Flint Knapping

Stay tuned for 2020 dates! 2019 class has been rescheduled.

Learn to make beautiful and functional stone tools as our ancestors did, with the guidance of master flintknapper Neill Bovaird

In this two-day workshop you’ll begin to learn the art of stone tool making. We will be creating a variety of tools out of flint and obsidian using a variety of techniques focusing mainly on percussion flaking and pressure flaking.

Through the seven stages of reduction we will rediscover the art of of crafting a sharp, useful edge. Participants will be guided through the progression of skills and ideas from the most basic stone tools to the most advanced.

Student will walk away from this program with useful handmade tools such as scrapers, engravers, and arrowheads. We will look back into the history of flintknapping from the first tools made some 2 million years ago to present day knapping. This class will include hands on learning, demonstrations and discussions on stone tools through history.

This course is designed for every level of student. Beginning and advanced students are welcome.

About Neill Bovaird

Neill Bovaird has been practicing and teaching wilderness skills since 1998. He has a B.S. in Natural Resource Conservation from UMass Amherst and holds a Track and Sign Level III certification through the CyberTracker Conservation. Neill has been a facilitator at Art of Mentoring since 2001 and has studied with Jon Young, Mark Elbroch, Errett Callahan, and Steve Watts.

In addition to being the founder and director of Wolf Tree Programs LLC, Neill has taught wilderness skills at countless private and public schools, nature centers, museums, conferences, elder hostels and camps. He has been a passionate hunter and gatherer for over ten years and is dedicated to sharing how to approach hunting and gathering in a respectful way, helping people connect more deeply to themselves, nature and their communities.