Making ash bark containers (pic heavy)

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Eric_Methven

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Apr 20, 2005
3,600
42
73
Durham City, County Durham
Rancid Badger, myself and a few others ran a bark container workshop in Chopwell Woods on Sunday. It was fully booked and everyone seemed to have a grand time.
There's a thread about it on the Out and About section, but I thought I'd post these photos here as you could almost make a tutorial from it.


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Steve preparing a 'spud'. Made from a small branch and used to peel the bark.

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The tree got hung up in some branches and needed a little persuasion to drop lower.

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Me explaining some of the dangers of dropping even a small tree.

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Steve starting the first cut, right down the length of the bark.

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Peeling the bark with the spud.

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Working the bark loose without splitting it. It needs to come of in one complete sheet.

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Easing the bark off slowly and steadily.

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Here's a closeup of using the spud.

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Easing the bark away. Not too difficult this time of year as the sap is still flowing.

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Nearly there.

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The bark is now off in one sheet. There's enough there for two, maybe three baskets.

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Now it's the students' turn.

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A closeup if bark peeling.

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Here's Steve demonstrating how to dig safely for sprice roots. We'll use the roots like thread to sew up the basket.

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Now it's the students'turn to find their own spruce roots. The secret of conservation is not to take too many from the one tree.

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Found a suitable root to follow. You need to dig along so you get as much root as possible.

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Students' having a good dig around.

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This is Ben from LePrevo leathers finding his roots.

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Back at base camp.

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Laying out the bark body

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Scoring fold lines with the awl or the back of the knife

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Folding along the score lines to get the basic container shape.

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Steve taking the peeled and split spruce root, ready to sew.

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After making a hole with the awl, Steve is starting to sew the two sides together.

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Here's closeup of the sewing.

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Now it's the students' turn.

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Here's one of the finished baskets.


These are just a few of the photos I took. It was a very enjoyable day in the woods. You should all try it sometime. All you need is a knife and a folding saw. Everything else, you can get on the spot from the woods.

Eric
 

Eric_Methven

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Apr 20, 2005
3,600
42
73
Durham City, County Durham
Nice one Eric.... How does ash hold out compared to birch bark..?

Thickness for thickness, birch is probably stronger, but finding thick birch in this part of the world is not easy. You have to go way up north, like Scandinavia or the North Woods on Canada to find really thick birch bark. So, ash is a good alternative. It cuts and bends well, and is strong. It dries out hard as iron but also becomes brittle with age.

Eric
 

JonnyP

Full Member
Oct 17, 2005
3,833
29
Cornwall...
I had never considered or even heard of using ash for containers in the same (or similar) way that birch is used.. Would rubbing something like beeswax into the container help to extend its life..?
 

rancid badger

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
I had never considered or even heard of using ash for containers in the same (or similar) way that birch is used.. Would rubbing something like beeswax into the container help to extend its life..?

Unfortunately, no. I have found that the bark actually ends up very like veneer or ply. Wych elm bark is a bit less fragile but also less attractive visually.

saying that, I have one I use a great deal, is four years old and still going strong! It's the large "bucket" at the back here:
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It's a "composite" of wych elm and ash sewn with both spruce root and boiled elm bark.
R.B.
 

rancid badger

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
R.B.

Could you tell me a little about processing elm bark for lacing?

Harmony

Well, All I do, is gather my bark; it's actually, usually, the bit's that have split when gathering bark for container making.( note this Wych Elm bark)
I cut it it into strips, maybe an inch wide or so and as long as I can manage, often up to six or seven feet long.
Then I peel away the outer bark from the creamy coloured inner. discard the outer or use it for adding strengthening bands to a larger bark pot/bucket etc.

I'm then left with a load of strips. At this point, thin it down to strips maybe quarter of an inch wide. You should find that they tend to taper at the ends naturally ( handy later on if you intend to make string or rope).

