Two Stick Hearthboard (Yucca Stalks)

Rick Marchand said:
Yeah, but those bonsai have really thick trunks, man!:grumpy:

What makes you think I'm unimpressed by your firemaking prowess? I have yet to make a fire with yucca, so you've already one-upped me! With all your urban skills and the recent "primitive" edition to your library... I should be the one trying to impress you. Add to that the fact you are making knives!!

Sheesh... I can't remember the last time I got into the woods. The cold weather is calling my name, brother... oh wait, that's my gut... maybe I need to go drop a deuce.:o


Rick
Click to expand...

Yeah yeah, hell your studies and teachings have been the biggest inspiration for a lot of my experiments. Yeah, I have a good understanding of the urban maybe...not by choice lol...but after a dozen tries I've still yet to get a coal with a split stick. I do have some thoughts on combining primitive wilderness techniques with some modern urban materials...

Sometimes you just have to take a day and hit the woods, I do it a as often as possible. I figure out some small way to incorporate part of it into my work if possible so i don't feel guilty. To fully test an aspect of a bush / field knife design doesn't one need some field / bush time?


s7brad said:
Gonna be cold over the holiday weekend. I will give this one a go. Think it will work with oak?
Click to expand...

I don't know man, Rick could probably do it, every time I've used oak it's just glossed over.
 
Rick Marchand said:
Whoah.... nice double heater in that one pic, bro! The two stick method shines in wet/cold/windy weather when you need to isolate the ember from the ground. You nailed it, man.... great work. Knife ain't bad either, Ha! Thanks.

Rick
Click to expand...

Ya know, very seldom do I actually feel stupid. Lately it has happened more times than I'd like to admit. Sort of like when I completely missed this post and then wondered why you didn't respond to the thread....
 
mistwalker said:
Ya know, very seldom do I actually feel stupid. Lately it has happened more times than I'd like to admit. Sort of like when I completely missed this post and then wondered why you didn't respond to the thread....
Click to expand...

Nuttin but love, bro.
 
Somehow I missed this thread all together, I'm glad is brought back! :thumbup: Two sticks of mulefat (seep willow) was one of the board types that I first learned the hand drill on. I actually have one in the garage that I have been practicing on again.

The two stick board is great because you can get it together without tools, though you do need some cordage. But there is also tons of yucca around that makes awesome cord.

DSC01273.jpg


Mulefat makes perfectly sized and shaped shoots for friction fire, arrows, pretty much anything where a thin but straight stalk is needed.
DSC01198.jpg
 
Rick Marchand said:
Nuttin but love, bro.
Click to expand...

That's cool bro, I was just reading through it again looking for some specific photos....and then "well sonnova..."


jcl-MD said:
Great Job !!!
Kick @$$ pics!!!
THANKS A TON!!!!
Click to expand...

Thanks JCL, glad you liked the post.


tknife said:
Somehow I missed this thread all together, I'm glad is brought back! :thumbup: Two sticks of mulefat (seep willow) was one of the board types that I first learned the hand drill on. I actually have one in the garage that I have been practicing on again.

The two stick board is great because you can get it together without tools, though you do need some cordage. But there is also tons of yucca around that makes awesome cord.

DSC01273.jpg


Mulefat makes perfectly sized and shaped shoots for friction fire, arrows, pretty much anything where a thin but straight stalk is needed.
DSC01198.jpg
Click to expand...

Thanks man, Yucca is something I only recently got to experiment with here. The closest I have found to "wild" has been on old home sites that are over grown now, but I have been given permission to harvest a good bit from different people's landscaping this year so I get to experiment more. I don't think we have mulefat in this area.
 
Wow, awesome thread, glad it got bumped up. I haven't even heard of this method before. Thanks for sharing.
 
The Warrior said:
Wow, awesome thread, glad it got bumped up. I haven't even heard of this method before. Thanks for sharing.
Click to expand...

Thanks man, glad you liked it. Hmmm, lol, maybe I should dig through my old threads for photos more often...I'm sure I could find more screw ups....
 
Great stuff Mist. I only used Yucca once for a bowdrill. Riley brought some up once. It was magical on how quick I was able to get a coal. I wish we had Yucca in my area.

By the way, I love that antler socket of yours!
 
tonym said:
Great stuff Mist. I only used Yucca once for a bowdrill. Riley brought some up once. It was magical on how quick I was able to get a coal. I wish we had Yucca in my area.

By the way, I love that antler socket of yours!
Click to expand...

