Getting your hole....in a peice of wood.

[Andy B]

Hi was wondering about how I would go about putting a small neat hole in a peice of wood. Yes and i am aware of a power drill. :-D

How did our ancestor make holes, or even better hollow out wood to make flutes etc?

Cant wait to find out cause I just know somone on here will know.

Cheers lads and ladettes
Andy.

[Powderburn]

How did our ancestor make holes

The same way they made fire, using a hand drill, bow drill or pump drill. The spindle had a stone bit on the end (think arrowhead) or they dipped it in sand to abrade away the material. I had a link with some nice pictures but can't find it right now. :-(

[Andy B]

If you could hoke out that link I would appreciate it mate, sounds like a brilliant idea.

I had entertained the idea of sand but would never have thought of the flint/stone tip. Saying that my flint knapping needs a little work......... ops:

[Tumper]

There have been small flint arrowheads found that appear to be drill tips from the wear on them. the idea is the head is attached to a shaft, then either rubbed back and forth between the palms, or used with a bow drill.

[Andy B]

I suppose you could even just twist it with your hand if it was the right shape etc.

[Tumper]

oops, looks like we overlapped!...dont forget that many objects such as flutes were made from reed or cane, which can be naturaly hollow, or easy to hollow.

heres a link concerned with stone and bone, but the same principle...

http://lithiccastinglab.com/gallery-...rillspage1.htm

[ChrisKavanaugh]

Many beads in ancient europe were actually chipped with tiny tools to create the threading hole. Several sites have been located, which shows even then a specialization of labour and trade. I hope they had good unions . Another method is to use cactus needles or thorns as a drill with sand as an abrasive. This is why beads, or wampum belts were an early form of money in the american east. You take specific shells, their transport and labor to turn into beads and have the same abstract value as gold.

[Andy B]

he he,

Although belfast is like the wild west we dont have cacti! :-D I had a wee go with a peice of flint and although progress is slow there was definite potential.

I also read something about a yarrow whistle on her to, I just need to find some yarrow.

[ChrisKavanaugh]

Coming from both Belfast Republican and Orange stock, I think cacti would be easier to breach than some of the sad social and physical barriers over there :cry: . Try some thorns.

[Gary]

The easiest way to make a hole in a piece of wood - say a spoon handle - is to carve a small square shape with stop cuts. Then using the tip of your blade pick out the wood inside the square. Once your half way through turn your spoon over and do the same on the other side until your through. :shock:

[the naughty boy]

Coming from both Belfast Republican and Orange stock, I think cacti would be easier to breach than some of the sad social and physical barriers over there :cry: . Try some thorns.

it aint the people m8 its the feckin politicians and too many police trying to wring a living out of the people.lol it reminds me of the tick thread,parasites etc.

andy im sure you,ve no probs getting your hole m8 lol lol lol :wink:

its got to be a flint thing hasnt it?

[Andy B]

Why naughty boy thanks.

Thorns are of course a great idea, must try them. I also hear about a red hot peice of metal to burn a hole through.

IN one of Ray Mears books he mentions burning out a bowl with a straw to increase oxygen in certain areas.

[the naughty boy]

getting your hole in a piece of wood...reminds me of a joke i heard.

Text removed
...did i misunderstand something? :roll:
Yes you did, that's a joke for your mates at the pub. This is a family orientated site and you will be banned if you cross the line again.
Tony

[leon-1]

Andy, powderburn was quite correct in what he sent in the first post to your question, if you can get hold of it there is a very good book by a chap called Ellsworth Jaeger called wildwood wisdom that describes this process and it has some illustration that could be followed. :-)

[Kiamyr]

Have seen the term 'stop cut' used a few times around here, what exactly does it mean?

[leon-1]

It is generally a deep cut made across an area and it does what it says on the tin, it stops you from cutting any further as you carve down towards it.

[Kiamyr]

Cheers!

[Toddy]

I've made holes through stones for warp weights using two different methods. The first is called *pecking* and it's literally done by chipping away at the site you want the hole in one stone by hitting it repeatedly (for 3 and a half hours , we timed it!) with a harder stone. This gives a sloping sided hole....like a kind of squished doughnut.
The second method was using a stone drill; this is a fixed bow drill with a bottomless clay or wooden cup on top of the stone you want to drill. The spindle goes into this cup shape and some sharp sand is poured in (straight from the beach stuff) The spindle picks up some of the sand and as it's pressed downwards some of it embeds into the spindle tip. The spindle is turned by the bow and it literally grinds a hole through the stone using a wooden stick. It's a very neat, parallel sided hole too. Took less than an hour on a stone about 30 mm thick. Very effective.

Cheers,
Toddy

[ssj]

Another way or two-1. Burn a hole with a heated piece of metal, say a knife tang.
2. The Plains tribes of the american west made some flutes this way- Split the flute body in half lengthwise, hollow out the center down the length of the flute, then bind the flute back together.
Steve

[wolf]

ive used bow drill and a small quartz crystal...