Birch Bark for containers

[Big John]

Afternoon All,

I've been thinking that a birch bark container would be a nice project for a while, and seeing Mr Mears demonstrate on the extra's of his latest DVD the other day has spurred me into action, so I nipped into the woods this lunchtime to see what I could find.

Amongst lots of old rotting downed birches I found one that is relatively newly fallen so I figured this was my best bet and I've harvested a chunk of bark about 12" by 8".

What I have now is said bit of bark which consists of a thin outer bark - up to about 1mm thick, and a thicker stiffer inner bark which is around 4mm thick. I guess I need to remove all of the inner bark to leave only the thinner outer bark - but is it going to be any good at 1mm thick?

I remember now (now that I'm am back in the office and washed up!) that Ray lined his with another bit of bark and epoxied the two together (yes epoxy - not exactly bushcraft is it - something about making the limited resources available last as long as poss!), will this solve my thinness problem and make it worthwhile?

Is this a general problem with our warmer climate down here in Surrey or if I find a bigger tree will I get thicker bark - has anyone else had better luck? The one I used was about 8 or 10" diameter.

Any advise gratefully received,

Thanks,

 

[moduser]

Big John,

I have yet to try making birch bark containers but I've been told that you need the thick bark that only comes from colder climates, rather than our weedy southern trees

Got to be worth a try though!

 

[Ranger Bob]

Hi BJ

You do have to clean all the inner (corky) bark off. 1mm thickness is fine for simple containers, but if you are concerned about the thickness you can, as you have already suggested and as I have often done, inserting another layer will greatly increase the strenght and durability (as will the use of glue!)

About bark thickness in general........ a larger tree will NOT necessarly yeild thicker bark. The cooler the local conditions the thicker the bark will be.
In Britain the thickest bark is found in the central Highlands and in parts of the Pennines. In the lowlands the best bark will be found in areas away from the sea such as the East Anglian Breckland and much of the Midlands. Look for trees going in dips, north facing hillsides and other frost pockets.

I get most of my bark from Breckland (since I live in it) and have had bark upto 3mm thick. Its unlikely that bark thicker than this will be foundin the British isles.

Hope this helps.

 

[bambodoggy]

Guys,

I'm in Frimley in Surrey and the bark round here is fine for making small containers....ok so you're never going to build a birchbark canoe out of it but it's perfect for the little projects you're talking about.

You do need to have a hunt about though and find the right tree.

I double mine up like you have mentioned but I prefer natural pitch glue picked off the numerous Scots Pines we have round here.

Here's a coffee container I made a little while ago

and again with the lid off so you can see the double layer of bark:

Hope that helps,

Bam.

 

[Ranger Bob]

Thats a great lookin' container Bam!!

 

[bambodoggy]

Thanks Mate It was only the second item I made...I don't know why as I'm not the most crafty of people but I just find birchbark really easy to work with

Bam.

 

[Big John]

Thanks for the encouragement guys, I'll try to get another piece for lining and give it a go.

 

[Stew]

Bam, that's fantastic. Probably the best birchbark container I've ever seen!

 

[bambodoggy]

Bam, that's fantastic. Probably the best birchbark container I've ever seen!

thanks matey