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A LARGE AXE GRINDING STONE FROM ILLINOIS

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Axe sharpening stone, groove and axe bit.

AXE BIT LAYING IN GRINDING CAVITY 

ABSTRACT:
AXE GRINDING STONE Axe grinding stone with celt (ungrooved axe).
CELT (UNGROOVED AXE) LAYING ON A LARGE GRINDING STONE

   Stone axes were used all around the world for thousands of years for cutting wood. But good examples of "portable" axe grinding stones, like the one pictured above, are not to common.

   This article illustrates and describes an excellent example from Illinois that has survived intact to the present day.

     "Simple Manual Abrasion---The stone abraded being held in the hand and rubbed on another stone or abraded by another stone held in the hand". W.H. Holmes, 1919.


CALIF. INDIAN GRINDING SHELL AND AXE GRINDING STONE FROM TENNESSEE MEASURING 21" (53.3CM) LONG
ILLUSTRATIONS FROM 1919 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY BULLETIN 60 PART 1

AXE GRINDING STONE
LATE STONE AGE
ILLINOIS

   Stone axes have been an important component of primitive Stone Age tool kits for many thousands of years. Grooved axes extend back in time to the Archaic period in North America. Grooved and ungrooved stone axes have been found on aboriginal sites around the world. Modern experiments using stone axes to cut down trees have shown that they work very well for that purpose. An experiment carried out in Denmark in 1954 concluded that one man could clear about 5 acres (2 hectares) in one week. Oak trees greater than 13 3/4 inches (35cm) in diameter were not cut down but girdled and left to die.
   During the process of stone axe making, a grinding stone is needed to sharpen the bit and smooth the sides of the axe. Axe grinding stones can be very large tools and in fact in some areas of the world they are the largest stone tools that were used in some cultures.
   It takes quite a lot of effort to manufacture a complete axe assemblage. First, the raw materials are collected to make the axe head and handle. Then several different types of tools must be on hand to complete the process. The sharp edges of a stone knife was used to carve a wooden handle and a hammer stone was used to do the initial shaping of the axe head by either pecking or flaking. The final step in the process was the sharpening of the bit and the smoothing of the sides by using a grinding stone and water.

Large axe grinding stone from Illinois.
CLICK ON PICTURE FOR VERY LARGE IMAGE
AXE GRINDING STONE FOR SHARPENING BITS
LATE STONE AGE--ILLINOIS
PETE BOSTROM COLLECTION

   At 76 lbs. this is one of the largest stone tools ever found in Illinois. The exact find site is no longer known. But it's believed to have been found somewhere in or around Calhoun County, Illinois. It measures 20 3/8 inches (51.7cm) long, 15 inches (38.1cm) wide and 5 inches (12.7cm) thick. The side shown in this picture has a long narrow groove cut into the center that was probably once used to sharpen the cutting bits of axes. The groove measures 13 inches (33cm) long, 4 1/2 inches (11.4cm) wide and 2 1/16 inches (5.2cm) deep. There are also at least four small holes near the edge  which may have been used to crack open nuts.

   The material of choice for smoothing and sharpening the surfaces of stone axes is sandstone. By using water as a lubricant which helps to create a "grinding past" the cutting bit of an axe can be sharpened to a pretty fine edge. Sometimes when sandstone is not available, materials like some forms of limestone have been used to sharpen stone axes.

Large axe grinding stone from Illinois.
CLICK ON PICTURE FOR VERY LARGE IMAGE
AXE GRINDING STONE
LATE STONE AGE--ILLINOIS
PETE BOSTROM COLLECTION

   This picture shows the opposite side of the same grinding stone pictured above. The discoloration on this side seems to indicate that it has been exposed to heat at some time in the past. That could have happened from a house fire or even a brush fire. The prominent feature on this side is a large worn concave grinding surface area that measures 11 inches (7.9cm) long, 8 1/2 inches (21.5cm) wide and 5/8 inches (1.5cm) deep. Since axes were also smoothed or polished on their sides it's possible that this side was used for that purpose. There are also at least 12 small holes on this side that may have been used for cracking nuts.

   Sandstone was also used to shape, smooth and sharpen such things as bone knives, awls, needles and items made of antler, shell and wood.

"REFERENCES"

1912, "Handbook of American Indians North of Mexico", by Fredrick Webb Hodge, pp. 6, 7.
1919, "Handbook of Aboriginal American Antiquities", by W. H. Holmes, pp. 344, 345.
1956, "Forest Clearance in the Stone Age", Sci. Amer. 194, pp. 36, 41.
1973, "Archeology By Experiment", by John Coles, pp. 20, 21.
1999, "Culture of Stone, Sacred and Profane uses of Stone Among the Dani", by O.W. "Bud" Hampton, pp. 93-97.
2002, "New South Wales National Parks & Wildlife" web site.

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