Is there ever a need to carve holes for making dowel joints, using hardwood or softwood saplings or branches for the dowels? If so, is this a job a small knife should be capable of handling, or is there a better way? Or is it simpler to make good lashings? Also, when should fire be used for hardening wood joints. When should it not be used? Thanks.
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Carving holes for dowel joints?
- Thread starter JAK_47
- Start date
- Joined
- Jun 19, 2006
- Messages
- 103
Someone posted some snow-shoes they 'bushcrafted' on an outing, if I remember right. Wish I had the link!
I believe they used the awl on their SAK to drill (Farmer/alox/parallel type awls seem much better at drilling than the reamer/cellidor/perpendicular, of the two types of SAK awls; whole diameter stays small, though). A good spear-point design, preferably with point at center, should be able to handle some light drilling. I'd prefer a smaller knife, more nimble & natural in hand, than a larger blade intended for material-removal.
Lashings would be an excellent choice for large or multiple applications. Drilling gets tiring, and too much of the repetitive motion feels like I'm going to give myself arthritis at a young age
. Drilling holes large enough to fit something through also tends to remove a noticeable amount of material, that might otherwise be necessary for support.
Aside from lashing with cordage, it's good to prep the two piece of wood to be joined together by carving/(light)batoning an hour-glass shape, for pieces to be attached perpendicular. Fit them together, then lash with cordage. The notches keep the pieces for sliding up/down or back/forth; the cordage keeps the notches seated & secure.
Thinking of a raised bed, for example.
If you're just trying to do something like start a depression for a fire-board, then starting it off with a sharp rock, and allowing the friction of the spindle & bow to do the finer shaping.
If you're trying to make a bowl, like Andrew posted (Thanks for sharing!:thumbup
, then the method he displayed of coal-burning is excellent for large surface areas. The fact that you have the element of fire expending energy instead of you, is definitely a bonus 
Gooudluck & enjoy! sounds like you have some fun outdoor-projects in mind :thumbup:
I believe they used the awl on their SAK to drill (Farmer/alox/parallel type awls seem much better at drilling than the reamer/cellidor/perpendicular, of the two types of SAK awls; whole diameter stays small, though). A good spear-point design, preferably with point at center, should be able to handle some light drilling. I'd prefer a smaller knife, more nimble & natural in hand, than a larger blade intended for material-removal.
Lashings would be an excellent choice for large or multiple applications. Drilling gets tiring, and too much of the repetitive motion feels like I'm going to give myself arthritis at a young age
. Drilling holes large enough to fit something through also tends to remove a noticeable amount of material, that might otherwise be necessary for support.Aside from lashing with cordage, it's good to prep the two piece of wood to be joined together by carving/(light)batoning an hour-glass shape, for pieces to be attached perpendicular. Fit them together, then lash with cordage. The notches keep the pieces for sliding up/down or back/forth; the cordage keeps the notches seated & secure.
Thinking of a raised bed, for example.
If you're just trying to do something like start a depression for a fire-board, then starting it off with a sharp rock, and allowing the friction of the spindle & bow to do the finer shaping.
If you're trying to make a bowl, like Andrew posted (Thanks for sharing!:thumbup
, then the method he displayed of coal-burning is excellent for large surface areas. The fact that you have the element of fire expending energy instead of you, is definitely a bonus Gooudluck & enjoy!
sounds like you have some fun outdoor-projects in mind :thumbup:Thanks guys. When I was a kid I broke the tip off my dad's FS fighting knife, throwing it against a tree. Feels like crap just thinking about it. Thanks for the advice on avoiding similar knife abuse in the future. I will consider carrying an awl for such work.