cool mystery!

[unclemac]

What do I have here? This is what I know. I found these on the beach in the mud at a spot where the remains of an old settler cabin once stood. I find a lot of things in this spot and the mud preserves items well. The bottles on the site date it to at least the 1880's but a lot of items date further back. It was once an Indian gathering site for multiple villages and pot-latch items have been found here too. The natives and settlers here intermarried early and their decedents never left. They are a unrecognized landless band with a lot of pride....having said that I really doubt a native American connection with these items but since I have no idea what they are....well, there you go.

These things were all found together, there are more of them in the mud, they are all laid out next to each other in graduating sizes like ribs on a boat (which they are not). They are made of wood but not made from dimensional lumber, these were all made by hand from local spruce, you can see the tool marks (looks like a metal knife to me..or ax) and there is even some inner bark left in places. One end is whittled down to be pegged into something but the other end is different. The other end tapers to its conclusion based on the form of the over all piece.

One of y'all must have a clue. The local economy has always been primarily oystering dating back to the 1840's and still is today. One other clue may be the blacksmithing tools I have found here as well.

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

Diving for Pleasure and Treasure - Grab it through Amazon!

[jeff of pa]

interesting !



1 Notch for each person Stabbed with it & Buried in the Basement ?

I Don't know much about Fur Trapping, But My "Hunch" Possible Fur/leather
cleaning Tools

 

[ARC]

Its Wolverines Grandfathers claws... during the depression he had to scap the metal ones and use these.

:P

 

[mojjax]

maybe for hanging fish in a smoke house ?

 

[Toecutter]

very interesting, one is widdled down to a point the other end is tapered, my first thought it was used for weaving, but Im not to sure about that because they are so big..

 

[Tony in SC]

I first thought was that they were for weaving fishing nets.

 

[vpnavy]

1 Notch for each person Stabbed with it & Buried in the Basement?

I actually laughed out loud when I read your comment!

 

[Plug N Play]

A rake ?

Maybe a clam, oyster, scallop rake ?
How about cranberries ? ... do they do cranberries where you are at ?

 

[DCMatt]

...do they do cranberries where you are at ?

Knowing where these were found is pretty important to the research...

 

[releventchair]

A lot of labor into making them.
Different tool work shows on different pieces.

Clam rake is the only thing I can guess from here.
Fids came to mind but there are no rear hole/hollow for splicing rope ,and no cordage hole or notch for net making. And the shape of the o.p.'s pieces are not like" most" fids.


We need more context.
IF different hands used tools differently to make them. There may have been a cottage type industry making them. For whatever they were used for.

 

[namxat]

Well,

rakes and pitchforks were made generally out of wood in the good old times. I remember an old man as a kid which made hay with a selfmade wood pitchfork. Preferred carving to watching TV.

Greets Namxat

 

[unclemac]

A rake ?

Maybe a clam, oyster, scallop rake ?
How about cranberries ? ... do they do cranberries where you are at ?

View attachment 1710165

yes cranberries are a big part of the local economy too. But the graduated size of the different pieces and the length of the longer ones make me doubt they are for that. However, these ideas do seem to be getting to somewhere....I like how the tapered ends look like scoops and the other ends fit into a holder.

 

[unclemac]

A lot of labor into making them.
Different tool work shows on different pieces.

Clam rake is the only thing I can guess from here.
Fids came to mind but there are no rear hole/hollow for splicing rope ,and no cordage hole or notch for net making. And the shape of the o.p.'s pieces are not like" most" fids.


We need more context.
IF different hands used tools differently to make them. There may have been a cottage type industry making them. For whatever they were used for.

...yes something functional but not a one off...something others would have made and used too.

 

[A2coins]

Indian nose rings

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

Could they be sticks to start friction fires? One question I have you say they were all laid out in order. Dont you have storms? What body of water is this beach? A lake or ocean?

 

[Reanm8er]

Maybe just loom shuttles?

 

[unclemac]

Could they be sticks to start friction fires? One question I have you say they were all laid out in order. Dont you have storms? What body of water is this beach? A lake or ocean?

ocean bay, and yes it is storms that have been uncovering things from the mud...but it is a very sheltered bay and very shallow.

 

[cellerfeller]

My first thought was - push them into a frame on the ground then weave a basket around the uprights, curve sets the curve on the basket. An old fellow showed me how to make a pound ash splint fishing creel once. He used a frame with temporary uprights - really helped set the first few rows of weavers and make the curve. Once the first few rows of weavers were dried he took the creel off the form and finished weaving on his lap - made a beautiful creel. Very interesting mystery - hope someone can nail it down.

 

[unclemac]

usually I can figure these things out pretty quick, but this one is beyond my experience. Yet I know it most likely has a simple answer. I have been back to the spot, there were a few more of these but they were split and ragged.

 

[DCMatt]

usually I can figure these things out pretty quick, but this one is beyond my experience. Yet I know it most likely has a simple answer. I have been back to the spot, there were a few more of these but they were split and ragged.

Ribs from a bull-boat frame?