Green River giveaway!!!!!

[ohski]

Iz, you are the man...

Ski

 

[Ridge-Runner]

Well I am going to go with the birch tree. It carves good green or dryed, last spoon I did I did out of it. Also it smells great. The old timers used to use it as toothbrushes, my Pappaw did, he died when he was 97 and still had all HIS teeth but just a few. Some use it for spritzer in water. Its just a pretty good all around tree. Here is my spoon, this was my first to do from a branch that I cut.

I entered it in Sparks spoon contest over in WS&S but came up with nothing , Hope it does me better here.
Dang Iz got 3 first time posters on one thread. Bringing outta the wood work aint cha'. Everyone wanting a Green River. Oh if I win switch my order to a Gasconade! :thumbup:

 

[tomswhistle]

It has been some time as I am now 58, but as a boy I use to cut up old bicycle inter tubes into strips, cut up old leather belts to use for a pocket to hold rocks, and use my dads hatchet and my pocket knife to make slingshots for me and the boys in my neighborhood. I used every tree available on our property with the right size forked limb to make them out of. Some were better than others but we all had great fun with them and got pretty good with them as well. We would shoot at birds, frogs at the creek, sticks floating in the water, and tin cans.

 

[PB Wilson]

Eastern Black Walnut

My folks had two trees that were losing limbs in their yard and instead of the limbs making a skylight during the next storm, they had the trees cut down. I was able to snag the two trunks, had them sawn into lumber and air dried for a few years. I've been slowly using the boards to make a sitting bench, a bedframe, a few picture and mirror frames and the top of this jewelry box for my wife.

Even though this piece was figured and the grain swirled in every conceivable direction, it was a pleasure to work. (The wood for the sides is Butternut which I can't stand due to its softness and the way it fuzzes up when working it with hand or machine tools.) The lumber is useful for so many projects, from ones that need great strength, to ones that simply show off the beauty of the wood. I've got enough for many more projects and simply love how useful these trees can be.

Thanks for the opportunity in the giveaway. Cool knife!!!

 

[JustJoel]

I'd have to say that the most experience I have in the field using any one plant or tree is the with the Eastern Red Cedar. It's tough and versatile and still pretty easy to work. I cobbled up some of the clips of some of the stuff I have done with it. Have a look... and Iz, the CCR seemed appropriate in this case. Steve Miller just didn't sound good in the woods.

[youtube]5oVBvFQegi0[/youtube]

And, just in case this becomes totally random, I also once carved an entire 63 split window Stingray from a cedar tree. Later and thanks sir,

-JP

 

[Munky88]

Cedar tree's

The roots are usefull for quick no-prep cordage. If you split them in half they're also very flexable and bind well.

Mostly wanted to focus on the bark though. Skillfully it can be woven into hats or baskets. More to the point of this thread can be stripped off trees (fallen please) and made into waterproof shingles. Douglas fir works well for this as well. but is less abundant in my area.

insert knife into bark. With a batton if needed hit the spine and work a slit up the bark.

you can then insert a blunted flat stick into the slit and work the bark off in long strips.

and waterproof! If you do it right you can pretty much strip all the bark off a log from the base of the stump all the way up to the first branches in one piece.
That bark was harvested in probably under 30 minutes. The whole shelter being built with nothing more than the izula (and some paracord). Its over a year old. Recently visited it and despite a week straight of rain inside it the ground was dry enough for tinder.

 

[nutnfancyfan]

im just waiting for someone to post weed lol

 

[1066vik]

skab - the info about milkweed was awesome - I never knew it was edible.

useful tree for me was an old oak that fell in a friend of mine's front yard - she wanted it gone, so with the help of a couple friends and a pair of weekends, I slabbed it out into a bunch of 2" thick boards and a pair of 4" x 28" x 11 feet long planks. (it was a big tree)
I'm still not done turning it into things, but when building my house I used some of the 2" stock (planed down) to build stair treads and risers, an 8' breakfast bar, and the top for my kitchen island.
since it's white oak, not red, it's also bug & rot resistant so at some point I'll be making some porch furniture and a boot bench out of it as well.

 

[Gossman Knives]

Mine is pretty simple. I took down a maple in the yard and after it seasoned I used it for one stick fire making practice. Also I have alot of wild black berries or black raspberries in the yard. During the summer, I gather them and eat them in a bowl with sugar.
Scott

 

[amflud]

I was gonna say yucca but GreyOne beat me to it.

Next I'll have to go with cat tails. I have eaten cat tail roots on occasion due to their high carbohydrate content and I've used the stuffing from the "tail portion" as an excellent fire starter.

 

[dipbait]

I usually hike with a walking stick. I have used lots of wood, Osage, Locust, Hickory...A couple of months back I found some very straight PawPaw saplings. I cut one and have been using it ever since. Its incredibly light. I was worried that it might not be stout enough but have realized that a hiking stick doesnt have to be able to knock out a baby bull.

