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Igneous celt and adze: Mississippian bow project prep!

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swamp monkey:
I want to make a Mississippian era inspired bow.  A few years back I researched archeological finds, and Mississippian images to determine what a bow from that culture would look like.  What I now conclude is it is hard to say.  A lot of varieties have stemmed even out of singular historic tribes.  So I will chose a conservative bow design and focus on the method of the Mississippians. 

This means I need Mississippian tools!  So I have been working on a celt and an adze.  Both are made of Missouri Ozarks igneous rock.  Thanks to Patches for helping with sources.

Both tools need several more hours of sanding before I am done.  The blades need a good edge and I am not there yet.  I think the over all shapes are looking good though.  The sand stone rock in the picture with both tools is my sanding rock. It works amazingly well.

I hope to complete both tools by summer's end.  Then I can practice using them and get a tree in mind for harvest.  Next spring the project will unfold!

I am stoked.  Any tips or advice are welcome.

Swamp Monkey is traveling back in time!

Patches:
Good luck!

aaron:
cool project. looks like a good start. I think you're gonna need a more acute angle on the edge.

Onebowonder:

--- Quote from: aaron on June 15, 2014, 11:55:36 am ---cool project. looks like a good start. I think you're gonna need a more acute angle on the edge.

--- End quote ---

A bit perhaps, but not much sharper that about a 90 degree angle.  If you go much of anything tighter than that, you are cutting instead of crushing fibers, ...and the blade will not hold up too well.  A celt is not a sharp bladed tool but a crushing wedge-shaped sort of tool.

OneBow

swamp monkey:
Update:  I sanded for an additional three hours on the adze and another hour on the Celt.  I am working to remove tool marks and get a smooth surface.  I even got about 3 hours of donated labor sanding from Boy Scout troop 210.  They are working on their archeology merit badge and needed to do some experimental archeology.  This they did for. A minimum of ten minutes each to get an appreciation. Some scouts took a shine to it and requested more time to work on the stone tools.  The boys all got to make cordage that they could take home too.

I will post pics later.  The adze is getting close to being done.  The Celt needs several hours of sanding yet. 

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