A pushplane is a hafted symmetrical bifacial elongated flat upturned tool usually of quartzite. Supposedly used for planing organic materials of wood, bone and antler, pushplanes seldom produce striae on their quartzite edges for analyzing true function and may have been used as chisels or wedges. Larger and more serrated, ventrally polished or worn than scrapers, pushplanes resemble large scrapers. But scrapers wear or striate over the edge from the distal surface while pushplanes wear on the ventral surface because they glide along almost on their ventral surface. Pushplanes also resemble thick upturned planoconvex unifacial knives, except the latter seldom have abrupt side and end retouch like pushplanes and are often pointed and thin. Pushplanes may also resemble abruptly flaked flat cores and core tablets.
Often uneven in side profile due to haft thinning, pushplanes are usually flat ventrally, and ridged or rounded dorsally except for upturned rounded bits. A few have flat fully retouched ventral surfaces, but most are plain. Some chert ones have polished or ground bits. Pushplanes were used by Déné Indians until replaced by steel spokeshaves, chisels and planes in the 18th Century. Their Taltheilei ancestors, and predecessors of the ASTt, Shield Archaic and Northern Plano used a variety of pushplanes, but generally their similar planing purpose obviated a common shape. They were not simple tools-of-the-moment, requiring some shaping and edge grinding, but are easier to make than fully ground adzes, chisels and axes. Thus, they were probably not carried while herd-following.
33 pushplanes from stratified levels were examined in the hope of culturally assigning 54 very similar surface tools. Stratified pushplanes are all in tundra sites and number according to culture as: SA 1, ASTt 1, ET 5, MT 23 & LT 3. Surface pushplanes are also in tundra sites, tentatively assigned as: ASTt 4, ET 3 & MT 47. The only stratified ASTt pushplane KjNb-7:49-9 is broken (bit only), but is ovoid, of tortoise-shell section, unstemmed, unserrated and with gradual side & end retouch. Of 4 similar surface culturally-undesignated pushplanes, 1 is ovoid (3 are tearshape), 3 tortoise-shell (1 keeled), 1 unstemmed (3 stemmed) & all gradually side & end retouched. Although resemblances exist only in section and retouch, surface LbLt-2:5 is left-leaning like many ASTt tools, and comes from a single component ASTt site. Surface LbLs-1:4 & LbLs-3:55 have fine ASTt retouch, and are also from single component sites. Surface LdLl-2:20 resembles the stratified pushplane in section, cortex & retouch. All are alike, the surface pushplanes from a locale of predominantly ASTt sites, and all are included under ASTt for analysis.
The 5 stratified ET pushplanes include 3 ovoid (2 tearshaped), 2 tortoise & 2 keeled (1 rectangular section), 4 serrated (1 unserrated), 3 stemmed (1 unstemmed & 1 unknown) – all abruptly side & end retouched. Average length, width & thickness are 70x44x19 mm. The 3 surface culturally-undesignated pushplanes are 2 ovoid (1 tearshape), 2 tortoise (1 keeled), all serrated, 2 unstemmed (1 stemmed) – all abruptly side & end retouched. Average length, width & thickness are 69x51x29 mm. Close analogies between stratified & surface ET pushplanes in plan, section, serration, stemming, retouch & length suggest all be combined under ET for cultural definition. MT pushplanes slightly vary in serration and retouch, but ratios of abrupt end to side retouch, and gradual end to side retouch support overall likeness. SA pushplanes are largest, while ASTt & LT ones are too alike for surface pushplane identification.
Half of all pushplane plans are ovoid, 11% are lanceolate, 20% rectangular and 21% tearshaped/triangular. The oldest or SA is tearshaped. ASTt shares ovoid & tearshape as does ET. MT has all plan views (half ovoid, 9% lanceolate, 23% rectangular & 14% tearshape), LT follows MT, reducing to a third each of lanceolate, rectangular & tearshape. Over time, Taltheilei exchanges ovoid for more elongated plans. 23% of pushplane sections are keeled, 70% tortoise-backed and 3%. The SA pushplane is keeled, the ASTt types 20% keeled & 80% tortoise-backed. ET is 38% keeled, half tortoise-backed & 12% rectangular. MT has all sections (20%, 73% & 3%, respectively). LT has a third & two-thirds of keeled & tortoise-backed. ASTt & MT pushplanes are indistinguishable on tortoise-backing. Taltheilei through time diversifies and reconsolidates, losing rectangular sections.
