Day 14 - Hiking Staff,
It occurred to me back when I was doing the fish spear. I said I worked my staff down into the prongs to spread them out. That not everyone has a hiking staff. So lets make one.
This is the piece of wood left from between the tongs and the tripod.
First, I batoned out a crooked section,
Then I batoned it to the length I wanted. I like mine somewhere between my armpit and the top of my shoulder. I like a little extra length for going down steep rocky grades and navigating streams and swamps. A little extra reach is always nice.
The staff, I have had one in my hand even before I had a knife. I imagine we humans have used these since we walked upright.
For just a piece of wood, it is one very versatile tool. And a smokin' good self defense piece too. Yet it pretty much goes unnoticed by the general public. Walk into your local diner with your staff, no one says a word. Try that with a K-BAR or Becker in your hand.
You could stop right here and have a staff for walking. But I'll tune this one up a bit more.
I just took the knife and started peeling the bark off. This is considerably easier on a freshly cut sapling. Especially in the spring. Due to the amount of water flowing up the bark. This piece has been around for a while so it was a little tougher.
Once you get going it is like peeling a banana. Just slowly and carefully work your way down the staff. Being careful not to go too deep and into the wood.
For those who might be interested. This is a good time to gain some tree knowledge.
https://www.arborday.org/trees/TreeGuide/anatomy.cfm
For our purposes, we just need to be concerned about the outer bark, the inner bark and the cambium. The outer bark is obvious, the inner bark is a softer pliable piece. Almost chamois like.
This is that secret squirrel stuff I mentioned earlier. Use the side facing toward the tree and you have a wet wipe. Use the side facing away from the tree and you have some of the best natural toilet paper I have come across. I don't recommend using it for a wet wipe after the TP function. This inner bark, once dried, can be made into cordage also.
Some trees are better than other for this purpose, so do your homework.
And the cambium layer. This layer sits next to the actual wood. It is where all the action happens inside the tree. I have left it on some staffs in the past. When peeled, it is usually some shade of green. But over night when exposed to the air it oxidizes. The next day it will be rust colored. Almost like a self staining staff.
Once you have the outer and inner bark shaved off. Unless you want a ton of knicks and gouges on your staff. Turn your knife over and use the squared of part of the spine to scrape this layer off. It is much easier to scrape it at this point than to try and sand it off later.
I suppose this is a good a time as any, to point out some of the Dog's Head's shortcomings I discovered so far.
#1. Due to the blade's coating. It doesn't strike a fire steel well at all. In fact it sucks. Yes folks, that's right. If you were out in the wilderness and needed to start a fire by striking your steel on top of your knife, you would most likely die. Ain't happening.
But remember in a pinch there is always the blade side. Yeah, we live another day. Once I am done with my as delivered review, I will most likely strip the coating off and that will help tremendously.
#2. The spine is flat on top. Not rounded like many knives. But not overly sharp like the latest generation of bushcraft knives. The woods knives of today are ground like a downhill ski edge. Both for striking a steel and peeling shavings for starting a fire. There is a down side to a sharp spine. I have actually cut myself on one before. Because I was stupid.
Ok, so there we have it. KA-BAR really dropped the ball on us woodsmen, right?
I am sure there are legions of interweb survivalists whining about the shortcomings of these knives.
Really? Is this that big of a deal? I needed a new one anyway. So I shot down to my very expensive local hardware store. And purchased myself a new flat file. Almost broke the bank, $5.89.
Now if you like blade coatings, just file off a small spot and keep the rest coated. Or just carve in a small vee (there goes the warranty) If you think you would like a sharp spine the full length. Just gently file it like you would a down hill ski edge.
Seems like any self sufficient survivalist/woodsman worth his salt could manage that. But most will cry like a two year old who just lost his woobie instead. Waaaa!
OK, they are the two glaring shortcomings I have discovered so far.
For the sake of full disclosure, this is a 7" knife. It is not a Mora. It's not a tiny 3" fu-fu knife. As the Croc man said,"This is a Knife"
Every knife ever built has some trade offs. I may try and carve a spoon, but I know it will be a challenge. Most folks who carve spoons have crooked knives to finish the bowl part anyways.
This is sort of a personal observation. But for me, in a knife that may actually be used for survival. I like a guard. Sure the guard gets in the way of doing certain tasks. But when you are cold, wet, tired, hungry, and possibly hypothermic. A guard just makes sense. When folks are in that condition, they do stupid stuff.
When you are tired, cold, or even just dehydrated, you grip strength is one of the first things to go. I feel that the benefits of a guard in those situations far outweighs the drawbacks. ***That is just my opinion, and it is worth absolutely nothing***
OK, onward with the hiking staff,
That stuff on the knife is the cambium layer. I find trees fascinating, no moving parts, yet they manage to suck water out of the ground and move it all the way to the leaves on top.
For the bottom of the staff, I like a little point. Just something to give some purchase. I just carved a small cone on the end. No sense in making it too sharp. You will just wear it off driving it in the ground anyway.
The top where you might put your hand, I rounded off into a dome. Even with the guard, I was able to get my index finger out onto the choil without an issue. Allowing me to choke up tight to the edge for this.
You can shave down the knots at this point if you desire. I left them on for some character. I didn't want a broom stick. By scraping the spine of the knife up and down the length of the staff, you get the same effect as using a scraper on kitchen cabinet doors. Baby butt smooth.
And the finished product. I will let it dry out for a few days before wrapping it. It will most likely shrink some. Not the best picture, but you get the idea,
Enjoy,
LV