About me - Bob Doyle

I am 54 years old and I was raised on a small island off the coast of Maine. When I was about 11 years old I found a cash of blades, preforms, and 'chunks of chert' when a large spruce tree went down. The roots ripped away a foot of soil and exposed a ledge which was probably workshop area; this became one of the most memorable moments in my childhood, from then to this day, I have read and studied at every opportunity that I have had. When I was in the US Army serving in Panama, I took a course in primitive art through a local college. I don't remember much about the course except that it sparked an interest. Exploring the jungles of Panama and the woods of Maine are much the same, but I think the bugs are worse in Maine. One day on the Shagris River, I found a carved stone effigy, an image of a cat...a beautiful thing, made of a somewhat translucent red flint, maybe jasper. I recognized some of the flake scares and noted the method used to make this cat and the blades I had found in Maine were the same; I was amazed. I think it was then that I knew one day I would attempt to learn how to work stone in such a manner.

For most of my life I have studied art. Maine is a very rich area as far as a record of the past is concerned. I still search for little works of art in the river banks, and still find wonderful treasures that were created with an understanding of lithic technology that has long ago passed 'into the swamp of time'.

As for myself, I have been knapping stone in earnest for about three years. In the first year, I worked only with local material rhyolite, some tough hard stuff. Than I did what people did here thousands of years ago, import it. Good quality stone caused a quick improvement. I’m still learning, basically I’m self taught, but I used the art of flint knapping by D.C. Waldorf as my guide.

I’ve made and used my own arrows for over thirty years. During that time I have tipped them with steel and bronze tips that were appropriate for the time period they represented. None have been stronger or more accurate than the stone tipped ones I’m making now.

Bob Doyle
rokomako@yahoo.com