Spring Bushcraft Contest

[Fiddleback]

OK guys, this contest is kinda going to be wide open. I want pictures of you folks using your Fiddleback Forge knives for ANY bushcrafting project. Please post them right here in this thread to enter. Dylan and I will be doing the judging. I will make a knife and give it out to the winning project. I will allow the winner to pick the model and handle material of their prize knife.

I have no guidelines on the project. I'd like to see everything from spoons to shelters, from fire building skills to camp fixture creations. So let them roll. The more the merrier, of course. I'll announce the winner after Blade Show.

Thanks in advance for participating!

 

[KHDaily]

Sounds sweet! I will have to think of something!!!

 

[schmittie]

Andy, I have a question please: can I use a combo of my knife, axe and saw for this project?? I have some ideas, but don't think I can accomplish it with just a small blade. I understand you said there are no guidelines. But I didn't want to assume since that leads to assumptions.

Thanks!

And I hope you enjoy your vacation. You certainly more than earn it!

 

[Fiddleback]

Good question. I would not ever expect this to be a one tool only project. Use your trio.

 

[thurin]

Hopefully you'll allow more than one entry per person. I have a longer outing planned in a few weeks but thought I'd kick this off with something simple.

Fire prep and hobo stove:

 

[NoFair]

Is using a Stihl 362 cheating? Going to clear some trees around the farm... Fix some fences etc. Might whittle a little on the 300 year old cowshed with my Bushfinger

 

[saucyCT]

I think the only requirement should be that a Fiddleback is used at some point in the creation, yes? (I would assume not to just shave off a final strand, but to be really USED in the project.)

my 2¢
CT

 

[TPVT]

Well...Andy, i know you have already seen these it the HWF thread. i was hoping to get out and do something else, and i still may, but i am losing time, so i figured i would post these here too.

these knives were graciously sent to me by HWF to test out. thanks Hugh!

found a piece of driftwood and decided to baton through it to get a section to make a spoon. why not?

you can see this wood is not exactly straight-grained. had a good knot in it too. i did not go through the center of it with the 3 Hugh gave me. i did not want to beat on them too much, as they were not mine. but, i have no doubt, they would have performed.

i also used the Kephart to baton a side off. i cannot seem to find the pic of that one. i did not use the recluse for this test, as i am pretty well convinced my choice is between the BF and the kephart.

here is one of the kephart ... i whacked it with the baton to give me a clean end.

pretty raw.

action shots.

it's not done, but i was losing light.

The kephart excelled at this task.

thanks for the contest Andy.

 

[schmittie]

Here is my contest entry:

What I'm attempting to make is a chair. Obviously, I have never done this before nor do I know what I'm doing. The design isn't the best. I'll do it differently next time.

(I've got a long way to go when it comes to bushcraft!)


As I have time, I've been cleaning up my fence line. This is the last of the ash trees I neglected to cut when it was itty bitty. Wow, does time fly.

Using the double bit axe from my wife's grandfather that I rehafted, I cut a wedge.

Then cut to it from the back at a downward angle with the saw.

Bailey of course, had to check out what was going on. At least I had a witness for the hand tools.

I limbed the tree, selected what I needed and dragged it to the appropriate area to begin.

First step was to peel the bark off this piece for later. The Bushfinger cut through nicely

I used the knife to make a spud to help get the bark off.

Next, using the remaining pieces, I notched two of them to allow a place for three cross supports to sit.

Then I peeled some of the bark off the young limbs for cordage.

Then tie it up.

For the legs, I'll use my 1/8" brand new, tapered tang Bushfinger to baton and split the wood.

JUST KIDDING!! I'm not that dumb

That's what hatchets are for.

At this point I started tying things together and noticed the bark cordage wasn't strong enough. So I cut some very small limbs, pencil thickness, and proceeded to process it with the hatchet poll. It made the sticks nice and stringy, usable for cordage.

All tied up!

Now, I used my knife to shave down and smooth out the bark I removed earlier. It sailed through it like butter.

Next I cut the bark into strips.

And then I cut myself. Tis just a flesh wound.

I used the strips to make up the seat. Now I have a place to sit!

Man that thing is ugly. But it worked.


Next is the pot holder. Continued......

 

[schmittie]

The pot holder. For this I used a softer wood, sumac.

I found a piece with a large enough fork in it, and sharpened the end to go in the ground.

Then I selected a longer branch, about 5' and cut a flat spot on one end, a point on the other, again to go into the ground. At the flat spot, I cut a small circular grove. More on that later.

For my adjustable hanger, I peeled off the bark.

Then made a series of X's in it up and down the length.

