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The blade is pretty securely pinched
in the handle even without lashing to
hold it in place. |
The hafted burin-like tools are ready for the lashing to go on. The two part handles create a fairly snug fit on their own. I'm beginning to see the advantage of this style of handle. It won't take much sinew cordage to create a secure bond between the small ground nephrite tool blade and the wood handle. In those rare instances when Palaeoeskimo tools are found with the sinew lashing in place I'm always surprised by how little cordage was actually used. Three or four loops of twisted sinew is about all you ever see used. I can see that working here.
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| I'll probably move on to other tools in the set now that I have these burin-like tools completed to this stage. There will be several other knives and scrapers that will require lashing and gluing, so it'll be more practical to do them all at once. |
Photo Credits: Tim Rast
You have no idea how much inspiration you just gave me! After studying Otzi's knife, I've been experimenting with a Clovis/Folsom point style knife blade made from 2.5 mm saw blade steel. It's 20 cm long and 4 cm at the widest point, with 5 cm of the blade length as the tang that tapers down to 3 cm. It also has two lashing holes in it, the same as your ground slate knife; which is where the idea came from. The tang gets lashed into a wood handle that's 12 cm long, with about 10.5 cm of usable grip. I don't have sinew, so I'm reduced to using marline which forces me to whip the entire tang to keep it from shifting back and forth. Here's where your inspiration comes in.
ReplyDeleteIf I carve a bone stiffener and lash that to the spine edge of the handle, the entire tang would be reinforced and there would be no shifting, letting me use less cordage! The handle would also be a bit thicker at the spine, which would create a teardrop cross section and make it feel more natural in the hand. About as natural as holding a throwing hawk. I can't tell you how happy I am to have found your blog. Cheers!