Is this the right stuff to buy?

[Cosquet]

HI, first of all....I'm new to this world (the only knife I've had in my life was a Victorinox Hunter model)....anyway. I am now living in the mountains of Nepal (1000 meters up, nothing dramatic) and I'm in charge of a little property that I have to take care of.....this will involve making a fairly large bamboo fence, chopping wood, pruning trees, making bamboo furniture and hopefully going walkabout in the forest as much as I can (my plan is to start to learn about buscraft little by little...again, nothing dramatic)...so.... I have been searching for some tools to help me on my everyday tasks and to use when I go to the forest. I want stuff that does not break the bank but that I will be able to use for a long time and will be "good to me" when I get (hopefully) better at it over the next few years. This is what I have decided to get:

Knife: Mora Bush-craft Forest
Machete: Condor Bolo 12"
Axe: Gransfors Small forest Axe
Saw: Silky Super Accel 21
Sharpening: Fallkniven Whetstone Diamond/Ceramic Combo DC4

So here it goes: What do you think about my choices? Is there anything else I need? Is it too much?...please be gentle.....it is after all, my first time. Thank you for you time.

P.s: .I looked at khukuris but they are crazy heavy. Like I said, I'm new to this and they feel very alien in my hands. I have used one to cut and split bamboo (around 8" wide at the bottom) and it was very uncomfortable, a friend lend me the axe I mentioned and it made the job a lot (for me) easier.The axe will be used every day to chop wood (smallish stuff) and the machete for bamboo. I guess i could get a khukuri and have it around to practice.... but I'm looking for tools that I can use straight away....... so what I'm looking for here is personal opinions from people that has used any (or all) of the tools I list. I have read a lot of reviews already (that's how I decided on the list) and now I'm looking for flaws and/or recommendations based on my particular conditions of experience (no much) and conditions (Nepal, Bamboo). The Bamboo will be used for pretty much everything I build and the biggest pieces are around 9" thick with a 1'5" interior edge. Splittin the bamboo into slates will be one of the biggest jobs.

 

[Toddy]

Hello, and welcome to the forum

Sounds like a lot of work, but what an opportunity Best of luck with it.

The fellow who comes to mind as being someone who might really be helfpul is Bod
http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/member.php?u=1165
though that said, Palmnut lived in a bamboo area too, I believe.

Either way, have a seat and join the conversations

cheers,
Toddy

 

[Cosquet]

Thanks! Yes, it will be a bit of work, but it is good work (and there's no hurry) so nothing to complain about...... I though I would write a bit more info so people knows what info I need....here it is:

All the building (fences, furniture, sheds, shower rooms) will be done with bamboo because it's a lot cheaper and we don't have a lot of money, some of this bamboo is fairly thick, up to 9"( 1'5" inside edge), so far I have been using (believe it or not) my swiss army knife saw and it works very well (on the green stuff) but it is too time consuming. I tried to get decent (normal) tools but the build quality in this country is appalling, stuff breaks literally on your hands. That's when I decided (as i have a lot of experience in trekking and climbing) to look into bushcraft tools. I have always wanted to get into it and now I'm living in the middle of the "bush" so it's the perfect moment. I'm asking this question because if my list is comprehensive enough I would rather not get other stuff. Like I said I'm interested to know about the quality and durability of my choices because I may not be able to get any other equipment in the next 5 years or so. I manage a little education project(with my own money) and I should spend it wisely.
I'm very excited about learning bushcraft ( I have many books) and once we are a bit settled I will try to lure people here that can teach me all that books can't (which is a lot)....but that would be another thread for next year..........for now I just want to know if my list is adequate.......

 

[weekender]

Welcome to the forum. Just my 2 pennith worth but wouldn't it be easier to get a local made parang, I got a Bidor one from Maylasia and it was only about £14 and it's a real workhorse nothing fancy.


Sent from somewhere?

 

[Cosquet]

Welcome to the forum. Just my 2 pennith worth but wouldn't it be easier to get a local made parang, I got a Bidor one from Maylasia and it was only about £14 and it's a real workhorse nothing fancy.

The quality of local tools is really appalling / I had a three (yes, three! hammers) break on my hands....I'm getting the stuff from my list from Australia (A friend of mine is coming here next month) the choice of stuff in the list is based on Internet reviews, availability and price...now I'm here asking for some fine tuning from those who are more experience than me in general and those who have used these tools (one or all) in particular.....

 

[Cosquet]

Hello, and welcome to the forum

Sounds like a lot of work, but what an opportunity Best of luck with it.

