"Mystery" item identification contest!

[twowheelfan]

it looks like slate, so not really hard enough to cut, prone to chip and become inaccurate, so not a marker, the center hole is not an axle hole because there is no visible wear, doesn't rotate in its use. i think its a post cap to keep water from penetrating the end grain of a decorative post.

 

[Dugout]

(this blue page post is quite decorative!) []

 

[twowheelfan]

good one!

 

[Dugout]

I have a mystery item to share after this one is solved.

 

[Plumbata]

Alrighty! Sorry for the long delay people, but I didn't forget about this contest!

Here for your viewing pleasure is a jumble of pictures of the saw:

Here it is hafted. I'm pretty sure that the saw blade would have been a bit more deeply inserted into the original handle, perhaps even with the projecting "wings" touching the handle, but whatever.

As I understand it, it would have been used for light woodworking. Imagine a fletcher cutting arrow or spear shafts down to size, or a bookbinder trimming wooden panels to match the illuminated manuscripts to be protected. For simple joinery it would have been rather serviceable too. Crescent saws from a later era were used in shipbuilding, or for cutting holes within a board (not possible with a straight saw). Could have been the case here. I have no proof that it wasn't used for cutting designs, creating grooves for inlays, or for pruning trees, so such guesses are accepted. As far as I understand, tree or vine pruning was accomplished with a curved hook blade, kinda like a sling blade or kaiser axe in form, but the sizes ranged significantly. A clean cut is far less likely to get infected/attacked by insects and far easier for a plant to heal from versus a rough cut with a saw. Regardless, such guesses are acceptable.

You all have to keep in mind that in an era when decent steel was unknown or unavailable, let alone spring steel, the people then had to make do with the materials available. Tempered iron was about the best option they had. Even though it seems rather pitiful and ineffective compared to modern saws, it still offered a degree of precision and uniformity of cut not easily possible with axes or chisels. Wielded by a skilled hand the results may have been quite impressive. Back then, true skill and experience probably made up for the rudimentary nature of the implements available then., Any talentless hack can pick up a modern saw and cut something decently well, but the same tool in the hands of a dedicated craftsman might as well be a scalpel in the hands of a brain surgeon. It is a humble tool but may have made allowed some miserable Dark Age artisan to keep his family fed. It cost me barely more than 10 bucks; a cheap meal at a restaurant, but centuries ago it may have been the priceless piece which kept starvation and premature death at bay. God I love stuff like this. []

The current contestants, and their guesses:

ORIGINAL: 2find4me
Or a mini saw blade!

ORIGINAL: twowheelfan
from the new image i have deduced that it is a type of saw.
the teeth are slightly askew much like sawblades today, but i do not know how old that tech actually is. so thats my guess.

ORIGINAL: nydigger
looks like it may be some sort of wood working tool....for fine details or designs

ORIGINAL: cyberdigger
OK I'm gonna go with pruning saw.. this is quite a fun contest Plummy! []

ORIGINAL: epackage
It reminds me of a saw blade with the teeth (sent via PM so as to not influence others)

ORIGINAL: Steve/sewell
12th Century Telescoping tree pruner ?

ORIGINAL: cowseatmaize
I'm on a roll and been wrong every time.
I'll be a convert and go against my gear theory. I think I may be bugging you. []
I'll go with the saw thing but apply it specifically to harvesting olives. They were an important resource.

As you can see, I was rather liberal in terms of what I deemed as qualifying guesses. Since i wasn't around when it was in active use it would be unfair to impose my personal bias upon the identification or possible past uses of the item. The acceptable guesses were close enough in my mind to qualify.

Unless there are disagreements with my decisions, I will create 2 paper slips for each person and mix them together in a box. 2 slips because mechanically speaking it seems more fair to me. That way, everyone has a better chance at having their slip accessible to my blind fingers (rather than having their 1 slip stuck in a corner or something).

The winner can choose between a parcel containing some medieval iron arrowheads and ancient roman bronze fibulas (brooches, but missing the pin) and anything else suitable I can find (no promises regarding the latter though), or 10.00 donated to the forum in the winner's name.

 

[Plumbata]

And regarding Rick's item...

ORIGINAL: twowheelfan
i think its a post cap to keep water from penetrating the end grain of a decorative post.

Holy crap man, that is EXACTLY what I was thinking. You're good at this guessing business aren't ya? The nail hole in the center implies that the piece may have been affixed with the flat side up (not as effective at shedding water) but maybe they made the hole beforehand and flipped it around and then nailed it in place so the head would have been flush with the slate. Hard to say. Neat piece though.

 

[twowheelfan]

ORIGINAL: Plumbata

And regarding Rick's item...



Holy crap man, that is EXACTLY what I was thinking. You're good at this guessing business aren't ya? The nail hole in the center implies that the piece may have been affixed with the flat side up (not as effective at shedding water) but maybe they made the hole beforehand and flipped it around and then nailed it in place so the head would have been flush with the slate. Hard to say. Neat piece though.

simple deductive reasoning. thanks! Rick, what do you think it is? if, i do have my name picked, please donate to the forum. i am fond of artifacts and would love to see images of the prizes offered, but it would i think , be best to have money go to this fine website instead. i hope my post influences the other contestants.

 

[RICKJJ59W]

That may be what it is and it may not be" but thats not "what I thought it was" the game has to be called--------what does sickrick think it is [] You have to dig deep to get it right lol.[8D]

 

[epackage]

I think that you think that it was the "Paperweight" used to keep whatever form of wiping medium that was found in the outhouse from blowing away, what do I win?!?!?[8D]

 

[Sir.Bottles]

the tooth on the edge make me think it's part of an old large clock.