54% of pushplanes are serrated, the remainder worn, ground or unserrated. The SA pushplane is serrated, as are 60% of ASTt, 88% of ET, half of MT and two-thirds of LT. Serration is common throughout Beverly prehistory, reaching its zenith in ET. It can be used to culturally designate ET pushplanes only in conjunction with other data. Two-thirds of pushplanes are stemmed – the SA one, plus half of ASTt and ET. Stemming or hafting increases in Taltheilei to 64% in MT and all in LT. In association with other traits, Taltheilei phasing on hafting may be possible. Equal numbers of pushplanes are end retouched abruptly or gradually. SA and ASTt are gradually retouched; ET only abruptly. Half of MT and a third of LT are gradually retouched. In conjunction with other traits, surface ASTt & ET pushplanes may be identifiable on gradual or abrupt retouch. Equal numbers of pushplanes are side retouched abruptly or gradually. SA and ASTt are gradually retouched; ET only abruptly, as in end retouching. Half of MT and a third of LT are gradually retouched. In conjunction with other traits, surface ASTt and ET pushplanes are tentatively identifiable on gradual or abrupt retouch, whether side or end.
Bits are not ventrally retouched, as sharpening occurred using edge retouch. Ventral retouch occurs in 10% of pushplane faces, 1% of hafts and 7% of midsections. The SA pushplane has full ventral retouch, while ASTt and ET have only retouched midsections, and LT is unretouched. MT has variable retouch, probably relating to its large sample. Tentative weakly supporting cultural criteria are midsection ventral retouch in ASTt or ET. As two-thirds of pushplanes have cortex, an indication of their transient production and use, it is unlikely they were carried by herd-followers. Striae are in only two pushplanes, both MT and with a frequency of only 3%, their transient use inhibiting striae formation. Bashed, thinned and big striking platforms are reported only for MT pushplanes, perhaps a function of sample size. Nonetheless, their absence in 5 ASTt, 8 ET and 3 LT pushplanes suggest altered or big platforms may be MT culturally specific in low frequencies. Thinning is specific to MT, occurring on all haft faces/sides and bipolarly on midsection sides. It is a low frequency attribute, occurring in MT hafts 4% dorsally, 3% ventrally and 11% both; plus 1% bipolarly. 8% of pushplanes are broken transversely, 5% diagonally, 3% longitudinally, and 1% each of mixed breakages. MT displays the most variety due partly to its large sample. Cultural phase-important pushplane traits and variables are as follows:
Plan: 0=unknown; 1=ovoid; 2=lanceolate; 3=rectangular;4=tearshaped/triangular.
Portion: 0=unidentified fragment; 1=complete/almost complete; 2=bit; 3=midsection; 4=haft; 5=midsection & haft; 6=midsection & bit; 7=side missing; & 8=side fragment.
Section: 0=unknown; 1=keeled/triangular; 2=tortoise shell or planoconvex; 3=rectangular.
Edge type: 0=unknown; 1=sharp/serrated; 2=worn/ground (often abruptly retouched).
Stemmed: 0=unknown; 1=thinned haft; 2=unstemmed haft.
End retouch: 0=unknown; 1=abrupt; 2=gradual.
Side retouch: 0=unknown; 1=abrupt; 2=gradual.
Ventral retouch: 0=normal/unidentified; 1=overall face; 2=haft; 3=midsection; 4=bit.
Cortex: 0=absent; 1=present.
Striae: 0=unknown/absent; 1=longitudinal; 2=transverse; 3=diagonal.
Platform: 0=normal/unidentified; 1=bashed/thinned; 3=large.
Thinning: 0=unknown/absent; 2=dorsal haft; 3=ventral haft; 4=2&3; 5=bipolar/sides.
Break: 0=none/unidentified; 1=transverse; 2=diagonal; 3=longitudinal; 4= transverse or longitudinal; 5=1, 2 & 3.
Odd traits: 0=none/unidentified; 1=worn; 2=unworn; 3=bladescarred; 4=weathered; 5=blocky; 6=bashed side; 7=channel-flaked; 8=sharp-sided; 9=asymmetric keel. These traits center in the large MT pushplane category. Their absence in other cultures may be due to sample size, but blade-scarring & channel-flaking, although minor, may indicate MT in combination with other traits.