 

[bindlestitch]

Good stuff, guys. :thumbup:
Iz

 

[bindlestitch]

I'd have to say that the most experience I have in the field using any one plant or tree is the with the Eastern Red Cedar. It's tough and versatile and still pretty easy to work. I cobbled up some of the clips of some of the stuff I have done with it. Have a look... and Iz, the CCR seemed appropriate in this case. Steve Miller just didn't sound good in the woods.

[youtube]5oVBvFQegi0[/youtube]

And, just in case this becomes totally random, I also once carved an entire 63 split window Stingray from a cedar tree. Later and thanks sir,

-JP

Just for using that song you get an automatic +4 points. For not using Steve Miller you get an additional +2 points.
But you used a mora for you feathers so your back in the hole.
Good stuff, Joel.
Iz

 

[JustJoel]

Just for using that song you get an automatic +4 points. For not using Steve Miller you get an additional +2 points.
But you used a mora for you feathers so your back in the hole.
Good stuff, Joel.
Iz

Thanks and thanks and it makes me sad that demoing why I need a good knife looses me my bonus points... No worries man. I thought of it as I was putting it together and just let it ride... Thanks duder.

-JP

 

[TLR]

I have been experimenting with various ways to use Eastern Cottonwood as we seem to have an abundance of them in Eastern Iowa.

To date I have used the cottony hairs on the seeds as a spark catcher with good effect and have found that the bark can also be used as a good tinder source as well as an easy source for scrapings and dust that helps catch sparks.
I was also able to use a few pieces of thick bark to boil water on my homemade wood gasification stove.

Thanks for the giveaway!!
TLR

 

[Raining]

Thank you for the contest!

I made some cordage from stinging nettles. You can see the stalks are segmented where the leaves come out. I stripped off the leaves with the knife and rub the hairs off the stalk with my gloves.

Next, I need to open up the stalk to remove the stiff inner layer by either running my fingernail down the stalk to open it, or sliding a knife through the joints.

Once it is opened up, I bent the stalks to break the stiff inner layer and peel it away from the outer layer.

After removing the inner layer, you are left with a very strong, fibrous material for cordage.

After drying it overnight, it is ready to twist into cordage. Just add a little water to make it a little more flexible for twisting.

Here is the result of some twisting to create a lanyard.

 

[kyturkey]

I know cedar has already been mentioned but it's probably the one I've used the most. I haven't tried using the roots for cordage but I'll have to.

Not previously mentioned- Bow Drill

You would think being an evergreen that you might could get fatwood from cedar. Not so, but it does burn well.

Mentioned already- peel some bark off and shred to use as fire starter

I believe I've heard or seen mentioned that the bark can be used as a makeshift toothbrush. I watched a squirrel during deer season this year do this- least that's what it looked like. I haven't tried this one.

Last year during a three day outing with minimum gear. I found some glass bottles that I ultimately used for water. Those bottles had dirt and stuff inside them. I used small cedar branches as bottle brushes to clean them out prior to use. They worked great scrubbing the insides.

If caught out in the woods during an unexpected rain, take cover under a cedar. You won't be totally dry but it sure will help with keeping the bulk of it off you.

I don't have any photos but if you trim some branches you can use those to create a natural blind while hunting, or just sit under a cedar while hunting. I've harvested both deer and turkey while sitting under a cedar tree. A friend of mine uses cut branches tied around the shooting rail of his deer stand for cover. This year I put a few small pieces on the foot platform of my deer stand. They helped keep the noise down from the sole of my boots on the metal, and resulted in a nice cedar aroma. I've taken cut pieces and put in with my hunting clothes to help as a cover scent.

Of course it's used for cedar chests and used to line closets to keep moths out. Mom and Dad had a closet in their house lined with it.

Growing up, every winter my brother and I would go with our grandfather and pick out a cedar to use for his Christmas tree. Fond memories there.

Thanks for the giveaway Iz, and it's great that all this info will be in one thread for future reference.

 

[Munky88]

Did that cedar bow drill succeed? I was under the impression that cedar was too soft for a firebow. The friction just polishes the wood and it glazes over without making a coal. Which is a shame because you can always find dry cedar on the inside of a stump.

 

[Moosez45]

Did that cedar bow drill succeed? I was under the impression that cedar was too soft for a firebow. The friction just polishes the wood and it glazes over without making a coal. Which is a shame because you can always find dry cedar on the inside of a stump.

Oh, no. Cedar makes excellent bow drills. I actually prefer cedar over many others, just because of its abundance.

I am currently making about 25 kits from willow, and I still use my cedar when I am doing a demo or teaching a class. Works everytime for me, YMMV, but cedar will do a bowdrill kit with no problems.

Moose

 

[bindlestitch]

Good stuff guys.

No worries on posting something else that has already been posted.
I'm just interested in your personal experiences.:thumbup:
Iz