boppin or cutting

[ken75]

just curious about if most of the knappers on here are beating out thier spallls or are they cutting slabs on a saw . so far i bop out my spalls and very rarely get pieces large enough for anything bigger than two inch points.  ???i've used obsidian and texas flint so far small points is about it

[billy]

I make points out of flakes.  I'm not a big fan of knapping slabs, I find they are more time consuming and are more prone to breakage because they are flat.  the natural lenticular shape of a flake makes it stronger, at least in my  experience....

[Keenan]

 I second what Billy said. I have some slabs that I got for free but have found that I like the spalls better.

[venisonburger]

I've lately been doing more slabs, only because it's easier to be better at, you get more immediate satisfaction, my goal is to do more spalling. Problem is not alot of rock up here in the da UP of michigan so I have to buy rock. Dollar for dollar I get more from slabs.
VB

[sailordad]

i prefer spalls,seems more palio to knapp that way
however,like VB i live in an area with little to no knapible material that is worth adamn
so slabs are easier to aquire at rock shops,less waste of material and $$$$
i dont think its easier to be good at knapping slabs over spalls,both require differant skills
it does seem easier to squeeze and break a slab than a spall,but that just teaches good hand control

[Newbow]

If you don't count glass, all I've ever used is spalls.  I did find it easier to learn on glass because I didn't have to think about things like locating and maintaining a centerline and also trying to flatten out a curve while I was still learning to get a flake to go further than a 1/4 inch.  I have considered buying a saw to make more economical use of some of my rock, so I'm finding this discussion of pros and cons interesting.  You guys just might save me some money!

[leapingbare]

I like bolders to start with

[mullet]

I do both. I have saws and diamond grinders. So I can round my slabs instead of chipping them flat.

[Wolf Watcher]

To do really well, both methods require some skill.  When I lived and worked in Oregon and Washington, glass butes obsidian was a source of lots of glass so beating up on it resulted in big blades and lots of small stuff for hunting points.  There where other places like Mt St. Helens that offered agates and jaspers (also along the Columbia Gorge) where the material was so precious that made slabs a necessary way to save material.  That is also true where I live south of Yellowstone.  So I think you should learn both methods!  When you look at a point you found, its difficult to determine any but the last pass except when it might have been reworked.  Lots of blades in the Rocky Mountains were flake over grind, which is something I never really learned.  Pokie

[ken75]

thanks for the input so far ive done just spalls . seem to have a lot of wasted material ... guess that will just be my way of moving mountains . spall by spall ! its great and inspiring to see all the beautiful points on here keep up the good work. glad to be a member !

[aaron]

spalls for me- i live in the land of obsidian, so when we go dig a 500lb rock- we use a big copper to spall it into turkey-platter size spalls. I have done some spalling with quartsite as a bopper, but the 20lb copper bopper really moves 'em!

[StevenT]

The only place I have seen a 500 lb rock is in my dreams. Only rock around this place is what you buy to put in your yard. So I have to purchase everthing also. And since I am still figuring out how to deal with real rock and instead of glass, the only rock I have is what I have purchased or picked up as scrap at the last knap-in. And unlike a lot of the guys on here that really use what they make, I am learning just for the fun of doing it. So I get a little bit of a charge when I think I am making a point like the really old timers did. I haven't purchased a lot of rock yet, but when I do, it will probably be spalls and flakes so I can get as much as I can for my dollars.

[FlintWalker]

I prefer spalls and that's all I use except when I make something from glass.

[Justin Snyder]

Yes to both. Most of mine is slabs, just because it doesn't waste so much rock, even though I have an almost unlimited supply of obsidian.

[warhawk]

I like both becasue of the techniques to use are the same.