Thanks! it will be a bit of work, but it is good work and there's no hurry..... here is some more info so everyone knows what I'm asking about:

All the building (fences, furniture, sheds, shower rooms) will be done with bamboo because it's a lot cheaper and we don't have a lot of money, some of this bamboo is fairly thick, up to 9"( 1'5" inside edge), so far I have been using (believe it or not) my swiss army knife saw and it works very well (on the green stuff) but it is too time consuming. I tried to get decent (normal) tools but the build quality in this country is appalling, stuff breaks literally on your hands. That's when I decided (as i have a lot of experience in trekking and climbing) to look into bushcraft tools. I have always wanted to get into it and now I'm living in the middle of the "bush" so it's the perfect moment. I'm asking this question because if my list is comprehensive enough I would rather not get other stuff. Like I said I'm interested to know about the quality and durability of my choices because I may not be able to get any other equipment in the next 5 years or so. I manage a little education project(with my own money) and I should spend it wisely.
I'm very excited about learning bushcraft ( I have many books) and once we are a bit settled I will try to lure people here that can teach me all that books can't (which is a lot)....but that would be another thread for next year..........for now I just want to know if my list is adequate.......

 

[Toddy]

The list looks sound, and the silky saw is a brilliant tool, but it's a little bit in need of care.
The bahco laplander is a lot cheaper and a lot more forgiving. It takes a heck of a lot of punishment, straightens out and still works well
If you're cutting stuff 9" in diameter I'd be looking for a bowsaw of somekind though. Needn't be expensive and you can get ones that fold up into a tube. Even if your pal just brings you the blade there are enough tutorials on how to make a frame on the net, let alone on the forum.

The SFA is very good, but it's a small forest axe, what are you going to use it for ? If it's splitting bamboo then the basket makers and hedgers get an awful lot more use out of a billhook for green stuff, and a billhook will chop down bamboo just as well as a parang will. If I recall correctly someone a while back mentioned a corn knife, used in America for corn stalks and sugar canes, maybe that would be of use with bamboo ?

An old thread....
http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/archive/index.php/t-37041.html

cheers,
Toddy

 

[Cosquet]

the bahco laplander is a lot cheaper and a lot more forgiving. It takes a heck of a lot of punishment, straightens out and still works well
If you're cutting stuff 9" in diameter I'd be looking for a bowsaw of somekind though. Needn't be expensive and you can get ones that fold up into a tube. Even if your pal just brings you the blade there are enough tutorials on how to make a frame on the net, let alone on the forum

That's exactly the kind of advise I was looking for!, stuff I could never think about..... I will definitely get some blades and learn how to make a frame (it makes absolute sense)...... as for the axe, it will be used mainly for chopping fire wood (nothing too big) ....for the bamboo splitting (and cutting) I have the machete, I read that the bolo 12" is strong enough ( the axe will be used if I get a particularly big piece) .....I'd love to get some comments on the machete as I have no experience whatsoever using one......

 

[sunndog]

get yerself a proper steel bow saw frame....no fuss, no muss

matchete wise, an 18" tramontina takes some beating for the money. i'v got some sort of condor matchete here (cant remember which) and the grind is bloody terrible

if you want to do a lot of log splitting then a splitting axe is a must IMO

 

[Cosquet]

The reason I'm getting a 12" machete is because my friend (bringing me the stuff) has limited space on her rucksack.... and there will be no big log splitting (only small pieces) just bamboo splitting...... I have read great things about Condors, I'm hoping someone her has used the Bolo 12" and can tell me what they think.....

 

[Macaroon]

Your list looks fine to me; you've obviously done your research well ...............I've used all the tools you name and they're all good quality and reliable items, though Toddy makes a good point about the Silky; I would perhaps get a Bahco Laplander as well as the Silky, belt and braces, eh? I don't think you'll go far wrong at all with any of it.

It'd make interesting reading if you found the time to post a little on your project and it's progress; best of luck with it all

P.S. The Condor is a fine tool for the money, nothing sophisticated but absolutely fine and will last; and 12" is big enough for most people, if the job is too much for that use a saw, sez I!

 

[Cosquet]

It'd make interesting reading if you found the time to post a little on your project and it's progress; best of luck with it all

Thanks! I will....right now we are just waiting for the rain to stop and the road to our village to be usable again. I'll check that other saw. Like I said, next year I will try to get some people to come here and teach me some stuff, I have some nice ideas but I don't want to put the cart in front of the horses.....

 

[ged]

My feeling is that although a machete is fine for anything green, it will be a little too light for hard, woody bamboo and will tend to crush and split the wood rather than cut cleanly. You will definitely want to use one of those saws for the hard wood to make lengths which you can split. You might want to consider a froe. I've never used one on bamboo but I would expect one to work just fine.

... next year I will try to get some people to come here and teach me some stuff, I have some nice ideas but I don't want to put the cart in front of the horses.....

Well I could bring you some saw blades and a couple of hammers. I'm quite impressed that you've been breaking hammers.

If you have a reasonable hammer head you could probably make a handle yourself.

Do you have things like drills, chisels and planes?

The DC4 stone is probably too small, too expensive for what you need and anyway my understanding is that those made recently have not been of the quality we have come to expect.

