More Paleolithic Technology in the Shop

~ George Crawford

DSC_0001 (9)I recently finished another Paleolithic inspired spear thrower (a.k.a. atlatl).  This came about due to some throwing over the past year that re-energized my feelings about this technology and it’s sporting aspects.  As usual for this type of project, I made several at once since the tools were at hand.  Here’s a quick rundown on the process of connecting an antler hook to a wooden handle.

DSC_0002 (13)
I cut the antler and rough out a notch for the hook. A few hours soaking in water will soften the cancellous core for easy working.
DSC_0001 (11)
Drilling can easily be done on the softened antler with a narrow knife, stone flake, or tapered drill bit.
DSC_0003 (10)
Once the hole is drilled (I take it down to about 3/8 inch or a little thicker) the handle can be roughly whittled, testing periodically for fit.
DSC_0002 (14)
Argh! A moment of distraction means the snap of a stone bit!
DSC_0005 (10)
A process of trial and error will eventually make a tight joint.
DSC_0006 (7)
Nearly there.
DSC_0007 (8)
Cleaning of the shoulders of the joint makes for a much neater look and solid connection.
DSC_0008 (3)
If the fit is tight, the drying cancellous tissue in the horn sticks surprisingly well. However, I want this to be maintenance-free for the owner so a drop of wood glue will insure decades of strength.  Now the slow and tedious shaping can commence.
DSC_0001 (10)
Antler hook after shaping.
Hickory handle after being painted with red ochre.
Here is the hickory handle after being painted with red ochre.
And, for mine, I added a turk's head knot in vegetable-tanned leather to keep hand placement consistent.
And, for mine, I added a turk’s head knot in vegetable-tanned leather to keep hand placement consistent.

My favorite style is the Western European Upper Paleolithic “hammer-handle” style thrower.  It works well with heavier darts and is a solid companion.

2 thoughts on “More Paleolithic Technology in the Shop”

Leave a Reply

Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in:

Gravatar
WordPress.com Logo

You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. ( Log Out /  Change )

Facebook photo

You are commenting using your Facebook account. ( Log Out /  Change )

Cancel

Connecting to %s

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.