Green River giveaway!!!!!

Since this will be a nice cataloged thread of plant and tree uses I'm gonna add a few here for posterity.
Once the contest is over I'll change the title to something like Plant/tree use database and we can refer to it here.

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[youtube]5f9GUkWegAU[/youtube]

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[youtube]HOU6vSQ6uso[/youtube]

[youtube]4OW1h2Je2Jw[/youtube]

Honey Locust
[youtube]qub6LAu9JB0[/youtube]

[youtube]aK-NnnQfvw8[/youtube]

Keep 'em coming.
Iz
 
Great looking knife Iz , We have a good bit of Sassafras here in WV and use it in several ways, it is a great smoking wood and makes a great tea but also the leaves dried and ground into file (I spent a few year in Louissana) plus it is a good fire wood and carves nice as well.
I will pass on the chance of the knife but wanted to bring up one of my favorite woods.
 
Ok I'd plump for the humble willow as being the most useful tree...
Great wood for a fire bow/drill, the seed husks contain good tinder, the twigs can be woven into wicker, the bark makes good cordage, you can tan with the boiled bark and if that wasn't enough you can use the same extract as a pain killer in the field (it's where Aspirin was derived from originally).

Plus they look good. :D
 
My choice is American black walnut.

I've used the wood to make a replacement forend for my old Stevens Ideal single shot, and I've used it to make knife handles.

Of course, I've dried the nut meats to eat.

The hard shells I've used as decorations to make toy turtles and boats.

The pulpy outer layer of the nuts (hulls) I've used to make stain for leather and wood.

The leaves I've collected in late summer. I place them in a garbage bag along with my hunting clothes, and the scent of the walnut leaves is used as a cover scent.
 
One of my favorites is Jewel Weed, ya always find it growin' near Poison Ivy, which is great 'cause that's what it's good fer releavin' the rash from Poison Ivy, Poison Oak and Poison Sumac.

Also good for relievin' most skin irritations, just split the juicy stem and rub the juice on the affected area.

jewelweed.jpg


jewelweed-2.jpg
 
I pulled some wild poke on a little hike in the Jefferson Memorial Forest (KY) earlier this year. Take 'em home, add an onion and some cornbread, and I'm in hillbilly heaven.
 
I just used my el cheapo Mora knife to cut a limb for a stake to hold down a sapling branch at the right height for a licking branch while making a mock scrape. I also used it to clear some small saplings along the path ala the Mors Kochanski technique of bending and cutting through the base of the sapling. Seems like most of my "bushcraft" is all about making setups for hunting.:eek:
 
Here's one of my cedar kits, smokin' and getting ready to pull a coal. It works well, now you have to go out and make one. CHALLENGE!!!

Moose

DSC03918.jpg
 
Man 4 more days this is murder! With all these great posts and uses of plants some of which I like to be able to do! This is a tight one among a few, the suspense is worse than waiting for christmas! :D
 
moosez45 said:
Here's one of my cedar kits, smokin' and getting ready to pull a coal. It works well, now you have to go out and make one. CHALLENGE!!!

Moose

DSC03918.jpg
Click to expand...

Notice the difference though, Munky. Moose is getting it to work because he's using the sap wood, which is the key. If you try to use the red heart wood then it'll be a big fat no go. The heart wood is hard and just glazes over. At least that's been my experience.
The sapwood is softer.:thumbup:
(that's on Eastern Red cedar, don't know about white cedar)
Iz
 
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I totally agree with Iz, I use cedar for a spindle and cottonwood as a baseboard, and in this video I used the heartwood for my tinderbundle as well.


[youtube]GKnYJzgXxMQ[/youtube]
 
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Iz, you have a good eye, you're the first one to catch that. I have pulled a coal from the heart wood, but it was REALLY seasoned. Think kiln dried. All I have access too is Red Cedar at the moment, and some willow. I am working on a Red Oak, and White Oak kit right now as well.

The thing I like most about cedar, is that real fine cedar heart shavings, will catch like dryer lint. But, cedar will work:D for a bow drill, un huh, yessir, LOL.

Moose
 
that might be it. I've been getting my cedar from burnt out stumps. They dry nicely on the inside so its good for firewood but I guess thats why it glazes?

the alternative is just that we're talking bout completely different kinds of cedar. Because I'm having a hard time figuring out how cedar can be "too hard". and also how your board is that size. Is that from a huge limb, or a tiny tree?

now for tinder. Fat-wood shavings/scrapings ok?