Thanks Tony, nature is funny that way eh? Most areas seem to have something that will work well for the environment. You guys in your cold environment have paper bark, tinder fungus which are great, down here we have paper bark maples but it's often so wet it's hard to use so we have fatwood which is great for our wet environment, out west they have yucca. And all of these are true gifts from the powers that be when it comes to fire. Yucca grows well here in landscaping and open areas but isn't indigenous and wouldn't do well under the canopy I imagine. It was actually, for me, more of an experiment in urban survival as it is in a lot of landscaping in yards and businesses here.

Thanks, me too. I have a couple of knives with divots in the handles and I really like that, but I like the antler for times when I am packing knives that don't. I just can't bring myself to make a divot in the handle of the Bushfinger or the K.E. Bushie...though I have to admit I have thought about it :o
 
Nice pics ! I have 3or4 yucca plants in my landscaping in my front yard ! I never thought about making a fire kit from the stalk, I always cut'em down & toss'em in the creek ! Now I know what I'm gonna do with them this year ! Thanks for sharing.
 
Thanks man, glad you enjoyed the post. I may have several in my yard soon. A LOT of seeds came from the dozen or so stalks I got last fall. If any sprout I am going to plant them as a "wall" on the edge of a bank that gets a lot of sun.
 
mistwalker said:
Thanks Tony, nature is funny that way eh? Most areas seem to have something that will work well for the environment. You guys in your cold environment have paper bark, tinder fungus which are great, down here we have paper bark maples but it's often so wet it's hard to use so we have fatwood which is great for our wet environment, out west they have yucca. And all of these are true gifts from the powers that be when it comes to fire. Yucca grows well here in landscaping and open areas but isn't indigenous and wouldn't do well under the canopy I imagine. It was actually, for me, more of an experiment in urban survival as it is in a lot of landscaping in yards and businesses here.

Thanks, me too. I have a couple of knives with divots in the handles and I really like that, but I like the antler for times when I am packing knives that don't. I just can't bring myself to make a divot in the handle of the Bushfinger or the K.E. Bushie...though I have to admit I have thought about it :o
Click to expand...

Except for MO.....No yucca, no fatwood, no birch. :rolleyes:

Its kewl though.....plenty of stuff to start a fire..

Great pics once again bro.
 
j williams said:
Except for MO.....No yucca, no fatwood, no birch. :rolleyes:

Its kewl though.....plenty of stuff to start a fire..

Great pics once again bro.
Click to expand...

So, what is you "golden" or go to fire material there? I know you have Bass and Cottonwood trees that make great friction fire sets right?
 
Ive never seen basswood. The books say weve got it, but Ive never ran across it, although I wish I would. We do have cottonwoods, and Mullien, and I recently found yucca. For friction fire, Id have the easiest time finding some Mullien, and a cottonwood. I look more at its charicteristics then its ID. Ive found alot of semi punky hardwoods that are perfect for hearthboards. I need to do more friction fires now that my knee feels 100% again. I usually just do a one stick fire, or use cedar bark and twigs with my firesteel. I am at a point finally where I dont use anything but natural materials for tinder, and am fairly confident with bow drill.
 
j williams said:
Ive never seen basswood. The books say weve got it, but Ive never ran across it, although I wish I would. We do have cottonwoods, and Mullien, and I recently found yucca. For friction fire, Id have the easiest time finding some Mullien, and a cottonwood. I look more at its charicteristics then its ID. Ive found alot of semi punky hardwoods that are perfect for hearthboards. I need to do more friction fires now that my knee feels 100% again. I usually just do a one stick fire, or use cedar bark and twigs with my firesteel. I am at a point finally where I dont use anything but natural materials for tinder, and am fairly confident with bow drill.
Click to expand...

It's funny, everyone kept saying "try basswood"... so I learned to identify it. I went on hikes in search of it and found it here and there. Then one day I noticed I had three basswood trees on my own land. I've had good luck with poplar and cedar but the yucca is by far the easiest to get a coal I've ever used.
 
You rock Mist! Another great post. I think if I printed all your posts and bound them together, I would have quite the wss book. Thanks for the info.:thumbup:
 
Mist, gotta say, amazing display of skills. Glad to have you here. Really great stuff. :)
 
VictGerbSogCamill said:
You rock Mist! Another great post. I think if I printed all your posts and bound them together, I would have quite the wss book. Thanks for the info.:thumbup:
Click to expand...

Thanks man, I always enjoy reading that people are get something from the threads :)


Brian Jones said:
Mist, gotta say, amazing display of skills. Glad to have you here. Really great stuff. :)
Click to expand...

Thank you for the compliment sir, it's good to be here. I'm really glad you liked the post.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top