Now the last time I made elm cordage, it was from strips that I had left in the rainwater barrel for almost a year.( forgot about:eek: )
When it came out it was a worrying dark green colour and stank to the stars:puppy_dog
it was also covered in slimy mucus, really not very pleasant at all. I think that basically the bark had fermented in the barrel, giving the green hue and in some way, chemically changing the bark. Anyhoo, I rinsed it thoroughly in fresh water, until the slimy mucus was gone, then boiled it up and simmered it for about 30 mins or so. then I dried it out and used it to make about 10 yards of 1/16th cord with a bit left over for other experiments:naughty:

I actually made the rope/heavy cord on the large basket in the previous picture using the 1/16th cord as the raw material. the colour is totally accidental, I had no idea it would end up green!

The other method I have used with both elm and willow bark, is the one demo'd by Ray Mears in his TV series/DVD's, this involves boiling up the bark strips with wood ash for an hour or so, giving a really nice brown shade to the material. This is of course a much quicker method than the barrel one:cool:

hope this answers your querie;)
best wishes
R.B.:beerchug:
 

Harmony

Tenderfoot
May 15, 2008
79
0
87
Spokane, Washington USA
R.B.,

Thank you for the information. I am going to give it a try, always looking for new material to lace with.

I know about the "mucus" effect, I have left some of my material a little to long in water.

Harmony
 

Tony

White bear (Admin)
Admin
Apr 16, 2003
24,131
1
1,875
53
Wales
www.bushcraftuk.com
Great stuff, I've just jumped over to this thread from the other one and it looks like a great day was had by all, have you guys got ideas on what you're going to sue the containers for?

One thing i've not done is bark work, it would be great to try it and and this is an inspirational thread :You_Rock_
 

John Fenna

Lifetime Member & Maker
Oct 7, 2006
23,106
2,833
66
Pembrokeshire
Actually I would go for a criminal conviction for being too darn clever by half and intimidating other makers rather than sue-ing the pots........:cool:
I now own the one with scraffitto decoration - it is even better than it looks in the picture!
That RB is a true artist!:You_Rock_
 

rancid badger

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Actually I would go for a criminal conviction for being too darn clever by half and intimidating other makers rather than sue-ing the pots........:cool:
I now own the one with scraffitto decoration - it is even better than it looks in the picture!
That RB is a true artist!:You_Rock_

I might have known it would be you who'd spot Tony's typo:D

For Tony:
I use mine for all sorts, as I say the largeish bucket gets used everyday, as a tool carrier. the smaller containers can be used for berry collection,storing tinder (indoors), "bit's and bob's" pots, To be absolutely honest they lend themselves really well to the likes of flower arrangement/decoration, rather like Harmony's.
They were originally used for general carrying and storage, I believe that Native American and Canadian peoples actually made arrow quivers and even papooses( for carrying babies) Really it's up to the maker, if you need a container for something, the chances are that you can make it from bark.

For Harmony:
I first learned the technique used for the birch pots, when I was at school! (away in the mist's of time:rolleyes: ) It was something to do with mathematics, combining art & craft, as well as a hatfull of science if I remember rightly:confused: I certainly recall that it had me by the nose, almost immediately!:D
We made all sorts of 3d shapes from paper, glueing them together and then had to figure out how to make the same things, without glue.

Ray Mears makes a one, in one of his skill's sets, as well as a number of other containers, including an ash bark container, almost identical to the one's I make.
If you do a search on the web I would imagine you can find plans etc.;)

Thanks to everyone for the kind words:eek:
Steve
 

match

Settler
Sep 29, 2004
707
8
Edinburgh

Just looking over this thread again while experimenting with birch boxes - I love all of these, especially the birch bark cylindrical ones. I've seen this style of 'dovetailing' on pictures of containers before, but never found any instructions. I've had a quick play with some cardboard, but can't seem to get the same effect - are there any instructions anywhere for doing this? :confused:
 

andyn

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Aug 15, 2005
2,392
29
Hampshire
www.naturescraft.co.uk
Match and spiritofold,

I'm in the process of writing an article for this very style of birch container at the moment, i'll post up the template picture when i've finished, but essentially its very simple and in its simplist form doesn't require any glue. you can change the template to make the joins circular or longer etc by adjusting the template accordingly.
 

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