If you have a knife, you wouldn’t want to use it to dig in the dirt and make it dull. A sharp knife is very important and can be used to create other tools for a variety of purposes, in this case, for digging a hole. Holes of course might be needed to anchor posts, make trenches to divert rain water, to make Dakota hole fire pits, etc..

In the region where I live there are bamboo groves… an excellent resource for primitive projects… a virtual hardware store. However, saplings and trees are the general rule throughout the U.S. and have been used for constructing projects and crafts throughout history. In this case I used a Bowie knife to make these digging sticks but a pruning saw would have been a great asset.

A bamboo stick can be cut halfway through a single node, on opposite sides of the shaft towards each end, then split at the mid-line. This will create two scoops. I used my knife to do this and batoned it with a stout stick. The knife has a full tang so it can be struck on the end of the knife’s handle to drive the point down into the shaft to initiate the split between the two cuts. The end of the scoop can then be sharpened. To make a hand spade, include a single node to be used as a handle. When more leverage is needed, you can include more nodes for a longer handle. A single pole can thus produce both types of digging sticks.

When using a branch or sapling, you can make a cut several inches from the end and split from the end down to the cut line where is can then be sharpened. A blade shape is more effective than a round sharpened end because it allows you to scoop out the soil instead of just poking a hole into it. If the wood is green, you can harden the wood by heat treating it by a fire to eliminate the moisture.

The expression “the more you know the less you carry” applies here as you can use your primary tool to make others. As usual, I encourage you to practice now so that you will be prepared in an emergency situation.

I live in the Northwest region of North Carolina where there are numerous groves of bamboo that have been referred to as a “primitive hardware store”. I feel truly blessed for this resource although some folks who are not into primitive skills and crafts find them annoying.

The other day I was traveling down a local road where there was a pile of bamboo poles left for disposal. I stopped by the property and asked the owner for permission to take some whereupon the owner gladly offered them and more to me. I made several trips to transport the poles home, the longest pole was thirty-seven feet!

I began to cut six foot lengths of equal circumference. I needed twelve to construct the basic framework. I cut six additional poles and split them lengthwise to lay out on the top of the frame to complete the platform.

I bought two fifty-foot tie-down cordage bundles for lashing. I had to supplement them with more cordage to tie the bottom legs and an additional step (for Grandkids and neighbor’s children). I was conservative on cordage for lashing but a more permanent structure should have twice as much… but for now it works and I will be sleeping on it tonight!

 
It was a cold night (36°) but I stayed warm in my down sleeping bag nestled inside a bivy bag. In lieu of traditional foliage as padding, I used a ground mat on top to sleep on. A pillow would have been nice! There was a full moon last night so I never used a flashlight. The flat/hard platform reminded me why I have switched to hammocking. In the end it was a great experience sleeping on a very solid bushcraft structure.

I began my selection process for a stout stalk of bamboo and stepped on a yellow jacket’s nest. Three stings later, I found a 3 inch diameter stalk (a distance away from the yellow jackets) and made the cut with a pruning saw then used a Kukri Machete to chop off the branches. I loaded it on top of my car to transport home for the work of splitting and testing.

I cut a 15 foot length and then used two 3 foot lengths of jute string to bind just past the first node on each end to limit the ensuing linear splits to come. Next, I cut holes midway in the end nodes through which I would thread loops of cord for suspension purposes. Later, the thinner node split from the hole so I learned that lashing just inside each end node should be made to limit potential splits as well.

I used a stout piece of wood to baton my Kukri blade lengthwise into the bamboo shaft every 1/2 to 3/4 inches, splitting the wood to the lashed node at each end. The initial cuts are difficult but get easier with each new slat that is made. Once that process was complete I collected a 24 foot stout piece of kudzu vine to weave in and out of the slats, one to two passes per node section. This helps maintain even positioning of the slats as well as added support for comfort.

A finishing touch is to knock out the broken node segments inside to eliminate spurs in your backside. It is quite comfortable and a viable hammock in a pinch. Let’s hope that if you need to make one, you will have warm weather and mosquito netting for the night.

We are blessed in North Carolina to have small groves of bamboo that I refer to as an “abo hardware store”. Some of the stalks can get rather large. I had collected some stock for various projects and an idea hit me that by splitting a couple of segments at one end I could create a long curved “scoop”. Fortunately I was carrying my multi-tool that has a saw blade so I made a cut just below the second node half way through the shaft, then used a knife blade to split the shaft lengthwise from each side of the cut , out to the end.