Capture.PNG
 
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Munky88 said:
that might be it. I've been getting my cedar from burnt out stumps. They dry nicely on the inside so its good for firewood but I guess thats why it glazes?

the alternative is just that we're talking bout completely different kinds of cedar. Because I'm having a hard time figuring out how cedar can be "too hard". and also how your board is that size. Is that from a huge limb, or a tiny tree?

now for tinder. Fat-wood shavings/scrapings ok?

Capture.PNG
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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
 
moosez45 said:
I have pulled a coal from the heart wood, but it was REALLY seasoned. Think kiln dried.
Moose
Click to expand...

I'm glad to see all the discussion on cedar. It's been informative. I'm thankful that Iz, moose and other members that have more experience than me, are willing to share their knowledge here.

To be honest, that first photo of the bow drill was the first one I made. It was easier than I thought it would be to get smoking and get a small coal (beginners luck I think). It was from a very dry branch I had found, and I already had a fire going so I didn't take the coal all the way to a fire. The second photo was playing with my new knife and didn't progress any further. That's been the extent of my bow drill experience. I need to practice it more.
 
kyturkey said:
I'm glad to see all the discussion on cedar. It's been informative. I'm thankful that Iz, moose and other members that have more experience than me, are willing to share their knowledge here.

To be honest, that first photo of the bow drill was the first one I made. It was easier than I thought it would be to get smoking and get a small coal (beginners luck I think). It was from a very dry branch I had found, and I already had a fire going so I didn't take the coal all the way to a fire. The second photo was playing with my new knife and didn't progress any further. That's been the extent of my bow drill experience. I need to practice it more.
Click to expand...

The real important thing to remember is, the bow drill just gives you ignition, if you're not ready with a good dry tinderbundle, toothpicks, pencils, and fingers, the bow drill coal is not really that all that important. Prep'ed fire makings are the most important of all,

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Moose

PS, Sorry if I hijacked your thread Iz, my bad.
 
The tree that I use the most in the bush is the Pin Oak tree.
A while back I realized that the outer bark of the young dead Pin Oak could be used as a Birchbark substitute, it is filled with oils just like Birchbark is.
Where I live there are no Birch trees, or Conifers, so finding different ways of firestarting has become a very big interest to me.
The bark is not the only reason that I use this tree the most, the wood as most of you know is very hard and straight grained. I only sometimes have an ax with me because I am in the city, so Pin Oak being as straight grained as it is makes it all the easier to baton through and make all the stages of my tinder from pencil thickness all the way to scrapings, in my experience the harder the wood, the better the scrapings.
The outer bark will take a spark from a firesteel and burns ferociously with a black smoke, it has a great smell also.
I shot a vid today and had so much trouble editing it(windows movie maker) so unfortunately it is in two parts, if you can stand watching an extra 5min I would appreciate it, plus thats where the action is!
Thanks, and good luck to all.
[youtube]pcR7LbOrOlk[/youtube]

[youtube]jU7JYS3XR1Q[/youtube]
 
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Great first post der ya hoser! I see it takes a giveaway to get you out of your shell, eh!

(by the way folks I know Joe well. Just giving him crap)
 
RangerJoe said:
The tree that I use the most in the bush is the Pin Oak tree.
A while back I realized that the outer bark of the young dead Pin Oak could be used as a Birchbark substitute, it is filled with oils just like Birchbark is.
Where I live there are no Birch trees, or Conifers, so finding different ways of firestarting has become a very big interest to me.
The bark is not the only reason that I use this tree the most, the wood as most of you know is very hard and straight grained. I only sometimes have an ax with me because I am in the city, so Pin Oak being as straight grained as it is makes it all the easier to baton through and make all the stages of my tinder from pencil thickness all the way to scrapings, in my experience the harder the wood, the better the scrapings.
The outer bark will take a spark from a firesteel and burns ferociously with a black smoke, it has a great smell also.
I shot a vid today and had so much trouble editing it(windows movie maker) so unfortunately it is in two parts, if you can stand watching an extra 5min I would appreciate it, plus thats where the action is!
Thanks, and good luck to all.
[youtube]pcR7LbOrOlk[/youtube]

[youtube]jU7JYS3XR1Q[/youtube]
Click to expand...

Here's all I can say right now.
This is exactly what I was hoping for. Something that I haven't read about or discovered for myself. Something that applies to the hardwoods environment.
You, my friend just took the lead.
Iz
 
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