Working with stone tools question.
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I think there is an article on carving and cutting with stone tools in one of the buletin of primative technology books I'll look it up tonight and tell you later
James
James
No, but I can tell you quite a lot about it. I don't use metal tools for crafting my own gear anymore. From time to time I decide such silly things. 
1. Choose raw materials with care. Try to find a piece of wood that resembles what you need as closely as possible. Look for splintered or beaver felled trees for easy materials.
2. Use green wood. Do only the very last finish after it is has dried.
3. You don't need complicated and expensive (as in labour intensive to make) bifaces and ground axes to do the work. Simple flakes are very good for most purposes. And heavy, sharp stone blocks can be used as axes. But if you are interested in using stone tools a lot. I would recommend taking the time to make a ground axe. I am currently making an axe of moose antler (with stone tools of course) and it looks very promising as well.
4. Carving in the metal sense of the word isn't really possible with stone tools as the edges are too weak. Scraping (pointy flake) and planing (right angled flake) is more labourious, but it works surprisingly well on green wood. And don't overlook the opportunity to use other materials than stone. Beaver teeth are very good at carving green wood. Antler can be used as wedges and chisels.
5. Instead of carrying around a sandstone for smoothing, why not use the bedrock instead. In my area, this is only suitable for coarser grade smoothing though.
6. Stone tools are that much less effective than stone tools so you will learn automatically to save labour and materials by choosing more carefully. Gives you a new view of how little one can impact nature if one limits oneself.
Any questions?
Torjus Gaaren
1. Choose raw materials with care. Try to find a piece of wood that resembles what you need as closely as possible. Look for splintered or beaver felled trees for easy materials.
2. Use green wood. Do only the very last finish after it is has dried.
3. You don't need complicated and expensive (as in labour intensive to make) bifaces and ground axes to do the work. Simple flakes are very good for most purposes. And heavy, sharp stone blocks can be used as axes. But if you are interested in using stone tools a lot. I would recommend taking the time to make a ground axe. I am currently making an axe of moose antler (with stone tools of course) and it looks very promising as well.
4. Carving in the metal sense of the word isn't really possible with stone tools as the edges are too weak. Scraping (pointy flake) and planing (right angled flake) is more labourious, but it works surprisingly well on green wood. And don't overlook the opportunity to use other materials than stone. Beaver teeth are very good at carving green wood. Antler can be used as wedges and chisels.
5. Instead of carrying around a sandstone for smoothing, why not use the bedrock instead. In my area, this is only suitable for coarser grade smoothing though.
6. Stone tools are that much less effective than stone tools so you will learn automatically to save labour and materials by choosing more carefully. Gives you a new view of how little one can impact nature if one limits oneself.
Any questions?
Torjus Gaaren
jdlenton said:
James, I've got the two Primitive Technology books already, sorry, I should have mentioned in in my first post.
Torjus, thanks for all the info. I'd read about using green wood with stone tools before, but I had forgotten it and I was just about to start practicing on some seasoned hardwood. I'll definitely have a go at some green instead.
Pappa
Stone bow drill.
http://homepage.mac.com/laddie/fire_by_friction.html
There's another somewhere on bowl carving or at least there used to be, a lot of my bookmarks appear to be dead now. Shame, it was quite a good one.
[Edit - Nope, can't find it . The chap was carving a hunting scene on the outside of a bowl that he'd burnt out. His main chisel was a tooth hafted in an antler handle but he had all sorts of other gouges and scrapers of various descriptions.]
http://homepage.mac.com/laddie/fire_by_friction.html
There's another somewhere on bowl carving or at least there used to be, a lot of my bookmarks appear to be dead now. Shame, it was quite a good one.
[Edit - Nope, can't find it
. The chap was carving a hunting scene on the outside of a bowl that he'd burnt out. His main chisel was a tooth hafted in an antler handle but he had all sorts of other gouges and scrapers of various descriptions.]Similar threads