You can get much cheaper sharpening stones made of carborundum or aluminium oxide. Over here they often appear very cheaply in charity shops and 'car boot sales' which I suppose you don't have over there.

 

[Cosquet]

Well I could bring you some saw blades and a couple of hammers. I'm quite impressed that you've been breaking hammers.
Do you have things like drills, chisels and planes?
The DC4 stone is probably too small, too expensive for what you need and anyway my understanding is that those made recently have not been of the quality we have come to expect.
You can get much cheaper sharpening stones made of carborundum or aluminium oxide. Over here they often appear very cheaply in charity shops and 'car boot sales' which I suppose you don't have over there.

...Splitting 8" bamboo with a locally made sickle and a Chinese hammer, the handle goes off the sickle after 5 minutes...the head of the hammer comes off in half an hour or so.... why do you think I'm in this forum? If I could work with 300 rupee tools (and I tried) I would......
The stone is for the knife and the axe.....for the machete I guess I can use something I find locally or should I get a sharpening steel? someone has already recommended a point file for the saw..... I have decided as well to get some saw blades and learn how to make the handles.....
...as for car boot sales.....in the las two weeks apart from motorbikes we had a total of zero vehicles getting to our village, it's monsoon time (that's why I'm in front of the laptop so much of the time)....
I will get other tools as I need them but here I'm asking only about the blades (remember that I'm hoping to get into some serious bushcraft)...... and yes! if everything goes well I will take your offer on those hammers

 

[ged]

...Splitting 8" bamboo with a locally made sickle and a Chinese hammer, the handle goes off the sickle after 5 minutes...the head of the hammer comes off in half an hour or so....

Ah. Chinese hammers. That explains it. It's probably too late to warn you, but the Chinese make some really terrible hand tools.

The Chinese do actually know how to make good products, but most of the things that are exported from China to us over here seem to be badly made using poor materials.

If you can find European made tools, even (or perhaps especially) used ones, you will probably find them better made.

I have many British made hand tools that are more than fifty years old and they still have a lot of life left in them.

..... and yes! if everything goes well I will take your offer on those hammers

Let's stay in touch.

 

[Tristar777]

Hi and welcome.
The only thing Id suggest is take a look at what the locals use in your area. It will work, be cheap and easily repaired or replaced and right for the type of work you will be doing. JMO

 

[Alreetmiowdmuka]

I've no experience with working bamboo but as for your list of tools the gransfors small forest axe as been able too handle anything I asked of it they ooze quality.as said earlier the tramotina bolo machetes a cracker for the money I can get mine super sharp easily.have a look at the gransfors hockey puck stone for sharpening you'll have too look no further for sharpening axes n machetes than that.with sll that work you've got too do yer gonna need too sharpen your tools a lot so I wouldn't scrimp you'll probably need a small metal file too and I would still get the dc4 aswell.have you thought about getting a strop too Finnish off your edges
Looking forward too your posts on your progress pal

 

[Cosquet]

Hi and welcome.
The only thing Id suggest is take a look at what the locals use in your area. It will work, be cheap and easily repaired or replaced and right for the type of work you will be doing. JMO

......the locals are a great source of information for many things (when it comes to local flora and fauna and weather there is no book nor satellite that can beat my old neighbors) but when it comes to work, I'm afraid that they look at traditional materials as inferior to modern ones (I live in a stone and mud house and everyone keeps telling me to "upgrade" to cinder blocks) and when it comes to time....well lets just say that my neighbor does not care if something takes him a half a day or a whole day..... labor is completely divided here...... they think I'm crazy to live here to start with and they don't understand why I would not pay someone to do all the manual labor...different worlds.....
....as for bladed tools..... they use "asis" (sickles) fro pretty much everything) and you are right, they are cheap and easily replaceable...the thing is that I can ask for one to be made today and it may get to me in two days or two weeks (It took me three days to get a handle fro my pickaxe)..... the very heavy sickles and kukhuris are better (some of the locals are great at using them) but too difficult for me right now....I have been told that if I get a good kukhuri and I learn how to use it I will never need another tool and I hope one day that is the case, so like I said before I will probably get one (and which one to get will be another forum question) to start practicing ....right now I'm asking about my list because my friend comes in three weeks and I need to make a decision.....

 

[Cosquet]

you thought about getting a strop too Finnish off your edges
Looking forward too your posts on your progress pal

Thanks! I did not even know what a strop was.... it's on the list. And I love that spell check made you tell me to make my edges from Finland

 

[Cosquet]

Let's stay in touch.

Once the tools arrive I will post some photos of me chopping things up (fingers and toes)..... and I will make a new post about the work I do here. I'm sure it will be a great source of merriment for all (of you). I'm trying to become an inspiration to others under this message: "I have lived all my live inside my head, inside libraries, inside cities...now I am outside, where things actually happen....for all intents and purposes, I am an idiot....but I believe that with a lot of time and a little help even an idiot can change into an useful idiot" That's the stuff legends are made of