Got wood???

Originally posted by neo96
pine resin and birch best tender i have heard of

after watching tons of youtube videos over the past few weeks.

believe it or not there is a little bit good information on youtube aint going to say theres lots

off topic: this is more of a request for basic map reading and compass usage think for the experience contributors on ats it would make a worthy thread by daddy and other mods who know their stuff.

my advice buy a compass and a map of a location you are familiar with, find north plot a hiking trail or a destination on the map and go for a hike. its really simple and once you are able to get your bearings with a compass on a map ditch the compass and just use the map we should all be able to find N without a compass.

there are many ways just google how to find north without a compass.

Hey DB, yet another great post. Perhaps you could post pictures of each type of tree, or at least links to those pics so the neophytes among us can see what you are talking about? It may seem a no-brainer to many of us, but I suspect most of the people here are "city folk".

Funny you mentioned wood. I have this in mind for my next home project. I usually only burn wood under the forest canopy and dig in a small round pit my pot can straddle and a short feeding trench about the same depth. I like to be able to push the dirt in and smother on a moments notice. But thats not the way life generally works. I end up half the time in rocky places so I'm going to cut this project from a large coffee can and see how it does for weight and usability.

www.thru-hiker.com...

I think in a disaster situation, asking what wood this tree is would be less of an important question than "What wood is this table made of", or "I wonder how well this chair would burn" lol

Well, for us city types, that is

reply to post by DaddyBare


I love to burn cedar because it smells so good but does spark and pop. I had a rug that proved it! Apple smells great too. But my favorite wood for burning inside or out is pinon. Burns really hot when dry and takes a long time to burn.
Sorry if you mentioned it and I didn't see it. The pinon nuts are yummy!

Another good thread,DB!
May I add,if it hasn't been addressed yet is fat lighter.
Fat lighter comes from a pine tree stump and makes for a really good firestarter.
The reason being cause it's saturated in pine tar.They even sell it in stores as a firestarter.
It most be seasoned well,that is been in the ground for 6 months or longer.
Chop some splinters off,say a 1/4 inch in diameter or so ,
they are quick to light and also burn quickly,but work great at getting your fire going.
Wouldn't hurt to have a few in your bug out bag.

But I wouldn't throw a whole stump of in a fireplace,it could burn your house down.
I know from experience,when I was a teen I put one in the fireplace,and after it start raging,my dad was on the roof with a water hose putting it out.
Got my arse whooped for that one.

Click here for more information.

reply to post by DaddyBare


I live in the middle of tree's. Out my window right now i can see tree's into the distance and not beyond it. I have a circle of about 30 metres cleared and the rest, is tree's.

The local government, who are located about 40km's away in a large regional township have regulations on MY LAND stating i cant clear much further because they are a bunch of control freak liberals who want all the timber purchased through tax paying companies.

I hear people from the city ranting about how there are hardly any tree's left, but i doubt they have any first hand experience traveling to the less glamorous places here in Australia or have a clue about how overgrown this part of the world is.

Most of the farmers in the region i live in keep their properties with a thick line of Eucalyptus on the edges of each paddock as well as some area's with just tree's in them for their wood supply. Its hard to keep it out. The leaves and limbs fall and take forever to decay.

When they decay they poison the soil preventing the good insects and bacteria from pulling in nitrogen and other elements within the soil, so the earth is pretty useless for growing anything useful in. Ive spent years with the area i have to work with using green manure and legumes in order to make anything eatable grow.

At quick glance at Google earth in the states, i couldn't actually find any treeless locations without looking pretty hard. I must admit its not as dense as here, but it appears to be not quite as bad as 90% from my glance, it looks closer to 70%.

every morning when I wake up......... oh not that kind of wood oops, sorry couldn’t resist.

Good post here daddybare as always. Wood is one thing that a lot of people don’t think about until it is too late thanks for bringin it up and educating everyone.

