Birch Bark Utensils - Show yours!

[Ruud]

Having read the book 'Wildwood Wisdom', suggested to me by others in a book-topic (thanks guys, great book!), I seem to keep on going back to the chapter in which utensils out of Birch Bark are made and how. I don't have much experience in making utensils out of bark but I'd like to harvest bark and make cooking-proof pots out of bark next summer in Sweden, as I think it is quite a valuable and fun skill to learn.

Untill then I'd like to get some inspiration by watching to the creations members here have made in the past. So please post your pictures here guys (and ladies of course!).

To start off I'll share some pics of a little pot we made a few years ago.

some pitch was used to waterproof it, the pot is still intact today but it is way to small to be of any real use

Regards

 

[Robson Valley]

Is there a particular place in Sweden where you are allowed to pull the bark off trees?
Or, are cut logs supplied which would have the bark stripped off them, anyway?

Plenty of opportunity to do that in my district but on standing trees most unsightly.
Don't know the law but I can ask a "twig-pig" (rude name for the forestry inspectors.)

 

[Ruud]

We only use birch bark of fallen trees (and there are a lot of those after winter and storms). Carving slabs of bark off trees is not allowed I think (I hope), since the 'Allemansrecht' wants people to only leave their footsteps. Leave no trace.

Is there a particular place in Sweden where you are allowed to pull the bark off trees?
Or, are cut logs supplied which would have the bark stripped off them, anyway?

Plenty of opportunity to do that in my district but on standing trees most unsightly.
Don't know the law but I can ask a "twig-pig" (rude name for the forestry inspectors.)

 

[Dave]

This simple matchbox is about 11 years old and still going strong.
I made it from birch, beech caps, and roots from a fir tree which looked like a norwegian blue spruce.

 

[British Red]

Those are both lovely work

 

[Robson Valley]

Thank you, Ruud. That's how it should be.
Your birch bark cup is quite beautiful, including the technique for closing the wall.

Sometimes in forest harvesting here, some birch is knocked down in small numbers,
not merchantable timber so it is stacked on the debris piles to dry for a few years before
burning. The debris piles are too unstable to climb on. You can pull out and take anything you want,
just don't mess up the piles. Maybe go look next summer.

Would you please post the ISBN # for the book? I think I'd like that.

 

[Ruud]

Here you go mate, a small outtake of the book on Google books

https://books.google.be/books?id=jE3...20bark&f=false

and the ISBN:

ISBN10 0936070129
ISBN13 9780936070124

The book is very good, quite thick and still quite cheap.

 

[Retired Member southey]

Here's some bits I've made this year. Birch bark is surprisingly tough and flexible in the right plane. Even makes a passable string if stripped thin enough.

I also use a strip along with some 2 Ton epoxy ( ) to fix my parang.

Of course the wood is useful too

The wood has other uses than fire, carving and building. This pic shows it being scraped up to use in nappies and as a toilet paper substitute by a Nenet woman.

 

[Clouston98]

Great stuff in this thread!

I made a pot out of lime bark but that's long gone and it wasn't great to start with... I'll get myself some decent bark of a fallen birch the next time I see it and will have a go at another pot .

 

[sandbender]

Enjoying this thread, keep posting folks.

 

[Dave]

Here's some bits I've made this year.

Amazing Photos. Brilliant work.

 

[Ruud]

great stuff, thanks! Can't wait for the summer, once camp is set up I'll have some 'crafty-afternoons'. Very tidy work Dave and Southey

 

[Retired Member southey]

This book is great for ideas, plans and how to's

Stitching schemes.

And something for the rustic writing bureau.

 

[Man of Tanith]

not just good for the bark crafting section that book

 

[Retired Member southey]

Roger that!

 

[Man of Tanith]

one of the better recommendations you gave me

 

[British Red]

Thats some excellent work Southey - and great posts. Count me impressed!

 

[CLEM]

Fabulous stuff