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help with fatwood

sasha said:
Bushman that not my AXE lol...Tuxdad if you dont mind me asking but what are you going to do with over 100lb of fatwood???

Sasha
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We sold some and gave a good bit to some elderly folks, who we knew who had woodstoves, and fireplaces... Fatwood can get a might hard to come by in the stores at times in the winter... Even gave my mom a couple freezer bags full.. Not sure why she wanted any since she doesn't have a woodstove or anything...
 
Just wondering lol Tuxdad.. That is nice that you gave some to older folks....

Sasha
 
Well I look at like this... They've shared quite a bit of knowledge with us and have seen hard times that we've yet to see.. Might as well pass on the good fortune when I can, since you never know when you might need that good person to help you out somehow..
 
Make sure you are looking at pine trees. There are plenty of conifers in your area, but most of them are various species of fir and douglas fir, with some Sitka spruce, hemlock, and cedar thrown in. I don't know how much fatwood can be found in them, I haven't found any in the fir species that are in the Sierras. The pine species that can be found in your part of Oregon are Lodgepole, Whitebark, Ponderosa, and Western White pine. Your best bet is to learn to recognize them, and know what environment and elevation they prefer. Look back through the threads in this forum to see the variations in what a fatwood-producing tree/stump/log can look like.

Of the Sierra pines, I have had the best luck with Ponderosa.
 
mrappraisit said:
As others have said i would bring a "beater" axe

DSC_0272-1.jpg
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If that's your "beater" axe, I am going shopping in your trash!!
 
Once you see it it's unmistakable afterwards. When I first started looking for fatwood I had a hard time finding any on Hood too. Haven't been back since so can't really say how abundant it is there. I can say that if you go to the top of Multnomah falls, there's a huge fatwood stump right at the top. Can't harvest it though.:D

I keep going back to this just because it's such a great tutorial. It's by River-8, a member here who lives on the Washington side of the gorge. Check it out. Be sure to click on the 'more' and 'another' buttons at the bottom of the screen.
http://www.riverside-graphics.net/Skills/HRfire.html
 
vrocco1 - Yeah thats my beater axe:p Thats why I was thinking a sharpened pry bar would work well for the task. I was only thinking about a pry bar if your only mission is getting fatwood. If I was already camping I would just use what I have.

Dave - I used alcohol and super fine steel wool, came clean with not too much effort. I did make sure not to get the alcohol on the handle.

lambertiana - Like you i have found the most fatwood in ponderosa, which we have lots of here.
 
MidwestDave said:
Wouldn't mineral spirits clean the blades up easily?



Dave
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Mineral spirits should work well. But I like to use mayonnaise, it works really well for removing pine sap. Put some on, rub it around, and the sap comes right off. It is what I use to clean sap off my hands.
 
lambertiana said:
Mineral spirits should work well. But I like to use mayonnaise, it works really well for removing pine sap. Put some on, rub it around, and the sap comes right off. It is what I use to clean sap off my hands.
Click to expand...

Haha. That's awesome!
 
Here's a little tip from a Southern Georgia boy. Spray WD-40 on your axe and knife before, during and after working up fatwood. It helps in the cutting and vastly helps the cleanup.
 
Why not sign up for a course at Oregon Firearms Academy? It is in your neighborhood and they have excellent credentials.

I believe procuring natural materials and starting fires using primitive methods is part of their wilderness course. This will surely include identification and procurement of fatwood.

I think they have a wilderness 1 class in October.

"Give a man a fish and you feed him for the day, teach a man to fish and you will feed him for a lifetimer" Right?

Carl-
 
If you've never used fatwood, why not go to the store and buy a small pack of it. This way you can try it out and learn to use it plus you can learn how it looks and smells to help you in finding it in the woods later on.


David
 
LightningChicken - returning troll and scammer. Banned again.
 
Another picture, like it's been said, once you've handled this stuff you'll know what to look for.

2309598560033885154S600x600Q85.jpg
 
I took a walk this morning along a hiking trail in central Wisconsin knowing part of it is on paper mill land and figuring I would find some old pine stumps.
After finding an area rich with old pine stumps I started kicking them until I found some totally rotted ones. To my surprise they all contained fatwood cores.
I now have enough to last quite a while, thanks to this site which taught me what to look for.
Thanks guys.



Dave
 
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