Thank you for the handy list of woods that are good to burn! Keep in mind though that there are several deadly woods that if burned will kill you from the fumes. Oleander wood, leaves and flowers, poison ivy, poison oak and sumac, laburnum, and other species can cause illness and respiratory failure or death if the smoke is inhaled. Oleander wood is notorious, and only a breath or two of the smoke can kill a person. Old pressure treated wood can also be toxic from the chemicals inserted into the wood. Just be careful, and when in doubt, look it up, it can save your life!

As a woodworker,framer,
it's been in my blood for generations
I have to say good job daddybear

Great Post DaddyBear...

We need to interject a means to get the wood and cut.

In a SHTF scenario, chainsaws may be in abundance but not the gas or 2 cycle oil or bar oil.

It is important to know how to use an axe...single edge or double edge...how to sharpen with a file...

I usually lock the axe in a vise or clamp it down on my tail gate pf the pick up... or sit on the handle if necessary. I use a flat file, and pull it back straight down the edge,,,holding the end of the file towards the axe handle, and bearing down on the other end of the file with the palm of my other hand.The angles of the file sharpen the edge and an axe in good shape will sharpen with a few passes.

There is a tendency to want to angle to much, but don't...just run the file across the edge parallel with the edge. Only when I am almost done do I angle it abit to take off any flash or residue and make a keen edge.

Also, with axes...I have found that the steel bar wrapped in fiberglass and plastic work well...even I sometimes over shoot and hit the handle just below the axe head and this will crack or splinter the axe handle and the axe is worthless then.

When felling a tree... see where you want the tree to fall...check for obstructions..limbs..grapevines... and look up into the tree you are felling for weak, rotten limbs that may fall on you...these are known as "widow makers"...

Always look for a path of escape for yourself...remove all obstacles and debris that might trip you as the tree falls and you try getting away..

When you've found the path for felling the tree...cut a v shaped chunk out about a foot or so above the base/ roots. The V chunk cuts across and should go in about half way through the tree. It needs to be on the side and same direction that you are felling the tree.

Then on the opposite side, cut another v chunk out about 6 inches above where the first v cut is...this cuts any strands/fibers holding the tree upright and you will notice the tree starting to crack, lean a little..

This is the dangerous time...make each swing and then listen and look

Then start cutting at the sides of the back cut...the tree will definitly start to lean and crack...

Continue until it starts to fall...always looking and paying attention...when it starts to fall, go in the opposite direction and get behind a tree several feet away.and always look at the falling tree and don't move until it is on the ground and all the debris has settled... trees are unpredictable at best, and I have seen trees start to fall and break and "back jump" or slide off the stump and land a few feet away.

Often, ropes can bu used to fell a tree. Use good ropes...do not spare expense here. Heavy grade, a 500lb - 700lb load limit is good...and usually about 100+ feet long. Using a pruner or throwing the rope up as far as can across a branch and then tying in place...

How? Use a running bow line...look up tying knots..another good survival skill. Then pull with all your might and then some and tie to another tree in the direct line desired for felling the tree. This will help guide the felling tree in the direction desired.

This is a brief overview. You really need to practice with someone who has done this. This is a definite skill and art and takes practice. I also suggest never doing this alone...any accidents can then be taken care of by the other.

Start small and grow into this skill as you grow your skills.

reply to post by AlreadyGone

Great post. Very good information. You made me realize that I have overlooked something in my survival gear, or have I? I have a 2 1/4 lb camp axe among my gear. I generally sharpen it when I get home. In a shtf situation I may not have a home to go to. I have not tried sharpening my axe with the file on my leatherman wave or leatherman super tool yet. Has anybody used that to sharpen your axe? Should I throw a bastard file into my kit? Or maybe one of those "4 in 1" tools that has a coarse file, a fine file, and 2 rasps?

reply to post by neo96


If someone doesn't beat me to it I'll try to get to this weekend or monday..

