Green River giveaway!!!!!

moosez45 said:
Check this thread that I did a 1 stick bow drill kit. I used willow, but I do the same process for cedar, basswood, or really any wood I plan on making a kit from. I always do a 1 stick bow drill, and I usually throw them in the fire once it gets big enough. It tooke me longer to upload and make the post than it did to make the kit. Once you get the hang of it, you see fire in every dead tree you see.

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=796822

The core glazes over because of the density in the heart. You can make it work, it just has to be REAL dry. If you have trouble, I'll send you some of my willow boards and spindles to work with, they are great, but not as great as cedar, IMO.

Moose
Click to expand...

So I went for a walk with my dog looking for some suitable wood. Couldn't find anything. I'm pretty sure that we're just talking about different kinds of cedar. All we have is western red cedar, and the branches are too spindly, while the tree itself is much to big to process even if you could find a fallen one that was dry. The only dry cedar is from the inside of a burned out lightning tree, but thats heartwood.

So do you have any other recommendations for fire-bows with wood that I may be able to find. You mentioned cottonwood, and we have that. But to my knowledge it's always wet, and burns terribly. As a general rule for the west coast. Everything is wet all the time. We also have lots of pines. The fatwood probably offsets the lack of abundant fire-bow material :)
Should make a little video of that actually...

thank you for the offer of sending me a firebow, but I think I'll turn you down. having to use foreign woods isn't a valuable skill.


Also looking at your cedars the bark would be unstripable :)

Cedar_bark.png


Found a picture from a wiki article when i was looking up different kinds of cedar.
not condoning striping lives tree's. There is a way to do it that is harmless, but I don't know it.
Stripping lives tree's the bark is fresher. Thats how the hiada made the fancy hats and baskets
Also notice the clothes the women above are wearing. Woven cedar.

hat_yellowcedar_haida.jpg


You can also use the fuzz from cedar back for tinder, and mix it with sap from a wounded tree.
 
Last edited:
Munky88 said:
So I went for a walk with my dog looking for some suitable wood. Couldn't find anything. I'm pretty sure that we're just talking about different kinds of cedar. All we have is western red cedar, and the branches are too spindly, while the tree itself is much to big to process even if you could find a fallen one that was dry. The only dry cedar is from the inside of a burned out lightning tree, but thats heartwood.

So do you have any other recommendations for fire-bows with wood that I may be able to find. You mentioned cottonwood, and we have that. But to my knowledge it's always wet, and burns terribly. As a general rule for the west coast. Everything is wet all the time. We also have lots of pines. The fatwood probably offsets the lack of abundant fire-bow material :)
Should make a little video of that actually...

thank you for the offer of sending me a firebow, but I think I'll turn you down. having to use foreign woods isn't a valuable skill.


Also looking at your cedars the bark would be unstripable :)


Found a picture from a wiki article when i was looking up different kinds of cedar.
not condoning striping lives tree's. There is a way to do it that is harmless, but I don't know it.
Stripping lives tree's the bark is fresher. Thats how the hiada made the fancy hats and baskets
Also notice the clothes the women above are wearing. Woven cedar.



You can also use the fuzz from cedar back for tinder, and mix it with sap from a wounded tree.
Click to expand...
You can strip eastern red, they get big but not as big as your cedars do.
http://www.turleyknives.com/peelingusingcedarbark.htm
The biggest I've seen around here are about 2' through.
For the cottonwood if it's wet you'll have to get a big piece and split it down to get to dry stuff. It's the same way around here in the river bottoms. I've seen them 12" through and be wet to the core.
Get you a big 18" piece and make your set out of the center parts. It's one of the best bow drill woods I've ever used.:thumbup:
Iz
 
aha, great.

So to make fire if you don't have a firesteel you need to process an 18" tree.

We have the odd birch tree, will that or any pines work? I'd really like to be able to go out with a pocket knife and start a fire.
Is that not going to happen?
 
My "cool" plant would have to be may apple. After a long winter the mayapple blooms before the trees do here in Ohio. It is the first real sign of spring around here. When the first pop up in the spring, they are closed, they open up more and more everyday.
I also find it interesting that the "apple" is edible, but the stem leaves and roots are said to be poisonous.

Thanks for the contest Iz
 
So i made a little video on fat wood. Not a very good one. First video I've ever made, and I mostly found it awkward. I just got jealous of your fancy firebows and decided to redeem myself. I know you said one entry per person, so officially ignore this. just wanted to add to the thread.

