McDonalds after work.

 

[kodiakjoe]

really interesting article with good pics. Great stuff on the blog too, interesting to see the axe construction. Ta for posting Robin

 

[treadlightly]

Thanks Robin, please keep us posted with your progress.

 

[John Fenna]

Very interesting!
I cannot make things out too clearly on my confuser but is the bronze axe head wrapped in something before inserting it into the haft and the binding or is it just the low resolution of my screen confusing me?

 

[mrcharly]

Looks like the head has an extended tang that goes into a V shaped socket, then rawhide lacing is used to whip around it. I believe the rawhide shrinks when it dries, so should be a very solid mounting.

 

[Stringmaker]

Looks like the head has an extended tang that goes into a V shaped socket, then rawhide lacing is used to whip around it. I believe the rawhide shrinks when it dries, so should be a very solid mounting.

Exactly the same technique is used when making a stone axe too. We have to use giant dog chews soaked in water to get the hide strips but they work superbly and dry as tight as a very tight thing.

 

[robin wood]

Yep that is exactly it. These are middle bronze age tools called palstaves the same head can be either an axe or an adze just cut the slot at 90 degrees different, rawhide lacing works really well. It's exactly the system used by Oetzi the iceman on his copper axe 1500 years earlier. We have been out is evening to a local wood where we have permission to cut new handles and felled a couple of small ash that had the right sort of angle branches. Most ash branch at 30 degrees or so but you want 70 to 80 degrees, you get trees with that sort of branch angle around the edge of clearings or ours today were on the edge of young scrub pushing branches out sideways into the light.

 

[Dreadhead]

thanks for sharing those pictures Robin, tis fascinating! am i right in thinking you done work on the new Osberg ship also? id give a leg tae be allowed tae sail that beauty (save the arms for rowing )

 

[bikebum1975]

Interesting stuff good read

 

[grey-array]

Wow, really good stuff, seems an amazing project to work on.
Really worth giving a try, maybe if I get myself some spare time anytime soon, I'll make myself such a Palstave

 

[robin wood]

finally got home and time to upload pics

these are the tools, rawhide lashed palstaves

and this is how they work

these are the two main boat timbers I have been hewing

splitting ash for paddles

and carving padles

lots more pics on the blog here http://greenwood-carving.blogspot.com/

 

[mr dazzler]

where did u get the blades? Did you cast them up yourself. Also is it true the bronze can be hammer hardened?

 

[robin wood]

The lead archaeologist had them cast from originals. Peening is the first stage in the sharpening process. This allegedly work hardens as it does with copper but to be honest I did not notice it getting significantly harder and using hardness testing files on the tools the softest 45 rockwell file still digs deep into the edge of a tool before or after hammering. Being soft does not seem to stop them working and holding an edge though they do edge roll if you put a thin edge on them, they need a robust edge and this requires a different working technique to steel tools, it's an interesting learning curve.

 

[mr dazzler]

It is extremely interesting. Is the peening thing anything like when they hammer an adge onto a scythe on thoise little field-anvils? I wonder why some of the old bronze axes are palsaves like these and others are socketed? I reckon maybe the palstave ones were maybe easier and cheaper to make (no hollow=less complex pattern making process)? I assume the little D rings on the socket ones are to stop the head flying off, I wonder why they dont have them on the palsave ones too. It is interesting that on these U are using a longer thinner handle, it is sort of like the egyptian old ones in old pictures, or the northwest coast elbow adze's. The technique seems like a cross between actual cutting and precision riving....?

 

[robin wood]

Lots of questions...
palstaves are middle bronze age socketed a late bronze age, palstaves and socketed both come with or without the loop to tie back to handle in case it comes loose. To be honest I am not sure the socketed is a big improvement over the palsatave these work really well though I have not done as much work with socketed.