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Cool old stuff

Jamie

Senior Member
5,691
177
Ohio
Tom, I have a draw knife that looks almost exactly like yours but it is a James Swan Co. one of my bow building pupils left it behind nearly 20 years ago after his bow was finished. it needs some love, but it is serviceable in every way. in great condition, really. he didn't know for sure where it came from, but that he inherited it from his Dad or something. I've used it just for the fun of it, and it works, but the blade needs to be ground back to the correct bevel by a machinist after lots of poor sharpenings. my go-to drawknife is a Robert Sorby #565 that I bought new right after I started making selfbows seriously.

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these are the only marking on it. I'd love to know when it was actually made.

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I have some tools from Nancy's Grandfather who was a Cobbler. some cool little tools clearly made for their very specific task of making and repairing shoes. I should dig those out.
 

CJD3

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
14,630
201
NE Ohio
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40 some years ago, I was squirrel hunting in an old oak grove. The one I had just shot crashed to the base of an massive Red Oak. As I reached to pick it up I noticed this old broadhead 3/4 buried in the side of the tree about 3 ' up. At the risk of my knife, I began to dig it out.
The blade is steel. The base is brass. I have no idea who its made by. It wasn't until 1993 when I moved into this house I found where I had put it away. I had a couple of old cedar arrows left and stuck it on one for display.

The bow is a old Ben Pearson I dug out of my grandfather's scrap wood pile about 50 years ago. It was old when I found it. About a 25-30# draw, its responsible for my introduction to archery. I'd do odd jobs to get enough cash to go buy a couple more wood arrows from the store. My summers were spent stump shooting and all the other fantasies a 10 year old boy in the country would have with his first bow.
 
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hickslawns

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
39,721
248
Ohio
Bought this from a neighbor of my parents close to 25 years ago at their garage sale. He said he bought it in Italy when he was in the Navy. He would be around 70 now so it is at least 50yrs old. It was at a vendors market on the street. Not sure if it was new or used when he bought it. No clue how he got it back. My kids learned to pull themselves up and walk hanging onto it as toddlers. All wood. Knobs on top and bottom are wood. Not sure what the mapping is made of. Pretty cool piece. Months and zodiac signs around the top of the base. Can see Florida listed. Sort of hard to make out much since it is not English and I'm a dumb American.
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MoonLab

Where we’re going, we don’t need roads.
Supporting Member
10,371
145
Tooville
Cool find, Mike.

Phil
My dad's cousin had one in ky. I was little when I was at her house and seen one like that. Pretty cool...
 

Mike

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
15,840
223
Up Nort
Old whiskey bottle pulled from a 1914 crawlspace. The tax label says that it was bottled in 1912. There were quite a few down there from the builders.
 

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