Arrows

Earlier in the year I made this batch of arrows so I could stump shoot, hunt, and shoot at targets without worrying about losing arrows.  This is a problem that I have always had, and is just the nature of archery.  I made them out of river cane, and privet shafts.  There is an assortment of arrow heads, including metal broad heads I bought, homemade broad heads, and bone that I fashioned out of cow bone I found in the woods.  For the fletching I used Trueflight full length fletching that I cut myself for the right shape                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

 

 

One of the bone arrow heads I attached to the shaft with deer sinew I harvested from a deer last fall. 

 

 

 

After selecting a piece of sinew,  I leave it in some water for a few minutes to soften it up.  Then I use it to attach the arrow head to the shaft.  The sinew will harden, shrink, and glue itself together as it dries.  So you don't even have to tie a knot, and I did this one without any additional glue.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The set contained twenty two arrows.  The cane arrows are my favorite because they stay straight, and are easier to process into shafts.  The privet is alright and is a good choice especially where I live, but it will tend to bend and stay that way until you heat or steam straighten them.  I cut nocks right into the shaft, and the fletching was seven inches long, and cut in a medieval  style.  This may be quite long by most peoples standards but it worked well for  me,  and it gives it a really cool sound when an arrow is sent through the air.

 

 

 

Here are some of the bone points.

 

 

 



 



 

The finished set.

Camp

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Well I have not posted much lately, so here are a few things related to woodcraft and the outdoors that I have been doing.  The pictures are from a camping trip I took back in November.  I wanted to test out some new  equipment, build  a shelter at my camp site, and camp in colder weather.  I started out late so I ran out of daylight quickly, but I was able to build a shelter before dark.  The main idea behind the shelter was to use some cedar tree tops that I knew were in the woods.  So I tied a cedar pole across the two trees at the camp site, and leaned the cedar tops end first on the cross piece.  Then I trimmed all the twigs from the inside and made sure I could get in.  Then I covered the top with leaves and branches as needed.  During the night it kept the cold wind from coming blowing in, all except for a spot that had not been covered, and that kept my face cold.  I will need to improve this shelter in the future,  but it was not bad for being built in a short amount of time.  My fire was very cheery and was easy to start and easy to keep burning, this is not usually the case.  The fire kept heat coming into the open side of the shelter and made it very comfortable, if I had built the shelter a little higher it might have been even warmer.  It got quite cold and there were deer running around my camp all night long.  At one point I heard two raccoons chattering in the dark very close.  Deer were all over the place and I could see them in the moonlight.  The next morning I sat by my fire drinking cups of hot tea warming my insides and watching wildlife, the deer did not seem to notice my fire and walked by quite undisturbed.  A little later a group of turkeys came within just a few yards, it turned out that my shelter acted as a blind and concealed me very well. 

 

I have also been making alot of spoons, forks, and other utensils. This has kept me very busy. 

 

I have also been experimenting with a short bow that is attached to my back quiver.  I use it as a back up for any other bow I take out.  Well that is a little bit of what I have been doing in my woods, I hope you all have a happy new year.

 

 

 

 

New gear

Well I've been very busy, so I have not posted for some time.  Last Saturday some of our friends had an open house at their bakery, which is a little more like a fall festival.  I had a chance to come and set up a stand and sell some of my woodwork.  Also there was a yard sale, and I found some good deals on some gear that I just could not pass up.

 

 

 

 

I got some small leather pouches, that my Grandfather brought to my attention, he has a very good eye for camping gear and things that would be useful.  Also I got a small green metal cup, I already have a blue one identical to it, but I liked the color.  The coffee pot is one of my favorite things I got. It is a 3 cup percolator, and quite compact.  I have wanted one like this for a while now.  The boots are military surplus, and and I was surprised to find that they actually fit me, I have a little trouble finding boots that fit me.

The coffee pot.

 

 

 

This is my table, and some of the spoons I was selling.

 

 

 

Some cutting boards, and a rolling pin.

 

 

 

A walnut bowl.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Large and medium spoons, and more cutting boards.

 

 

 

Fresh cooked apple butter.

 

 

 

 



And me.  Thanks for looking.

 

Wooden cup

I had already been making spoons for a while, when I decided to make a wooden cup.

This is what I came up with.  It is a little small but I like it. This is the second one I made, the first broke while I was working on it.



 

 

 

I tried to make in the style of  a Kuksa, a Finnish cup. I do not know if I made it quite in that way or not.

 

 

 

I have not had a chance to use it  yet, but I hope to take it on my next camping trip.  If you have any special drinks or foods that you like to use a wooden cup for, I would like to hear about them.  I would like to eventually have a more primitive cooking outfit.

wood spoons

I have been making wooden spoons for a while now. I make them mostly out of Osage, Walnut, Cherry, and Cedar. Here they are.

A large Osage spoon and two spatulas.

slotted spoon.

This spoon I made out of purpleheart wood, a very tough wood.

Here is a walnut bowl and two cherry spoons.

I do the designs with a wood burner. I have sold many of these spoons, I sell the large for 20 dollars, the medium for 15 and, and the small one for 10. Each one differs from the next.

Primitive Archery

Alright, I'll get things started with one of my favorite primitive skills, archery.  I first started making bows when I was very young, out of sticks and twine.  They worked well and were fun to use.  Now I am making self bows and backed bows strong enough to hunt with.

This is my latest finished bow.  The wood is Osage and it has deer bone overlays on the tips.  I do not know the exact poundage.  I don't have an accurate way to measure it, but I do know it is probably over fifty pounds judging by other bows I have.  It is a self bow.  This is where the back of the bow (the side that faces away from you when you hold it) is all one growth ring.  This is my favorite type of bow.