Some things I’ve made

Bushcraft Knife Made from an Old File

Making a bushcraft knife from an old file is a rewarding and cost-effective way to craft a durable and functional tool that can come in handy for outdoor adventures. The process starts with selecting a suitable file, which should be made of high-carbon steel.

After annealing the file to soften it, the blade can be cut and shaped using a metal grinder or hand files. Once the blade's shape is complete, it's time to harden and temper the metal to give it strength and durability. This process involves heating the blade and then cooling it quickly in a quenching oil.

Finally, the blade can be polished, sharpened, and mounted onto a handle made of wood, bone, or antler. With patience and skill, a beautiful and functional bushcraft knife can be created from an old file.est laborum.

Fire Piston from Hardware Store Materials

The fire piston is an interesting method for creating fire first used by people in Southeast Asia. The original examples were made from natural materials such as bamboo, wood, ivory, bone, and horn.

When rapidly compressed, the temperature of air will rise to over 400 °F — hot enough to ignite some forms of tinder. By creating an enclosed cylinder with a movable piston, it is possible to make an glowing ember that can be blown into flame

The hardware store piston uses a plumbing tube sealed at one end, a length of hardwood dowel, a rubber o-ring, and a wooden drawer knob. The tinder is placed in a little hollow space at the end of the dowel. The piston is forced into the tube, compressing the air, and igniting the tinder. It doesn’t seem like it should work, but it does!

Dark Ages Crossbow Reconstruction

I have always been fascinated by historical weapons. This led me to the website of a talented fabricator named Tod Todeschini who makes handmade historical reproductions. I found that he sells plans. I jumped at the chance to make this early crossbow.

Based on an actual crossbow found at an archeological site in France called Colletiere a Charavines, this simple early medieval crossbow was most likely a hunting crossbow. Made of only a few parts, it a features a notch that holds the string. A thumb lever pushes the string free of the notch and fires the bolt.

My version is made entirely of ash wood. It has a pull of about 70 pounds at 11 inches of draw. The bow string is made of many strands of waxed linen string.

Osage Orange Bow and Primitive Arrows

In recent years I discovered ROOTs school in Vermont where they teach wilderness skills and traditional handcraft classes. In the spring of 2023, I took their back-to-back classes in bow making and handmade arrow making.

The bow is made from osage orange wood. I made a leather handle. At present, it is fitted with a modern bowstring, but I have plans to make one from natural cordage, sinew, or rawhide.

The bow draws 45 pounds at 28 inches of draw.

I have handmade several arrows, complete with flintknapped stone points. I have also equipt it with modern wood arrows with steel broadheads for deer and turkey hunting.

The arrow shown here is made from arrowwood viburnum, turkey feathers, and pitch glue. The arrowhead is made from ground bone.

Working Clock Escapement Model

Around 2012, I developed an intense interest in antique mechanical clocks. After a couple of years of study, I decided to open my own clock repair business. I did that four about 5 years, before deciding that I wasn’t cut out to run a one-man business.

I learned a lot in that time and gained a huge appreciation for the tools and crafts of the past. I had a chance to meet with the gentleman who repaired a very old escapement model in the possession of Harvard University and attributed to an important early American clockmaker, Simon Willard.

Using his notes, and a visit to the Harvard collection, I recreated the model. Made of wood, and an antique metal pendulum, it is a working model of the recoil or anchor escapement.

Tin Can Steam Engine

One figure from history who I admire is Hero of Alexandria who lived in the first Century AD. Many of his surviving work feature fascinating mechanical devices. In his famous book on pneumatics, he shows the first know steam engine.

Knowns as an eolipile, steam was forced out of two bent nozzles to cause a hollow metal ball to spin. I found plans for a similar machine in a 1962 issue of Mechanix Illustrated magazine.

The steam engine model is based on a small tin can with two copper nozzles. I expanded on the plans by making a copper coil alcohol stove to power the engine. I also made a wood base with an adjustable stand and all the accessories necessary to run the engine.

You can see my detailed video on how to make it on YouTube.

Spear Points Made from Glass Backsplash Tile

I have been learning to flintknap for a couple of years now. This is the ancient art of making stone tools such as arrowheads and spear points. It can be difficult to get into flintknapping because it require special tools and materials.

I set myself the challenge of seeing if I could make a complete set of flintknapping tools from items that I sources at Home Depot. This worked out well and I also found that I could source glass with which to make the stone tools themselves!

Here is a link to my detailed YouTube video on how to make the tools for making glass spear points.

Ötzi the Iceman’s Knife and Sheath

Ötzi the Iceman is the natural mummy of a man who lived between 3350 and 3105 BC. Hiker discovered his remains in 1991 in the Ötztal Alps near the the Austria–Italy border. As Europe's oldest known natural human mummy he offers an unprecedented view of Copper Age Europeans.

Among the many personal items found on and around Ötzi was his flintknapped knife and sheath. Shown here is my reproduciton of this set. The knife was flintkapped from gray chert. The handle is made of ash and it is held together with pine pitch glue and sinew. The lanyard and sheath are cordage made from basswood bark.

Bushcraft items