Kit tube from birch bark, thin tortured plywood, or something?

[Oarsnpaddle]

I'm after a light weight cylinder/tube of some kind, but I don't know where to get one.

Wayland has a birch bark container (which opens in both ends) as is shown in this picture (it's the cylinder in the foreground):
http://www.ravenlore.co.uk/assets/images/Small-Camp.jpg

He told me he uses it to carry his fire kit in, but it has got me thinking: I want one like it, only with a bigger diameter and longer.

Alas, it's a ****ty time to go collect birch bark and experiment, so I bought a cylindric cardboard container (with firestarters in it), but it's too small a diameter for what I have in mind:

I want it to be able to have my 1L etapower pot with the small MSR titan pot around the bottom to slide into the tube, is that makes sense, and then have other kitchen gear, spices etc. in bags on top of it.

Although I will be carrying it in my boat, I don't want a thick heavy plywood container, but very thin plywood would be okay. Even cardboard would be fine, as it could be used as a "mold" down the line. Obviously I'd prefer something really nice from birch bark, but as I can't do that right now, and as I think something like that aren't off-the-shelf items, I'm at a loss.

Any ideas?

 

[Toddy]

If you can get to a model shop, they sell birch ply that's about 1mm thick. It's lovely stuff and it'll roll around a mould just fine. It glues well with white glue I use if for 12th scale models

cheers,
Toddy

 

[Oarsnpaddle]

Excellent Toddy! We have a model shop in walking distance from our home, so if he has that sort of thing, which I assume he will, I'm all sorted - less than four minutes after posting the question!

Thanks

 

[_scorpio_]

why cant you get birch??? i couldnt get enough of the stuff when i went on a fungus "hunt" a few weeks ago. i only took a little bit but there were whole rotten birch trees laying around all over the place...

 

[Oarsnpaddle]

Apparently the bark is not good this time of year to make "stuff" from. I only know from reading about it, but the people who work with the stuff for more than lighting a fire like me, claims it should be collected in the spring when the sap is up.

 

[DavidJT]

I cut down a tube from a whiskey bottle. Tin lids at either end. Could be a start
as a prototype / model. If too big there are also mini versions on those little bottles, and would be an excuse to buy some whiskey!

 

[Oarsnpaddle]

I want a biggish tube. The cylinder with fire starter cubes - you know, those paraffin/compressed wood thingies - was just a tad too small.

It needs to fit this, with a fitting 600ml msr titanium bowl/pot around the bottom (of the etapower), upping the diameter slightly.

http://backpackinglight.co.uk/product380.asp?PageID=100

The etapower is about 150mm in diameter, so 160 or 165mm internal diameter for the cylinder would be best. I can even live with 20 cm in diameter of the tube, because that would allow me to have a pot cozy fitted while stowed, meaning less clacking.

 

[bikething]

What about one of those cardboard tubes that carpets come on?

 

[Oarsnpaddle]

Aren't they pretty small in diameter? I've never bought a carpet other than the loose variety, so I could be awfully wrong.

I think I have a full afternoon come Monday to drive around, look for thin plywood and thin cylinders that can be used either directly or as a mold in all sorts of places, lol.

 

[bikething]

Aren't they pretty small in diameter? I've never bought a carpet other than the loose variety, so I could be awfully wrong.

Last time I bought some Lino, I kept the tube as I was looking for something to carry bows/quivers back from Namibia, so it couldn't have been too small..

Saying that though, I've got a fatter tube I 'rescued' from work that's about 18" long but only 125mm inside diameter.. It's pretty heavy duty card (4mm thick) which makes it quite heavy.. and also, being cardboard, it's prone to soaking up moisture from the air. I think modelling Ply is probably your best bet for a custom fit and reasonable strength/weight balance

 

[DavidJT]

You could try a digital print shop, one that uses those large format epson printers / plotters. The paper rolls come on big fat heavyweight cardboard tubes, and they'll have lots to throw away in a busy bureau. Otherwise ply as already said.

 

[Oarsnpaddle]

I don't mind heavy weight, because if it's heavy and thick, it will make for a nice mold for the plywood.

I will also try print shops.

I never would have thought of these places (print shops, carpet shops, and model shops) for this kind of thing.
But now that they're out there, I feel like slapping my forehead. Hard.

 

[Mesquite]

You could always have a word with your local plumber to see if they've got any offcuts of 150mm drain pipe. I think the outside diameter of that is about what you're looking for so you can use it as a former for your tube.

As for birch bark you can take it from dead wood, scrape it clean then build a layered tube around your former, using a suitable waterproof glue between the layers and you'll end up with a very rigid birch bark tube

 

[Oarsnpaddle]

Thanks, plenty of places to search now.

This is good. It's a nice little project until the weather improves (either gets a bit warmer or cold enough not to produce freezing slush).