Bushcrafting: Five Simple Tools that can be Made in the Woods

When venturing into the woodlands, it helps to have tools that will make daily tasks much easier. When tools can be easily created on location from natural resources it lightens the load of the backpack. Today I will be using a knife, a folding saw, and a machete to aid in the creation of five simple wooden tools. These five simple wooden tools have multiple uses and can also be used to create more complex tools.

The Woodland Setting

In the picture below you can see the selected woodland setting for the bushcrafting camp. The day pack is hanging on a tree on the left side. It's a slim backpack that came with a 3 liter water bladder. I wanted a slim backpack to keep the load light so I purchased it and took out the bladder. On the ground and to the right of the backpack tree you can see that I used my boots to move around the forest floor brush to make level ground there.

In the middle of the picture above you can see the fallen over tree with the moss growing on it. With the folding saw I will level a small section to create a workbench to assist in the creation of more tools - and for splitting wood. On the far right of the above picture you can see the wood sticks I've gathered and leaned against the tree. These will be for making tools and other useful items. The harder the wood - the longer the tool will last. The weight of the hard wood can also make the tool more effective.

The Bushcrafting Tools I Brought

In the picture below you can see the three steel tools that will be used to create the five wooden tools. On the far left is a Bahco Laplander Folding Saw. In the center is an Ontario Knife Company Machete that is full tang and made with 1095 steel. 1095 Steel may bend a little if pushed too hard, but it won't break.

The Ontario Knife Company RAT-3 is on the far right of the picture above. The full tang 3 inch fixed blade knife is also made with 1095 steel. Full tang means the knife metal extends all the way through the handle, making it a very strong knife with no weak points.

Tool 1 :: The Bushcraft Workbench

This fallen tree in the picture below will soon become a bushcraft workbench. If you have a large saw, a sawed off log stood up on it's end would also make a level workbench.

Video: Workbench Finishing

In the video below you can see the folding saw putting the finishing touches on the workbench. A level surface workbench makes it easier to stand up logs to split or baton.

The finished bushcrafting workbench can be seen below. The workbench will make the creation of the next four tools much easier.

Tool 2 :: The Throwing/Digging Stick

The Throwing Stick is a wooden club about the length of your arm. Also called a rabbit stick, it is very similar to a boomerang. It can be thrown at small game at a distance (if local law permits). To help with securing a rope to a high branch, you can tie a rope to the throwing stick and throw it over the branch. It can also be used as a digging stick or wedge with one side of the throwing stick cut at a sharp angle.

Tool 3 :: The Stake/Wedge

Wooden stakes are used to secure tarps for shelter or to mark an area. Wedges are mostly used for wood processing. If a knife or axe gets stuck while splitting wood, a wedge can be tapped into the split to help free the blade.

If you are staking four corners of a tarp and using at least one wedge for wood processing, then five stake/wedges would needed. If you have a stick that is double the size of a stake, cut it in the middle at an angle to make two stake/wedges with one cut.

Video: Tool 2 and 3 Creation

Below a video demonstration of making a throwing stick and a stake/wedge.

Video: Throwing/Digging Stick Demo

In the video below is a throwing and digging stick demo. One of my practice throws before recording actually stuck into the plywood backboard, in the video throw it bounces and sticks into the box target. In the second part of the video I demonstrate the sharp cut angle used as a digging stick. The ground is still frozen, but I manage to chip away at it without damage to the wedge end. This is why a harder wood is better for these tools - for throwing weight, mallet swinging weight, and durability.

Tool 4 :: Wooden Mallet

Like all good tools, the mallet has many uses. It can be used to drive stakes into the ground for tarp flying, for striking a blade to baton wood, tenderizing meat, and for crushing nuts or other items.

I went a little overboard with the size of this wooden mallet. A slightly smaller one may be easier to use, but the weight of the larger head makes the strike of the mallet more powerful.

Video: Wooden Mallet Creation

In the video below you can see how the mallet is created. First a the folding saw is used to cut a groove where the head of the hammer starts. A stick is then used to baton the machete down the mallet handle to the groove cut with the saw. A knife is then used multiple ways to take excess wood off the handle - to reduce the weight and make it more comfortable. The handle doesn't have to be perfect, it can finished when there is leisure time.

Tool 5 :: Long Reach Staff

A walking staff helps keep your balance on rough or unstable terrain. It can also be used to poke something out of a tree or to keep an unhappy animal at a distance. It could be used as a tent or tarp pole, a leg of a tripod, or laid across two branches for a gear hanging pole.

Video: Staff Creation

Wooden staff creation is a straight forward process. Select a straight enough and strong stick, I prefer the height to be almost as tall as my hand can reach. I used the folding saw in the video below to cut the stick to staff length.

There are many more uses for these simple tools. When a difficulty presents itself, one of these tools may be the solution. A great resource for Bushcrafting, Hunting, and Trapping information is Dave Canterbury. I've learned a lot from watching his YouTube channel: Dave Canterbury on YouTube

You may find these previous posts useful:

• Starting a Fire with a Ferrocerium Rod
• Bushcrafting Saw and Knives
• Small Knife Sharpening with a Pocket Sharpener
• Setup and Target Practice with a 50# Recurve Bow

Have a great day!