Show your Feathersticks

JeffP93 said:
Was going to build a fire tonight for a hang out with the gang, so I decided to get some featherstick practice in there. I think I'm getting a little better!
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Yes, you are! Definitely. :thumbup:
 
Nice knife you got there
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Cool thread you got going too.

I still suck at these, I find it the most difficult thing that one can do with a knife that I can think of, so I put the knife in the foreground in my pic :p

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I respect this skill as being very useful and important. But after a while it passes from utility to the primped show dog stage. I could care less about someone fuzzing up the super easy stuff like green branches, cedar etc. I always saw this as a practical real world applicable skill that should be used on local dead\gathered materials. And around here the dead wood like choke cherry is classified as ''hard'' hardwood. I worked on some purpose dried choke cherry last year and got to were I was comfortable, in regard to actually using it to start a fire. I believe that the point is to be able to start a fire with local materials, and if that is achieved, I could care less how fancy the work is\looks.
 
I have never tried this before mainly because of the abundance of fatwood in my area.
I tried a few this past weekend using a piece of oak, hickory and a piece of fatwood.
I need to practice ALOT more...
 
Nope, those were done "tip down" with my right hand. A lefty doing "tip up" technique would get very similar results though.
 
Ahhh.... feather sticks. They grow wildly where I live. Sort of an invasive species in my back yard.
I pick-em up and save them in big jars for the winter.
 
upnorth said:
I respect this skill as being very useful and important. But after a while it passes from utility to the primped show dog stage. I could care less about someone fuzzing up the super easy stuff like green branches, cedar etc. I always saw this as a practical real world applicable skill that should be used on local dead\gathered materials. And around here the dead wood like choke cherry is classified as ''hard'' hardwood. I worked on some purpose dried choke cherry last year and got to were I was comfortable, in regard to actually using it to start a fire. I believe that the point is to be able to start a fire with local materials, and if that is achieved, I could care less how fancy the work is\looks.
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I am teaching my lady knife skills so she is able to start a fire with local materials

Opinel saw for 1 1/2" rounds
Mora Companion, batton them into sticks
And cut a pile of feathers (not yet attached to the sticks)

Feathers or shaving are giving her the fine cutting skill she needs to learn
 
Do you guys find that a Scandi, Convexed, or standard V grind works better for feather sticks? Thinner stock blades over thick?
 
dbltap45acp said:
Do you guys find that a Scandi, Convexed, or standard V grind works better for feather sticks? Thinner stock blades over thick?
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I'm my experience, and I do have lots of experience with feathering wood, none of this matters at all.
I would say wood choice is more a factor (soft woods being easier) but that is also just a matter of getting used to the way the wood is reacting. Soft or hard wood will both work.

The type of grind (asymmetric is easy) and the stock thickness (thinner being easier) might be factors when you are just starting out, but once you gain some skill, anything will work just fine.

With that said, this is an individual skill and trial and error will largely inform your personal technique. Try out different grinds and woods and find what works for you :thumbup:
 
dbltap45acp said:
Do you guys find that a Scandi, Convexed, or standard V grind works better for feather sticks? Thinner stock blades over thick?
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What Shrapnel said, however, I think that the grind choice can be very helpful for beginers. I like a thicker scandi for feathers, and be sure to use strait-grained soft wood, like Maple or White pine. Be sure that it is dry. Pick up a more robust, that should help. Once you get good at that, move on to your choice Woods blade.

Try just carving shavings, lots and lots of shavings, but don't even worry about them staying on the stick. don't go fast, just pay attention to how your blade reacts to different positions. When you can control which way the wood curls if you hold the knife a particular way (see above post) then you are ready to try making them stay, at that point you should be able to manipulate them to stay on the stick.

:D Worked for me!
 
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