I have to admit that bamboo may not be a common resource throughout the U.S. but for the regions that do have it, it works quite well. The bamboo paddle shown in the photo was made to illustrate this article. My original paddle was about 1 1/2 inches in diameter and was a little lighter and slightly easier to handle, but because the new one used fresh material, it should last a longer time.

If you are curious about this method and have no access to bamboo, you could make a replica using PVC or ABS pipe. It won’t split but would have to be cut lengthwise. A pressure test end-cap could be modified to glue in place to create a sealed node at the top of the paddle blade.

While attending a recent event I spotted a grove of bamboo adjacent to the activity area and decided that I would acquire some shoots in order to learn more about their edible nature. In the photo I am shown using a multi-tool to cut them loose. Since then I have learned that by clearing debris from around the base of the shoot you can just bend it over and it breaks off nicely. Some varieties of bamboo in other countries are so large that they require a small mattock to chop them loose. It’s best to select shoots that are short (ten inches or less works best).

When in the field you can eat bamboo raw when freshly picked but the shoots start to become bitter when stored. Bamboo shoots will keep up to two weeks when refrigerated. To prepare bamboo you just strip off it’s outer leaves which leads you to a buttery yellow core. The older shoots may be more green in color. Alternatively you can cut the shoot lengthwise which makes the task of stripping the outer leaves off much easier. Traditionally bamboo is chopped in small slices or julienne cut pieces then soaked over night in rice husks to remove the inherent bitterness. The bamboo shoots can be cooked by either boiling or stir-frying.

Either way that you choose to prepare bamboo shoots they are fun to eat with a wonderful texture.

This trap is traditionally made with bamboo but can easily be made out of alternate materials such as saplings and tin cans. The trap consists of a hollow bamboo tube, a springy branch with cord and toggle, a small cord anchor loop, a large cord snare loop, and a tethered trigger stick. When the toggle is threaded through the snare loop, and is held down by the anchor loop and trigger stick, the snare loop is positioned inside the bamboo tube by the opening. When the rodent sticks it’s head into the tube and sets off the trigger stick, the snare loop tightens around the neck of the rodent and pins it against the roof of the tube.

As usual, several traps are set out to increase the chances of success. The branch extends through the tube and is driven into the ground to keep it in place, thus preventing it from being dragged away from a struggling animal. In the end, a rodent is probably the easiest catch and is the most plentiful. For non-emergency use, it can rid your premises from unwanted pests.

I began modifying the first stick by cutting the thin tip into a slightly flat chisel edge. The thick end, or handle, will be set on the ground and this piece becomes the upright support. The second stick we’ll call the “bait stick”. The handle (thick end) will have a top side and bottom side. On the top side I began to make a notch starting 1″ from the end, and cutting about 1/16″ into the stick and tapering out an inch toward the narrow end. Beneath this cut, on the bottom side, I cut a series of slight perpendicular grooves that when assembled will be placed over the chisel point of the support stick. You can cut grooves around the sharp end to better secure the bait.

When possible, I select a rock (or other heavy object) that has a flat or straight edge that I place on the ground so that it functions as a hinge and is much more stable when the trigger is placed on the upper end. It will in effect have a 3-point support. The general rule is that the heavy object should be 5x heavier than the animal to be caught.

To set up the deadfall trap, the bait is placed on the sharp end of the the bait stick. The handle is placed notch-side up under the rock’s upper edge with the bait end positioned underneath the rock to lure the animal to be caught. The support stick is placed chisel edge “up” and lodged along the groove area on the under-side of the bait stick. Adjust the position of the support stick forward or backward to allow the bait stick to float between the rock and ground.

The size of the bamboo chopstick trigger will work for small animals but by applying the same construction to larger sticks, it can be scaled up for larger game. When trapping, it’s wise to set up multiple traps to increase you chances of success.

By using a length of bamboo, all that was needed was to create a small reservoir for lamp oil with a support structure which acted as a wind screen. I started by cutting about 6 inches above a bamboo segment node. At 3 inches, I made 3 small cuts evenly spaced around the circumference, then I used a knife to split the bamboo from the end down to the cross cuts, creating in effect 3 fingers at the end. I placed some cotton fiber into the bottom of the segment reservoir and left about an inch above the cut. I then poured lamp oil onto the wick, saturating it well. The wick was then lit and the torch could be carried where needed.

Unless a torch is made of metal, it will eventually be consumed unless it is extinguished. This torch is a visual delight and was quite practical for the event. Remember not to fill the reservoir too full, and lean the torch away from you and other flammable things.