I'm kind of busy... sons coming home from boot camp tomorrow... got to drive up to Kansas City Mo to pick him up then on Fri drive him over to his first duty station... ya know he was in SC and didn't feel the earth quake and the hurricane passed then by.... the boy has all the luck

in the mean time here's a link to the compass I use... this ones not a kids toy...
Silva Expedition 54

reply to post by sonofliberty1776


I've never liked the multi tools for serious work...
I keep a Gerber in my tackle box... already see a crack at the base of the pliers.. and snapped off one of the blades weeks after I got it...

No beating a good file set
Mine was $16 bucks over at Sears
as for a stone I use something like this
Norton 3 oil bath stone
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/60dfb99e1f10.jpg[/atsimg]

And the best camp axe I ever own came from estwing]Here's a link but shop around I got mine cheaper

Great thread!

One thing that I think needs to be mentioned however, is the construction of a fire pit... You need to be careful which rocks you use. I remember going camping one time, I was out hiking away from the campsite and my hubby decided to build the fire pit and get a fire going while I was gone.

A Little while later, the rocks started exploding! He didn't realize that you have to choose certain kinds of rocks.

I know the right ones by sight.. does anyone know the names of the correct ones to use? I am not sure how to post pics or anything on here yet, sorry!

reply to post by freespirit1


Don't use river rocks
there might be water inside some
hence the explosions.
Daddybear mentioned this in one of his threads a month or so back
try to find some granite
this is what we used at the Havasupai rez
granite under the fire
take it out with a pitch fork
and put it in the sweat lodge
toasty or should I say sweaty
feels great though
then jump in the river
feels even better

Originally posted by freespirit1
Great thread!

One thing that I think needs to be mentioned however, is the construction of a fire pit... You need to be careful which rocks you use. I remember going camping one time, I was out hiking away from the campsite and my hubby decided to build the fire pit and get a fire going while I was gone.

A Little while later, the rocks started exploding! He didn't realize that you have to choose certain kinds of rocks.

I know the right ones by sight.. does anyone know the names of the correct ones to use? I am not sure how to post pics or anything on here yet, sorry!

No river rocks... no sandstone... they can have water inside... throw those into a fire and the water will supper heat and turn them into bombs...

if I'm going to be in camp for a while I always built a firepit...keyhole or flask-shaped ring made of rocks. The fire is
maintained in the main portion of the fireplace. Hot coals are raked periodically under
the grate into the narrow, lower portion for cooking. another firepit is a double
row of rocks with a foot of space between them for the fire. A grate is placed over
these rows to support cooking utensils...

cooking over a
campfire requires constant vigilance. You must check the food constantly so as not to
overcook it or burn it. However there is a rough way of determinin the temperature of a
fire which may be of some help. Hold your open palm in the same spot where your pot
will be and count - count "one and one, one and two, one and three," and so on to achieve
one-second intervals. If you can only hold your hand there for "one and one" or not
even that, you have a fire of over 500' F. If you can hold your hand for two or three
seconds, you have a fire of about 450' F, plus or minus ten percent. If you can hold your
hand there for four or five seconds, you have about 375' F plus or minus ten percent; six
to eight seconds, 300' F plus or minus ten percent.

reply to post by sonofliberty1776
You may want to consider a tree pruners saw with quality blade for about 2/3 of the work at hand.....limbs under say 4inch diameter. The are about 15 inch long and have sheath, can be attached to back pack, they weigh nothing and just rip through small limbs which is about half your work anyway. Great tool for camping....shelter making/firewood. Many wouldnt think of a small hand saw but take one camping with you one time and that will make you a believer. You can find them on line under aborist gear.

Thanks guys!

I actually love to cook over a campfire using cast iron or even just on a grill placed over the fire. One thing I have learned over the years is to have the fire not directly under cast iron while you are cooking.

If you consistently rake coals under the grate, you will have a more even heat and be less prone to scorching your food.

Great details about the wood selection, DB. I prefer maple, alder, any fruit tree, and hickory when doing actual cooking, it adds so much flavor!