For these, carve out all but the top triangle, leaving a 'hook' to fit in the circular groove made earlier.

All of the hooks are made posting the same direction. EXCEPT for the last one. This needs to be reversed since it will hold the bail of the pot.

Once you get your fire going (this one is very small, just to illustrate) you can hang up your pot.

With the adjustable hanger, you can raise and lower your pot to as close or far from your fire as you desire.

All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed my new Fiddleback. Thanks again Andrew!

 

[herpingmad]

I assume desperately wanting a fiddleback and having a mora limits me from the comp

 

[KHDaily]

I carved a fish using mostly my two wonderful bushcrafters and a bush operator! Not bad for one of my first carving projects. Both knives are wonderful to use! I love my Fiddleback and Fletcher knives!!!

Hope Andy and Dylan like it. So sad I won't be able to be at Blade this year! Hope you have another great turnout at the show and dinner afterwards!

 

[knutelut]

Id like to throw this in for my son. We were out fishing and without a catch we had to cut some sticks to skewer the emergency hot-dogs
Isnt a lot of bush up here so It´ll have to as bush crafting. He is holding the blade and I put my hands outside his guiding it.

 

[rustycurtis]

Hey, all! Saw some really neat entries on here so far. My boy will get his hands on some Fiddleback action in not too long, Knutelut—very cool photo. And I don't know that I'd have the patience to make that chair, schmittie! I dig that fish too, KHDaily.

I thought I would try to hit everything that Andy mentioned in the contest guidelines just to make sure I covered the bases . Apologies in advance for the background sound. We were up on the mountain side but there is a road below that cuts through the mountain pass and we must have shot the video during a busy time. Still, hope it's enjoyable for you!
[video=youtube;OHYHLsZHeao]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OHYHLsZHeao[/video]

In the video:
• bush tongs
• harvest and use of spruce sap for fire accelerant
• upside down fire lay
• reflection wall
• hammock set-up
• roughing out spoon
• whittling
•*relaxing
*(special background noise credit to noisy highway)

Not too terrible for my first spoon attempt. *Full disclosure- many tools were involved in the creation of this spoon (not all fiddleback). Rubbed some pure beeswax onto the spoon and then put it over heat to finish. Ended up gifting the spoon to my wife to replace one of the handful of her spoons I've broken in the past.

I know Andy loves scouting. This was from a recent scouting trip where I showed the boys how to do a bow drill fire. Watch the very end to see a special shout out.
[video=youtube;QOR3UsiSGiw]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOR3UsiSGiw[/video]

Bushcraft is not just about making useful items for yourself. I thought it would be nice to make a cool little wood sign to throw in Andy's shop somewhere. Granted, this is not high quality or very impressive, but it still might be a cool little thing for Andy to have and know that his supporters use his knives and appreciate them.

I took a piece of rough cut and seasoned walnut (bad choice to start with!). I next scratched in Andy's spider icon with an awl. Then I used my EDKarda to carve out the entire spider. When I had finished carving it out, I took a couple little pieces of coal from my fire pit and colored in the carving. I then covered the whole face side of the carving with beeswax, threw it in the oven and let the beeswax soak into the carving. This thing may look easy to you, but it took me HOURS and HOURS carving out that old seasoned walnut.

 

[TPVT]

Id like to throw this in for my son. We were out fishing and without a catch we had to cut some sticks to skewer the emergency hot-dogs
Isnt a lot of bush up here so It´ll have to as bush crafting. He is holding the blade and I put my hands outside his guiding it.

really cool pic knutelut. well done. :thumbup:

 

[knutelut]

Thanks guys, Credit due to my wife though.
Not a good idea operating a camera while keeping track of a Fiddleback and a 3-year olds fingertips (and my own
He got his own "kids" knife a while ago which he uses in the kitchen to cut up vegetables etc. Not yet trusting him to run around in the woods with. I blunted the tip on my belt sander in case he falls on it but its still really sharp. I like spending time with him in the mountains doing all the stuff that my dad never found time to, and I can see him profiting a lot from it physically as well as psychologically.
Sorry for messing up the thread Andy.

 

[KHDaily]

My fingers are starting to cramp from being crossed so long

Any winner picked yet Andy?

 

[schmittie]

My fingers are starting to cramp from being crossed so long

Any winner picked yet Andy?

I was wondering the same thing myself.

Btw, your fish is pretty neat! What kind of wood did you carve it from?

 

[Fiddleback]

Man, there is a lot of good entries now. I will pick one this weekend, and we can get started with the prize part!!

 

[Fiddleback]

What strikes me right away is that my tools are being USED by folks that love the woods around the planet. I love this. It really fuels me. Thanks for participating to everyone.