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Post by Sicilianhunter on Jun 18, 2019 22:35:59 GMT -7
Thanks Le Loup, great visual! Nock, 2 inches is what I agree with. The pics look like 1 3/4" more or less, I would go with more just to make me feel better. A question about holes for pins in the tang: I saw a drawing that was from a specimen in the museum of the fur trade and the pins were arranged in more of a triangle than a line of three. Can anyone corroborate that info? My impression is that particular arrangement may be stronger with so little tang hanging onto the handle... Bear in mind that in our period knives had a specific purpose, & unlike some bushcrafters these days these knives were not used for batoning or cutting or splitting wood! So the one, two & three pins were quite adequate regardless of the configuration of the pins. Keith. Le Loup, An excellent point! I suppose any extreme wood processing is reserved for you belt ax and your knives for finer and butchering tasks which would not require tons of extra support especially if they were sharp
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Keith
City-dweller
Bushfire close but safe now. Getting some good rain.
Posts: 990
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Post by Keith on Jun 19, 2019 1:03:26 GMT -7
I can't recall a time when I ever had to cut wood for a camp fire, my tomahawk is used for shelter construction, hammering in shelter & trap pegs, making traps, throwing for fun & practice. Any fire wood I need is readily available either on the forest floor, or on low dead branches. My clasp knife is used for camp chores, making a kettle hook takes little time. Pointing a stick to roast meat. The other two knives for skinning, butchering & eating. They are never used for anything else other than defence of course if needed. I have never broken a handle or a blade, & have carried & used knives since I was 7 years of age. My Father once told me, "use the right tool for the job". Keith.
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Post by Sicilianhunter on Jun 19, 2019 8:05:54 GMT -7
I can't recall a time when I ever had to cut wood for a camp fire, my tomahawk is used for shelter construction, hammering in shelter & trap pegs, making traps, throwing for fun & practice. Any fire wood I need is readily available either on the forest floor, or on low dead branches. My clasp knife is used for camp chores, making a kettle hook takes little time. Pointing a stick to roast meat. The other two knives for skinning, butchering & eating. They are never used for anything else other than defence of course if needed. I have never broken a handle or a blade, & have carried & used knives since I was 7 years of age. My Father once told me, "use the right tool for the job". Keith. It depends on the site and the type of camp I suppose. If it were a smaller trekking camp and the site was chosen properly then I don't see the need for spending the calories chopping. At the last event I went to in a Nat'l forest they asked that you bring wood although I scavenged quite a bit of dead fall. It was handy to saw some of the larger pieces and split them. After using a friends buck saw I decided I had to make one... Your Dad was absolutely right !! LOL
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Post by spence on Jun 19, 2019 9:36:26 GMT -7
I can't recall a time when I ever had to cut wood for a camp fire,.... Spence
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Keith
City-dweller
Bushfire close but safe now. Getting some good rain.
Posts: 990
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Post by Keith on Jun 19, 2019 16:44:01 GMT -7
I also find it easy to break wood over a rock or a fallen tree.
This video shows Mark Jones doing all the work, breaking wood over a rock. I had to delete the music I had added at the beginning of the video due to false copyright claims. I actually paid for the use of this music! Keith.
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Post by Black Hand on Jun 19, 2019 17:06:04 GMT -7
We tend to burn long pieces in half then in half again, repeating until the pieces fit the fire. The cutting happens when we are collecting the original pieces of firewood - either there is little on the ground or it is buried under the snow. Other than that, we just burn what we find.
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Post by straekat on Jun 20, 2019 5:41:45 GMT -7
At the risk of taking the thread a bit further OT, I have a comment on firewood. I use three pieces of wood arranged in a wheel pattern with one at the "12 c'clock position, the second at the "4" and third at the "8" with the fire in the center. As the pieces burn, they get shoved towards the center. If all three are about the same diameter, and the junction point is small enough, there's no need for rocks or anything else to place a cooking pot or cup on. I find it's more economical on fuel use, and I like it more than dumping wood onto a burning pile, and easier to put out before breaking camp.
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Keith
City-dweller
Bushfire close but safe now. Getting some good rain.
Posts: 990
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Post by Keith on Jun 20, 2019 16:20:21 GMT -7
I usually keep my fires small, I dig a small fire hole & surround it on three sides with rocks. These rocks act as a reflector to reflect the heat back into my open front shelter. So by doing this I limit myself as to the length of wood I can use, but this has never been a problem. The fire is more contained, & very easy to extinguish if required. There have been times when I did not consider it "safe" to light a fire, under those conditions the cold night is not so comfortable, but it does make me appreciate the little things, like having a small fire when I consider it safe to do so. Keith.
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Post by Sicilianhunter on Jun 21, 2019 22:14:48 GMT -7
As a Boy Scout we called those star fires. There are many different methods of self feeding a fire via bushcraft methods that make you wonder how many techniques were PC or not. You would think that station camps had different techniques for keeping, either a heating fire or a blaze made for lighting going all night...
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Post by straekat on Jun 23, 2019 5:12:18 GMT -7
I never knew the name "star fire". I saw the three-log/branch method used in numerous central African villages a long way from any towns or settlements, and started using it afterwards. The method seems to have been around before the Baden-Powell, the founder of the Boy Scouts, and who served in South Africa during the Boer War and seen it there, may have introduced the method to the Scouts. The "PC" or "modernism" label can probably be ruled out.
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Post by Sicilianhunter on Jun 23, 2019 8:21:03 GMT -7
I don't know if this was a part of the original configuration or not (you may recall from the examples you witnessed) but we were taught to use another smaller rounded stick to act as a "roller" for the larger log which also tilted the log slightly upwards and towards the fire which helped things along
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Post by Black Hand on Jun 24, 2019 8:23:38 GMT -7
I've gone for a more "Leave no trace" approach when it comes to fires. I don't dig a hole or ring the fire with stones any more. These were acceptable in the past but tend to leave visible signs long after the fire is gone. If possible, I select a site that has very little ground-cover (not difficult in thick evergreen forests) and away from duff (thick layer of partially-decayed pine & fir needles which will smolder, the fire can/will migrate underground and could pop up days or weeks later)
I also make it my goal to "disappear" any fire I build. I make certain to seed the site sterilized by the heat with beneficial microbes by adding rotting wood and other decaying forest detritus to the area to kick-start the recovery. This is then covered with additional soil/detritus and the entire area groomed to make it look as natural as possible. When I leave the site, I wish it to look as undisturbed as possible, other than the flattened grass which soon recovers. I have been pleased with the results - upon returning to old campsites, I have been unable to find any indication that a fire had once burned there.
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