Made by Hands: Make it or Buy it?

by Todd Walker

My blogging buddy, Patrick Blair (Survival at Home), is credited with the idea for this post. He recommended I share all my DiY stuff in one photo. Haha… that’s a challenge which would take a wide-angle camera lens.

Instead, I thought I’d share some of the stuff I’ve made over the years in hopes of inspiring others to make their own.

We promote skills over “shiny object survival” gear around here. But honestly, I’m a gear junkie as much as the next guy. We’re members of a tool-using species!

Man is a tool-using animal. Nowhere do you find him without tools; without tools he is nothing, with tools he is all.

~ Thomas Carlysle

 

There’s more to self-reliance than just buying gear and tools though…

It’s about making your own and living this philosophy… Prepare modern but practice primitive.

Could the 10 C’s of Survivability be reproduced in a 72 hour survival scenario?

Yup. However, specific skills, resources, and time are needed, which may be hard to come by. So, Buy it… but learn to make most, if not all, of these essential kit items.

1. Cutting tools – Unless you’re a very talented craftsman or artisan, I recommend buying the best knife, ax, and saw you can afford.
2. Combustion device – Learn to make primitive fire via friction and flint and steel. Flint or quartz can be used on the spine of your high-carbon steel cutting tool to light charred material. You carry a next fire kit, right?
3. Cordage – Finding natural resources suitable for cordage expends calories. Making indigenous cordage is a good skill to learn though. I practice making cordage because I enjoy primitive skills. If you don’t, buy cordage for your kits.
4. Cover – A USGI poncho or emergency space blanket doesn’t weigh much and can be found for under $20. I hammock camp with my bed sheet tarp but carry an emergency space blanket I purchased.
5. Container – You must stay hydrated. Yes, you can make containers from the landscape but a metal container gives you anti-fragile options!
6. Cotton – Never made it… buy this item for sure.
7. Cargo tape – Practice making natural glues but buy and keep Gorilla Brand duct tape in your kits. If it can’t be fixed with duct tape…!
8. Cloth sail needle – My metal repair needle is mounted on the back of my primary knife sheath with Gorilla tape. Primitive needles or awls can be made from bone, but, again, time and resources area factors.
9. Candling device – Buy a quality head lamp that takes “AA” batteries. I carry a candle and have made fat lighter’d torches and oil lamps but a flashlight is too easy to pack.
10. Compass – Navigation is the primary use for a compass. If that’s all your compass can do, you should consider buying another one. My multi-functional Alpine compass can also be used for combustion, signaling, self-aid, and tick removal.

Even if money isn’t tight for your family, there’s no better satisfaction than using gear made by hands… your hands!

Today is a celebration of making the stuff of self-reliance. Click the title links in the photo essay for details on how to make your own stuff.

Made by Hand

Below you’ll find DiY projects in two broad categories: Outdoor Self-Reliance and Homesteading.

Awesome photo courtesy of Connor M. Lamoureux on Instagram ~ adventureconwards

By the way, if you’re on Instagram, give us a follow at… ToddatSurvivalSherpa.

or

 

 

How do you know when it’s best to Make it or Buy it? Skill level, tools and equipment, space, time, and resources are determining factors on which project to tackle. The ultimate goal of making stuff is… making us more self-reliant.

What kind of person are you making?

Outdoor Self-Reliance

Wool Blanket Hunting Shirt

My hunting shirt made from an Italian wool Army blanket

Oilskin Bed Sheet Tarp

DiY Hands-Free Ax Sheath

 

Outdoor Cooking Tripod

Prefect!

Mountain Man MRE’s (Pemmican, Parched Corn, and Dried Fruit)

Smoke house teepee

Fixin’ Wax

Tree Bark Archery Quiver

Base Camp Sawbuck

Primitive Process Pottery

Brian Floyd, our main instructor, made a tasty stew in one of his pots for lunch.

Wooden Spoons

Blowing through a section of river cane to burn the bowl of my spoon

Char Material for Your Next Fire

Embers on charred punk wood

Waterproof Fire Starter

A door hinge pin chucked in my drill

Pine Pitch Glue Sticks

Fat Lighter’d Torch

Natural Cordage

Indigenous cordage I made this weekend. Clockwise from 12:00 ~ Dogbane; Tulip Poplar; Okra, and Yucca.

Base Camp Stump Vise

 

Sling Shot Bow

A DiY Survival Sling Shot with Big Game Capabilities

Duct Tape Arrow Fletching

 

Cigar Fishing Kit

Screw cap taped

Altoids Tin Oil Lamp

DiY olive oil lamp

Survival Gig

Used about 6 feet of cordage here

Homesteading

Compost Tumbler

 

DRG’s elevated compost tumbler

Rain Collection System

It’s not camo paint, but it blends in very well in the front yard.

Tomato Ladders

Four Tomato Ladders anchored and ready with an old wooden ladder on the far left.

Pallet Fencing

Up-cycled pallets, windows, and doors.

Rat Trap

Paper Fire Logs

The wet fire log ready for drying

Farmhouse Table

Pipe clamps putting the squeeze on the 2×6’s

Foldable Sawbuck

Sawbuck in the woodpile!

Battery Storage Rack

Power at your finger tips

Self-Watering Container Gardening 

 

Rendering Tallow

Almost ready.

Homemade Sauerkraut

Plumber’s Stove

Cedar Bench

Here she sits outside my shop

Plantain Salve

This tin fits nicely in my haversack

Being a student of self-reliance, my expertise is limited in making a lot of the gear I own. However, it’s good enough to get the job done. For instance, the bed sheet tarp has been through extensive field testing and has performed like a boss!

