small grooved hammers

quito

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Mar 31, 2008
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These are the smallest I have found, one of my friends has one smaller from the same site. He owns the site.

anyone else have some little pounders?

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A couple of rather knowledgable collectors in my area have mentioned heavy grooved stones, like yours being used to set up a trot line sort of deal. Instead of using hooks nets were used. A heavy weight would be placed on both sides of a creek or river and both would have one side of a net tied off to it. They were used in places with few trees, so I'm told and to top it off, not polished for the most part. I found a piece that I believe to be natural (now, not when I found it) by a stream. These two guys on separate occasions told me about the large net weights that were used on land.

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Odds are this thing is natural. I still keep it because I'm yet to find another piece of stone like this. It looks light, but it's heavy as crap.
 

Hmmm.

That stone kinda looks like a petrified coral of some sort.
 

so all of yours are full grooved then?

It's pretty amazing the various sizes. I have one 3/4 groove that weighs 13 pounds.

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You have some Very Nice ones there! :icon_thumleft:
 

Here you go Quito ,. these were found near your back yard ,. in Lyon Co. Iowa ! The complete one was found by my grandpa ,. he collected a bit ,I've been told . I found the broke , at the Blood Run locality, back in 1977 . my grandpa's may have came from there as well ,as I've also heard that he had walked those fields as well . back in the 40's and 50's ??
both are full groove ,. possible the broke is the poll end of an axe ,. ??I think small maul/ hammer ? Like you ,. I suppose there would have been many uses for a such a tool about camp ,. so as for there use ??
thanks ,. Blindpig
 

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Seems alot of these could be a tool salvaged from an axe at the end of it's life span
 

check out the round full groove quartzite approx baseball size on lower middle
this friend johns display case and artifacts from our mandan site
also a few other interesting hammers and various things

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IMG_0004.jpg these two i saw at an auction sale last summer
 

a lot of interesting theorys on the use of the big one......just sayin'

Hi Steve! What is your opinion or theory about the use of the large maul/axe? Do you think it's really a maul? I'm not sure, I'm sincerely asking. It seems to me that 13lbs is quite heavy to swing. The weight isn't the half of it. It looks like would be awkward. The weight may not be to bad for swinging if it had a different disposition. I would like to see everyone's take on what this piece was used for.
 

I was thinking the same thing. It looks very unmanageable to be swinging like an axe or maul. But who knows. I wasn't there back then. Ha.
 

The largest recorded grooved axe found was around 30 pounds well to b politically correct it was 30 something pounds ... There was a replica made and used I think it is possible for sure
 

Correction it was a 25 pd hard stone Celt found in Illinois
 

I was thinking the same thing. It looks very unmanageable to be swinging like an axe or maul. But who knows. I wasn't there back then. Ha.

well, I am a concrete contractor, and I still have a 12 pound and I used to have a 16 pound sledge hammer, if that tells you how unmanageable 13 pounds may be.
 

Hi Steve! What is your opinion or theory about the use of the large maul/axe? Do you think it's really a maul? I'm not sure, I'm sincerely asking. It seems to me that 13lbs is quite heavy to swing. The weight isn't the half of it. It looks like would be awkward. The weight may not be to bad for swinging if it had a different disposition. I would like to see everyone's take on what this piece was used for.

well, I am a concrete contractor, and I still have a 12 pound and I used to have a 16 pound sledge hammer, if that tells you how unmanageable 13 pounds may be.

i think either horse tether or hammer
the huge earth lodges that the women built sure must have taken some heavy hammers.....
also rusty it is one of my opinions that every lodge must have had one big maul that was used for breaking buffalo bones for marrow

otoh the two auction pieces i just posted show hammer usage wear....
.....but that big one that is posted by friend quito does not appear to have impact hammer type wear so it speaks horse tether......
it sure looks that way but i can't see the ends from the image posted.....may be we could get a look at the ends
one thing for sure is that a horse tether and a hammer are extremely similar and could possibly have served both purposes sometimes
whichever these are i gotta say they are very cool

larson1951
 

I've only ever found one in Ohio.
 

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Grooved heavy stone

A couple of rather knowledgable collectors in my area have mentioned heavy grooved stones, like yours being used to set up a trot line sort of deal. Instead of using hooks nets were used. A heavy weight would be placed on both sides of a creek or river and both would have one side of a net tied off to it. They were used in places with few trees, so I'm told and to top it off, not polished for the most part. I found a piece that I believe to be natural (now, not when I found it) by a stream. These two guys on separate occasions told me about the large net weights that were used on land.

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Odds are this thing is natural. I still keep it because I'm yet to find another piece of stone like this. It looks light, but it's heavy as crap.

I have a stone like this too. Found in a West Central Indiana creek bed. Weighs exactly 63 lbs. Did you ever figure out what it was?IMG_1365.JPGIMG_1366.JPGIMG_1367.JPGIMG_1368.JPG
 

Keep 'em coming. 'em R killers!!

Small grooved hammers (well, adzes...) are a little different down heah.

 

bim that looks more like a anchor if it isnt natural
 

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