Monday, November 10, 2008

Fireboard with a Chopper


The sleet was coming down as I decided to put the large Keokuk spall, from the previous post, to work. I had mentioned that my first impression was that it would make a good chopper. It fit in the hand well and tapered to a nice edge.

I couldn't locate my fireboard so I decided to make one from a thick cottonwood tree root. I couldn't split it so I used this quicky technic. With the chopper I cut half way thru the root.


Bracing one end of the root on a log, with the chopped out notch facing the ground, I stomped the limb in two. The 'notch' caused a section to split off length-wise, thinning the limb down for a fireboard. I bored a depression and used the choppers edge to saw a notch into the depression.





With in a few minutes had a smolder ember.





2 comments:

Iowa Woodsman said...

Nice job!! I use that same technique of cutting halfway through a piece of wood and beating on it to get a split. It works good with a saw,also. And, I hope your happy. I,m going to dig out my bow and drill crap,and start to practice the two stick method.

Mark said...

...using a saw. That's just wrong, too modern...lol. Bow and drill "crap?"...LOL