Then there are DiY projects I’ve tried that failed miserably. The journey to self-reliance depends on failing forward.

Your turn. What’s your favorite gear or equipment you’ve Made by Hand? Let us know in the comments.

Keep Making the Stuff of Self-Reliance,

Todd

P.S. – You can also keep up with the Stuff we’re Doing on Twitter, Pinterest, Google +, YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook… and over at the Doing the Stuff Network.

P.P.S – If you find value in our blog, Dirt Road Girl and I would appreciate your vote on Top Prepper Sites! You can vote daily by clicking here or on the image below. Check out all the other value-adding sites while you’re there…

Thanks for Sharing the Stuff!

Copyright: Content on this site (unless the work of a third-party) may be shared freely in digital form, in part or whole, for non-commercial use with a link back to this site crediting the author. All links in articles must remain intact as originally posted in order to be republished. If you are interested a third-party article, please contact the author directly for republishing information.

How to Make a Hands-Free Ax Carry System

by Todd Walker

I keep an old ax in my truck. It’s far from a grub ax. It’s sharp and effective for harvesting desirable wood felled on roadside right-of-ways. The sling is made of nylon webbing attached to a down and dirty (ugly) sheath. It’s functional but not very pleasing to the woodsman’s eye.

Who cares, right? It gets the job done.

You don’t have to settle for function only. Shouldn’t a woodsman have both a functional cutting tool, properly sheathed… and have the ability to transport his ax hands-free with a rugged leather sling? Yes he should.

Here’s how to make your own…

First, credit for this brilliant idea goes to an article by Steve Watts and David Wescott in an issue of American Frontiersman magazine. You’ll also find Watts and Wescott sharing woodland wisdom over at Chris Noble’s site, Master Woodsman. I pinned the article several months ago and, like so many other DiY projects, forgot about it. Then a buddy of mine, Kevin, sent me a picture of the sling with a request to help him make one. I figured I better make one for myself before inviting him over to my shop.

To make this manly sling (the sheath requires more stuff), all you’ll need is some scrap leather and a few basic tools.

Tools and Material

• An old belt (or two unless you have a 44 inch waist), a bag of scrap leather strips sold at craft stores, or any leather material 1.5 to 2 inches wide and 48 inches long
• 1/8 inch wide leather thongs to connect the sheath to the strap (and for splicing if necessary)
• Scissors or utility knife
• Leather hole punch – rotary punch, awl, drill, ice pick, etc.
• Straight edge

Cut to Length

I’m 5′-10″ tall and of average build. My sling is 48 inches on a vintage Plumb Boy Scout ax which measures 26 inches long. The two leather thongs attaching the sling to the sheath allow for length adjustment if needed for heavy winter wear.

Spliced to make 48 inches

The longest strip of leather in my remnant bag was 41 inches long. I spliced a one foot section to the sling to get to 48 inches. I think the splice adds to the appearance.

The width of the sling should fall between 1.5 and 2 inches.

Splice

To splice two pieces, overlap the two ends about two inches and punch 4 symmetrical holes through the overlapped leather (stitching the splice is an option). Thread a 12 inch leather thong through the holes  to make a “x” pattern facing the outside of the sling. Tie the ends underneath with a square knot (right over left, left over right).

Underside view of the splice

 

Attach to Sheath

Punch two holes in the heel portion of the sheath. Click here for ax terminology and anatomy. Punch two holes in one end of the sheath. Thread an eighteen inch thong through the sheath holes and then into the two holes on the sling. Tie them off with a square knot on the inside of the sling. The 18 inch thong should give you ample material to adjust the sling for your stature and seasonal clothing.

On the top edge of the sheath (poll end), punch one hole about 1/2 inch from the edge of the sheath. Now punch two holes in the remaining end of the sling. These holes are about 1/2 inch in from the end of the sling. Thread another thong through the sheath hole and into the two holes in the sling. Tie a square knot to secure.

Cut a Slit

For a 3/4 ax, measure about 14 to 15 inches down the sling where it connects to the poll end of the sheath. Mark and punch a small centered hole in the sling. From that hole, measure another 4 inches and mark and punch another centered hole. Using a straight edge, cut a slit completely through the sling between the two holes. The ax handle will ride in this slit. For longer ax handles, you may need to adjust the slit placement.

Slit placement for a 3/4 ax

4 inch slit

 

 

Fit and Finish

To try out your new hands-free ax carrying system, insert the ax handle in the slit on the sling and secure the sheath on the ax head. Now you’re ready to hit the woods in style. Simply remove the sheath, slide the ax handle through the sling, and do what this essential tool is made for… cutting stuff!

Ax Related Resources

• How to Make a DiY Custom Ax Sheath
• How to Choose an Ax for Self-Reliance
• 4 Ax Skill Every Man Should Know

Here’s our video on making the hands-free system (frontier style sheath and sling). Start at 16:25 if you only want to make the sling. Thanks for watching, and, please subscribe to our YouTube channel!

Keep Doing the Stuff of Self-Reliance,

Todd

P.S. – You can also keep up with the Stuff we’re Doing on Twitter, Pinterest, Google +, YouTube and our Facebook page… and over at the Doing the Stuff Network on Pinterest, Google +, and Facebook.

P.P.S – If you find value in our blog, Dirt Road Girl and I would appreciate your vote on Top Prepper Sites! You can vote daily by clicking here or on the image below. Check out all the other value-adding sites while you’re there…

Thanks for Sharing the Stuff!

Copyright: Content on this site (unless the work of a third-party) may be shared freely in digital form, in part or whole, for non-commercial use with a link back to this site crediting the author. All links in articles must remain intact as originally posted in order to be republished. If you are interested a third-party article, please contact the author directly for republishing information.