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Emergency Shoe Hack

Ken — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 22:20:51 +0000

During this Christmas season we viewed the 1988 classic movie “Die Hard” where John McClane gets stranded with bare feet to battle the international thieves posing as terrorists.

At one point he dispatched a thief and hoped to use his shoes but alas they were too small.
His bare feet led to major pain and injury during this ordeal.

This shoe scene took place on an unfinished floor of the Nakatomi Plaza Building that had a power saw available. He could have cut out the top of the toe area on the shoes that would in effect have converted them into sandles, allowing room for his toes and would have been a game changer in his fight against his foes.

In emergency situations where shoes are lost or left behind and alternate shoes can be found that are too small, this modification can be achieved by using a knife, hatchet, or saw.

The photo illustrates how I was able to put my 10 and a half shoe size foot into a modified 8 size shoe. I used a utility knife. It works.

Footwear like this can make a huge difference in comfort and safety in an emergency situation.

Backup Bow Saw

Ken — Wed, 31 Aug 2022 12:00:34 +0000

We are blessed to have the conveniences of power tools in this day and age, but there was a generation that used only manual tools. Recently I was able to fell a dead oak tree using a battery powered chainsaw. A few days later a friend cut it up using a gas powered chainsaw. When he came to the stump, his bar was too small to completely cut trough. I have a 3 1/2 foot bow saw that could easily span the stump width so that I could saw on the core that remained.

I learned that it helps to have a wedge behind the blade to prevent blade pinching and also having sharpened teeth that can make a significant difference.

Although it takes a lot of effort, it works and doesn’t require batteries or fuel to operate. In fact, I keep a short bow saw in my car to clear debris that blocks the road occasionally after a storm.

I guess that I have found bow saws to be an asset on numerous occasions including when camping to gather and manage firewood and also to make impromptu shelters.

Two Man Handsaw

Ken — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 12:31:10 +0000

Have you ever had to saw firewood using a carpenter’s handsaw? “Laborious” describes this best. It doesn’t take long for your arm to fade. A friend from Sweden showed me a different way to use a hand saw that can make the task easier and faster by making the saw usable by two people at the same time.

Today’s typical handsaw has a hole at the top corner of the blade toe. This hole is provided to hang the saw on a nail or hook for vertical storage on a wall. This technique uses this hole as a point to fasten a cord or wire that in turn is fastened midway onto a stick or bar that is used as a two-handed handle for a second person. This allows the second person to “pull” the blade in rhythm with the “push” of the primary saw operator. When using this technique it is best to put the stronger person in the primary push position and the weaker person in the pull position, but laborers of equal strength can choose either side and switch occasionally to lessen fatigue.

So next time you find yourself in this sawing situation, remember this trick, draft a friend, and “git-er-done”.

Fire by Fire Saw

Ken — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 00:52:12 +0000

Catagory – Friction The bamboo “Fire Saw” method uses a sharp edged piece of bamboo, a semi cylinder tray, two balls of bamboo shavings used as tinder, and a leaf to hold the tinder in place while sawing. The tray has a short 2″ trough cut lengthwise on the inside that almost pierces the outward skin. On the outside of the tray, a slight groove is cut perpedicular to the inside trough. Where they intersect, a small hole can be pierced. The sharp edged piece is anchored with the blade facing upward. The tray is held perpendicular to the blade with the outside groove facing down on the blade. The bamboo shavings are placed over the inside trough of the tray and held in place with the leaf while sliding the tray back and forth over the sharp edged piece. Alternatively, the apparatus can be inverted so that the tray is placed on the ground, covering the tinder bundle, and a sharpened bamboo blade can be born down from above.