Fatwood is one of those location specific things, but around here its everywhere. The best thing about fatwood is that its waterproof and windproof. The resin is waxy so it keeps the water out, and it burns like oil. Takes a spark and off it goes. The spark doesn't need to be miche metal, you can start it with flint and charcloth or LMF just as easily. The hardest part about starting a fire with fatwood is cleaning the knife afterwards :rolleyes:

[youtube]_IXHrgzHyUM[/youtube]


Can't believe I forgot to show a closeup of the piece of fat-wood I had. It was literally more resin than wood.


some other uses for it are cooking it to make pitch. The pitch can waterproof birch baskets, glue canoes ect.
 
Last edited:
Munky88 said:
aha, great.

So to make fire if you don't have a firesteel you need to process an 18" tree.

We have the odd birch tree, will that or any pines work? I'd really like to be able to go out with a pocket knife and start a fire.
Is that not going to happen?
Click to expand...

Yeah, it takes a big cottonwood in a wet environment. They even hold water when they area alive.

Do you have mullien. I'm guessing you do, it pretty much grows everywhere.
It's easy to harvest with a pocket knife and works for the bow drill.
Just use the two stick fireboard method (tie two stems together and drill in the center crack). It's easy stuff, too. If you don't have mullien just try any of the lighter, pithy stems of plants in your area the same way. I bet you'll get something to work.
The only downside to this method is that the dry stems are only available during late fall through winter.:(

I like the video. "Damn you boot.":D
Good stuff.
Iz
 
Well in the past 2 yrs I have planted on my property 1 cherry tree, 2 peach trees, 1 nectarine tree and 3 apple trees. I don't know if this is the coolest use of a plant or tree but I'm sure they will outlast me and will provide for the next generation which is a good thing. We dry all of our fruit--well almost all. Nothing better than a fresh peach and I can't resist the temptation. I have also planted raspberry bushes, I know they are not trees but they will grow almost as tall as a tree. So 7 trees have been planted. I hope to be doing my part. Oh and thank you very much for the opportunity to win a knife. I only have 1 straight knife and the one you have in the picture is a real beauty. Thanks very much.
 
Last edited:
howdy iz
thanks ever so much for this give-away
mighta kind of ya man!

well, i gotta go with osage orange
just yesterday finished up my first bow from this amazing wood
DSCN73011.jpg
[/IMG]
it was a great experience and im gonna start another next wed
have also used the wood for knife handles
this one i made an extension for
DSCN71533.jpg
[/IMG]
had a fella on paleoplanet make this crook knife but i wanted to handle it myself.
rather crude but works just like i wanted
sorry not a great shot
its the one directly to the left of the bow stave
DSCN64344.jpg
[/IMG]
made a spoon outta it for the wss spoon contest
that osage is one tough bugger to get a bowl dug outta
DSCN64066.jpg
[/IMG]
havent done it myself, but i did send a big ole bag of shavings and sawdust to a fellow forum member for dye making. reckon it'll work cuz the stuff can sure stain clothes. tho it does wash out just fine.
i save most of the shaving and use for tender for my firepit.
so yeah, its gotta be osage orange for me
thanks again

edited to add a cupla bits i forgot:
the hedge apples can be used as bug repellent for your house-quarter and spread about either inside or out-esp spiders
hauled a bag full home from a hike for a friend
she used em throughout her house in attempt to rid her place of brown recluses, which lived there in scary numbers
along with some other techniques, i think she was successful
some say you can use the milk-like fluid inside to repel mosquitoes

yes iz, the spoon was a bear. but the rules were no power tools, so....
had concern about osage for food use
but found an online source that also stated osage has antiseptic properties...
anyone who has lived where osage is prolific knows what an amazing fire wood it is!
a good enough pile will burn for many hours without tending
 
Last edited:
Excellent job on the bow, Sadie.
And wow :eek: , a hedge spoon is ambitious to say the least. I'd want a router and a dremel tool to carve that out.
Iz
 
And the winner is:

Ranger Joe!

I realize that is going to raise some eyebrows since Joe and I are friends but he came through with some information I'd never seen before. I'm not gonna penalize him just because he's my friend....being my friend is penalty enough. :D:(

Anyway, I've been trying to preserve and re-discover techniques that are specific to the hardwoods regions for a while now and that's why Joe's post was so important to me. A birch bark substitute for the hardwoods forest is a game changer in my eyes.
Thanks to everyone for participating in this, we've now got a great little resource thread for people to refer to and learn from.:thumbup:

You all rock and I appreciate the support.
Congratulations, Joe! You earned it.
Iz
 
Congrats Jo Jo! You'll have to send me your Boones Branch, since you won't have anytime to use it now :)
 
Joe (you old dog you) !!!!!!
I guess you had what Iz needed!!Ha!!!
Good show my friend!!!
 
Are we allowed to be jealous and spiteful? :)

Thanks for the video joe, and thank you for the thread.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top