Drill questions

[Older The Better]

I didn?t want to farther hijack another posters thread so I thought I?d start this one, poster was showing some paddle/t- drills, has me wondering about my own.

?The rhyolite drill would be classified as a T-base drill according to the classification scheme used in the Massachusetts Archaeological Society?s New England artifact guide. It?s not a paddle drill. Of T-base drills, the guide states: ?Late Archaic-Late Woodland. These seem to derive from either Brewerton Eared Triangles or Levanna points, and have been found in assemblages containing both of them.? It would not be related to Neville points?.illustration from MAS artifact guide..

?

This had me wondering a couple of things, I would assume the north east would have its own dates and associations with various forms, with my find all being from se Kansas I was curious if a t drill would still likely fall in the same range or if location changes everything.

Also looking at the chart posted all the drills have a base tied to a certain type of point. It seems most drills are exhausted points. I have to think though at some point someone needed a drill and instead of making or using a good point then working it down to a drill they would have just went to a drill form immediately. Any idea if there is just a pure drill, could it be some of those t based drills are just drills and not necessarily associated with a point type?

Could this just be a drill or should I be looking into large points with a straight base for a possible type and age association. Been playing in photoshop to condense different angles into a single picture.

 

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[Edgychris1]

That is most definitely a drill and was told that style is known as a paddle drill. Here is another older paddle drill I found.

Yours is a beauty.

As far as the turning a point into a drill, what would you do? I believe they definitely turned points into drills. Location of break and other physical characteristics deterimed turning points into drills. However I believe thickness is a tell tale if it came from a point or made as a drill. Thickness in relation to likely point thickness for the base to point classification chart. Levanna points on average are not that thick. At least in my region. This Rhoylite drill is quite thick at the base. I've not seen any part of a Levanna I've found that thick. They manipulated points in many

The Levanna point could easily be turned into a T drill based on the shape, or at least the larger ones.

 

[Edgychris1]

That is most definitely a drill and was told that style is known as a paddle drill. Here is another older paddle drill I found.

Yours is a beauty.

As far as the turning a point into a drill, what would you do? I believe they definitely turned points into drills. Location of break and other physical characteristics deterimed turning points into drills. However I believe thickness is a tell tale if it came from a point or made as a drill. Thickness in relation to likely point thickness for the base to point classification chart. Levanna points on average are not that thick. At least in my region. This Rhoylite drill is quite thick at the base. I've not seen any part of a Levanna I've found that thick. They manipulated points in many

The Levanna point could easily be turned into a T drill based on the shape, or at least the larger ones.

If you notice, look real close zoomed up on all the tips from older the betters paddle drill, mine above, and the Redrhoylite? If you look at the tip of each something very similar stands out. Each tip is terminated off center from drill lengthwise center line. Almost exactly the same termination. These three drills show stikely similar qualities, your from Kansas mine from New England!

More in the following two. Check out how they are terminated. Zoom in.

The curve from start of shoulder or ear is on a slightly different angle making for one side of the drill to be longer than other and ultimately placing the tips termination offset from lengthwise center line. All three below portray this. Could be nothing, however I think it represents the functionality of starting the bore somehow.

 

[Older The Better]

I hadn’t thought about thicknesses being an indicator, it’s a good thought. Incase I wasn’t clear I’m sure many were re worked points but I have to imagine many times in the entire history of North America a guy needed a drill and didn’t have any damaged for old points to sacrifice. Instead of burning a complete tool I would imagine they would go and make a drill out of nothing. In that case I wonder would they make a base like they point types they are associated with or are these paddle drills the most efficient shape to make from scratch.
The centerline observation is interesting too I would only be guessing but two things come to mind, those old crank screwdrivers with the big bend in them, was there something similar going on, or maybe being off center would create enough wobble to have the hole stay bigger than the big and avoid it hanging up and breaking?

 

[Tnmountains]

I hadn’t thought about thicknesses being an indicator, it’s a good thought. Incase I wasn’t clear I’m sure many were re worked points but I have to imagine many times in the entire history of North America a guy needed a drill and didn’t have any damaged for old points to sacrifice. Instead of burning a complete tool I would imagine they would go and make a drill out of nothing. In that case I wonder would they make a base like they point types they are associated with or are these paddle drills the most efficient shape to make from scratch.
The centerline observation is interesting too I would only be guessing but two things come to mind, those old crank screwdrivers with the big bend in them, was there something similar going on, or maybe being off center would create enough wobble to have the hole stay bigger than the big and avoid it hanging up and breaking?

Yes I think that they made just drills from scrap good material. Of course they would transition a point into a drill when it was no longer a good point. I have one that is at that stage.
Here are some that were in my opinion just drills and never a knife or arrowhead but just made into drills or perforators.