Woodlore Blog

TheCourier.co.uk

“Survival expert Ray Mears has travelled to the four corners of the globe in his quest for knowledge — but could he cope out in the famously unforgiving Highlands? Ahead of a talk he will be giving in Perth, Kirsten Johnson of The Courier learns what inspires the intrepid adventurer and picks up some top tips on how to make the most of Scotland’s dramatic scenery.”

You can now read this article in full from the link below:

Ray Mears shuns life with the in crowd

Tackling the bow drill method of fire lighting on the Fundamental Bushcraft course

A new photo gallery is now online showcasing just some of the goings-on from our Fundamental Bushcraft courses from 2009 to 2010, including fire lighting, shelter building and spoon carving techniques:

Fundamental Bushcraft Photo Gallery

Spaces on our 2011 Fundamental Bushcraft courses are now live on our website and available to book.

DailyRecord.co.uk

In the lead-up to Ray Mears’ forthcoming lecture tour across Scotland and Ireland this year, Ray was recently interviewed by the Scottish Daily Record.

The interview covers, amongst many other subjects, “what Ray thinks about the prospect of re-introducing wolves to Scotland, what we should do about urban fox attacks and how he feels about being mistaken for Daybreak’s Adrian Chiles…”

You can read the full interview with Ray from the following link:

Ray Mears: Why I won’t be hunting Nessie during tour of Scotland

The hand-forged knife blade

The Hand-forged Knife Blade is a great piece of kit to have if you’re one to get hands-on with your bushcraft gear.

Made using traditional forging techniques by esteemed Swedish blacksmith Julius Pettersson (as seen in the ‘Sweden’ episode of Bushcraft Survival Series 2), each carbon steel blade comes ready to be fitted with your own handle, allowing you to be creative and finish off your very own custom tool.

Rupert Farnsworth, a customer of ours who purchased one of these blades back in 2009, kindly sent in some photos of the blade that his son Max had worked on, producing a fantastic-looking finished knife:

Max's knife blade and working materials

To make his knife handle, Max used the following materials (from left to right on the below picture): brass hilt from scrap, red deer antler, leather, ivory, leather, box wood, leather, box wood, buffalo horn. 

Max's finished knife

If you’ve had a go at making your own handle for one of these blades, please send us a photo; we’d love to see all the different variations on design and the materials that you’ve used, and you may find yourself on the receiving end of a £10.00 Woodlore Voucher if your picture ends up on our blog.

The following story and fantastic photos were kindly supplied by Woodlore customer Dan Metcalf and his family:

To Ray Mears & the Woodlore Team,  

I have just returned from a family canoeing trip in Minnesota, USA (BWCA, Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness). I was up there with my 69-year old father and three brothers (30-45 years old). We paddled about 40 miles and portaged about 10+ miles in 6 days. 

The Metcalfs heading out into the BWCA at Moose Lake; left to right - Bob, Dan, Seth, Andy

With skills I had learned from Ray Mears’ TV programmes and a couple of his books, I was able to have quite a bit of fun. Only our first fire was lit with a match – dad’s tried and true method – and the rest were lit using a fire steel; the first time any of us had ever used a fire steel as a main method of lighting fires during a trip.

Fire by friction – it really works! Dan Metcalf, Lake Insula

I was able to put together a bow and drill set, and for the first time in my 45 years I was able to make fire by friction. Blowing that ember into a flame really was exciting. I could see it grow and smoke more and more until we had flame.  

Dinner on Lake Insula, provided by Andy Metcalf

I ponassed some bass and cooked up smaller fish, skewered right on a stick by the fire. Also fashioned a crayfish trap from a mesh laundry bag and some birch shoots. Wolves are back in the BWCA now, spread down naturally from Canada, and we could hear them nightly and even saw some scat and prints on a portage trail.

Day moon rising over Lake Insula

At each site we made simple cooking pot hooks, cooking utensils, forks and spoons, improving our skills at every stop. I had a sharpened hoof knife along to help in the carving, and while not a crooked knife it sure helped. I even made my own knife for the trip by custom handling and sheathing a Mora carbon steel blade in a semi traditional Scandinavian style. Just about the best knife I have ever had an opportunity to use, and the dangler sheath worked great in the canoe.  

Along the USA/Canadian border, heading for Knife Lake

From Ray’s programmes I learned much about the Boreal forests and their ecosystems. It made the trip very interesting and even more enjoyable. His information about Voyageurs and northern “First Nation” birch bark canoes was very entertaining to the party.

View from the campsite on Thomas Lake

Just wanted to say thanks and I hope that someday those great programmes find their way to the USA TV markets.

Dan Metcalf

The Large Crooked Knife Blade featured in this article is currently on Special Offer at £45.00 while stocks last. 

Patrick Jansen, a customer of Woodlore’s who purchased one of our Large Crooked Knife Blades earlier this year, kindly sent in some photos of his finished knife, complete with an engraved handle made from common walnut: 

Patrick's finished knife

The blades (which were featured in the Ray Mears - Northern Wilderness series when Ray used one to carve a pair of snowshoes) are hand-forged by Svante of Swedish blacksmith company S. Djarv Hantverk. 

Patrick's finished knife

If you’ve had a go at making a handle for one of these blades, please let us know and send us a photo or two, and you may see it posted on our blog like Patrick’s, who received a £10.00 Woodlore Voucher for his entry.