This is just the coolest thing. I learned about this from Fredde over at SwedishBushcraft. If you haven’t seen this guys work, do yourself a favor and check out his YouTube site. Not only is his take on bushcraft interesting and original, but his craftsmanship is superb and the way he uses a knife is an absolute joy to watch. And these hooks are just one example of some of the cool stuff you’ll see from him. You’ll get more from his video and the associated comments than I can explain here so be sure to check it out if you’re at all interested in making this for yourself. As you may be able to see in the photo, mine isn’t nearly as refined as Fredde’s, but it works.  I can’t say that for my first two attempts – they barely held together.

Popularity: 27%

I pumped out a little point made from normanskill chert today. I know many flint knappers who favor using materials that occur locally within their state or surrounding geographic area, and I am no exception. Many knappers also enjoy producing historically accurate replicas of point-types known to occur in their area from the archeological record, and this can only be done by using the appropriate type of stone. In general, New York lithic materials are not considered beautiful or easy to work, but for those of us who enjoy knapping them, the end result can leave you with a great sense of satisfaction (or frustration, as is often times the case). For me, using local rock connects me to the previous inhabitants who relied upon the same material to sustain their lives.  And it also provides me with a level of assurance knowing that I can utilize the same resource in a similar way if need be. The more common New York cherts include onondaga, normanskill, and esopus and they can be found in different parts of the state.

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I came across this neat Instructables article for making a pocket sized oil lantern and I wanted to make one for myself. Aside from being somewhat of a bastardized kudlik, it doesn’t really fall into the bushcraft or stone tools categories, so I’ve added a new one for self reliance; hopefully with additional articles to follow in the future. Anyway, the construction process was straight forward and simple enough that I won’t describe any of the details involved in making it because that was already done in the article. The lamp’s versatility, small size and ease of portability gives it some potential camping and bushcraft applications and it may be worth taking one along next time out.

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The camp vise is illustrated in the book Wilderness Survival by Mark Elbroch and Mike Pewtherer. The authors suggest that this tool can be used to hold and work small objects that may be too difficult to do so with the fingers alone. Little detail is provided for the construction or use of the vise, however the concept is simple enough that it is hardly necessary. It consists of a split stick that tapers on one end with a small pivot stick inserted between the two split pieces and lashed into place. A wedge shaped stick is then inserted between the splits on the opposite end causing the tapered ends to close down on the intended work piece. With a knife and some cord, this tool can be made in a matter of minutes. I can see how it may be useful for sharpening a piece of bone when abrading against a rock or even as a clothes pin for drying a pair of wet socks. How would you use it?  Leave a comment and share your thoughts.

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Withys may not sound very exciting to most, but I’ve just had a breakthrough with them so I’m a little excited and thought I’d share what I’ve learned. First of all, I want to say that I originally learned about these from one of Ray Mears videos (again). But I’ve also seen them mentioned in Hilary Stewart’s book Cedar. If you are not familiar with the withy, it is simply a sapling or thin branch that you twist which causes the wood fibers within to separate making it pliable enough to be used for binding. Ever since learning about them, I would try to make one every time I went out into the field. But I never really had any success. I would start twisting, the fibers would start to separate, then eventually…SNAP! The fibers would break rendering my withy useless. The trick, as I learned today, is to maintain some tension on the shoot so the wood fibers don’t have a chance to kink. If a kink develops and you continue to twist you’ll likely hear a snap too. In the beginning, I was blaming everything but myself (e.x., brittle tree/shrub species or seasonal variations, etc.). But in the end, it all boiled down to technique.  So, in my excitement, I put together a little tripod fastened with a withy and a built-in kettle hook to celebrate.

Popularity: 45%