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I picked up a nice piece of London Plane from my local country park (yes, I had permission) and had shaped the outside into a large (and heavy) bowl during the course of a couple of afternoons. I just about had it right, and had begun carving out the inside of the bowl, but had to dash out...

And the lesson is... [/URL] [/IMG] [/URL][/IMG] ... when you start out making your first proper spoon, consider that when you come to use it to stir fry something later, the handle may be so short that your hand gets spattered with very hot oil! Apart from that minor design snafu, I was...

Just a warning to anyone planning on buying this set of carving chisels: http://www.rutlands.co.uk/hand-tools/carving-tools/carving-tools---sets/DKWK13/6-piece-woodcarving-set My set arrived in the post over the weekend and two of the six chisels had quite severe rust on them. I immediately...

Hi guys, I was visiting family in Lancashire this weekend and spent a lovely Sunday morning at the Mere Sands Nature Reserve. While walking around the reserve I noticed a large beech tree had a huge number of small ball-like growths in its uppermost branches. You can see the shape of them in the...

I want to try making some birch bark containers for family gifts but I have a question I'd like to ask first. I've done some research and it seems the best time for harvesting is either in a winter thaw or when the first leaves of spring start to show. I'm aware of the importance of not cutting...

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I got an email the other day from the ranger at the Dams to Darnley country park on the south side of Glasgow, telling me a large oak tree had come down in the recent storms, blocking a road and taking out power and telephone lines. Last autumn I asked the rangers if they were ever felling trees...

When I say 'leather', it's actually made from camel hide which I picked up from the local tannery for nothing. I followed a pattern shown on Kirsty Allsop's traditional crafts TV show, and while it's a bit rough around the edges, I'm fairly pleased with it - enough to try again to perfect my...

Hi, I was just wondering what forum members' attitudes to new technology are. For example, I never go anywhere - wild or otherwise - without my HTC Desire HD Android mobile phone, for a number of reasons. It has an excellent camera - saves carrying a separate one. It contains my whole music...

It occurred to me when I was looking at some of the lovely leather sheaths made by forum members that, if I was to carry my knife in one in public - such as on my way to my local woods - I would surely attract the attention of the authorities. Therefore, while there are some lovely pieces of...

I've fancied trying my hand at wood carving for a while, largely inspired by the amazing work of the members on this forum. I'm crap at anything practical (you'd never guess my long-departed old man was a precision engineer!), but anyway, last night I hid away in the conservatory to whittle away...

I was out walking the dog a couple of days ago and noticed a birch tree riddled with fungi looming over a low wall. One of the lower brackets was a good size - about 8ins across - so I popped it off with my pocket knife and brought it home for a good old experiment. I've managed to cut a block...

Hi, I have a stick I prepared for my daughter and I wanted to add a grippy handle out of either braided leather or paracord. But what I was wondering is, is there a best way to secure it so that the braiding doesn't slip with repeated use? I'd rather not use any glues as the stick will...

Hi all, About six months ago I cut a lovely piece of birch, seasoned it through the summer and autumn then made a nice walking staff for my daughter. I'd like to do the same again, giving them as gifts to relatives etc, but is there any point harvesting wood at this time of year, particularly...

No, it's not a chat-up line, honest. For all our 16-year marriage she has known me as something of a geek - I've written about and played around with technology of all sorts both for business and pleasure. But this last year has seen my interests take a dramatic turn - call it a mid-life...

I've been looking at a lot of the amazing leatherwork done by forum members, and fancied trying something myself, so here it is, my odds-and-sods pouch: Uploaded with ImageShack.us The skin is actually camel hide which I got from the Barrhead Leather Company on the southside of Glasgow -...

Thought this news item from tech website The Register might interest some of you - it's about a new online database of bird calls which has been unveiled. See here

In the early 1990s I spent six months backpacking around Canada, the USA and Mexico, and had a wonderful time. I was in San Diego and stumbled across the workshop of a native American woodcarver. His work was amazing, and I asked him how he went about creating such wonderful sculptures...

Hi, I'm starting work on my first leatherwork project - a pouch for storing trail mix or tinder in - and I want a braided leather cord fastener on it. I have the cord (which I'm going to wet before I braid it, so it will tighten up nicely), and I know how to start the braid - after tying a...

Hi everyone, Thought I'd make my first post on this excellent forum a proper introduction. I've been hanging around reading stuff for weeks before finally registering - there's some fascinating info from some very knowledgeable people on these pages. As a newcomer to bushcraft I'm not sure...