My Edge Collection

I wanted to do a post of my edge tools because I've seen so many posts on what guys carry into the woods.

     This is my cutting tool collection: 

Most of these tools are not things I carry every time I head into the woods.

• The hatchet is an Estwing, it is a great tool.  I bought at an antique mall on the Oregon coast for 15 bucks. This above pic of it helping keep me warm during a January camp out near Mt. Hood.

• The Bowie knife:
  
  This one is made by Frost and I never use it. This is primary because it is heavy and too large for most tasks. The blade measure 8". If I was wrestling a bear, I could see where it would come in handy. 

• The folding knife down at the bottom is a cheap stainless steel knife I bought at a liquor store in Morro Bay, CA. a decade ago. There is something to be said about the affordability and shiny crow-like attraction I have to convenience store knives. 
• 
  
  

They are crappy.

• The group of small knives in the middle are a Frost "Woodsman Tonto" (which I use primary for the camp kitchen. It is very sharp), Morakniv, Buck, and Opinel from France. The Mora and the Opinel have carbon blades. 
• The Survival style knife to the left is also made by Frost and I use it for all sorts of tasks. I carry it for luck too. It is great for hammering and digging as well. 
• The SOG is the Jungle Canopy model and it is heavy duty. I've used it to cut down blackberry vines.

• All the Frost knives were given to me by my father years ago. He always carries a pocket knife.

I used to have a Coast brand pocket knife. They are great.

• My favorite knives to take to the woods are: Mora for making feather sticks etc. and it will start a fire in combination with my ferro rod. The survival knife I bring for all sorts of bushcraft and grunt work, and the most certainly I prefer to cut with the hatchet. Those three edge tools are enough to do any task. My Buck knife is part of my EDC kit and I have it with me always. Buck replaced the blade for me for free after the tip was broken carelessly. I maintain all my blades with a simple Smith's brand sharpening stone. For a more refined edge I use a Smith's carbide/ceramic combo. With a little care and maintenance these tools will last a lifetime.  Thanks for reading. -R

This is the Mora I have: http://www.amazon.com/Morakniv-Companion-Outdoor-Military-4-1-Inch/dp/B004TNWD40/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1401843934&sr=8-1&keywords=morakniv


And the hatchet:
http://www.estwing.com/ao_leather_sportsmans_axe.php

http://www.frostcutlery.com/   They have many inexpensive models to choose from.

The sharpeners:
http://www.amazon.com/Smiths-Sharpeners-Arkansas-Stone-Pouch/dp/B00F7FOYHI/ref=sr_1_21?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1401845178&sr=1-21&keywords=sharpening+stone http://www.amazon.com/Smiths-CCKS-2-Step-Knife-Sharpener/dp/B00032S02K

http://www.amazon.com/Smiths-Sharpeners-Arkansas-Stone-Pouch/dp/B00F7FOYHI/ref=sr_1_21?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1401845178&sr=1-21&keywords=sharpening+stone

Latest Urban Hike

Forest Park Hike. Northern side off Highway 30. Forest Road 5 entrance off Saltzman Road January, 27 2014.

The hike is easy. For a longer walk you can take the connecting Wildwood or Maple trails that intersect.

I am attempting a few vertical growing projects this year. I started Tristar strawberries in a pallet and today constructed a trellis for Delicata squash. Mostly I'm trying to be as productive as possible in between the cloud bursts that are hitting Portland today.

I have to say keeping a garden journal is an essential tool to successful gardening. This is the third year I've kept track of what I've planted. 

Some ideas of what to write in your journal: When you start seeds, how much soil you ordered and where you got it i.e.: 4 yards of compost from Grimm Fuel. I also keep track of the when my hops starts to show, what birds I see at the feeder and any construction projects I do that are garden related. Once you get started it really helps plan year round gardening.

Also record what varieties produced well to help your seed ordering and troubleshooting for the following year. i.e.: Planted Black Prince, yield was poor, must move to sunnier place. 

I love being outdoors and gardening goes along with that love. My partner has a degree in horticulture, but I tend to feel more in touch with the natural world because I slow down to observe it. I know what the charts say about best planting dates, and the gardening books, but I also know what is already springing to life because I observed it in someone else's yard.

Yesterday, despite the rainy weather, I spent several hours constructing another garden box. I needed one for the quinoa seeds I purchased. I bought a variety that is supposed to do well in the Pacific Northwest and I am eager to see how it does.

 

This is pallet wood and a few fence boards I salvaged for this project.

The dimensions are 3 ft. x 4 ft. I kept a small path in front, wide enough for the wheel barrow. I used plastic, lids and sheeting, to keep the soil from touching the house and prevent rot. 

 This is the bed at the end of the day. There is a layer of straw and compost under the soil. I planted Red Headed Quinoa from Uprising Organics.

Today I was on an urban hike and collected plant materials on the way. I picked up an unusual looking pine cone. The tree was massive and full of cones but I only found one on the ground.

So on the left is a regular, typical pine cone and on the right is the cone I picked up today. After checking the  web I was able to determine that the cone is from a tree commonly called Atlas Cedar (non native?). It is a very dense cone much heavier than the dried out pine cone. It has lots of sap on the end and I can probably guess that it'll burn very well. -R

Currently I am actively seeking blacksmithing tools. I need tongs, a cross peen hammer and something like an anvil to beat on. I have a forge that can be modified to operate well enough to get started. I also am collecting scrap metal. I have a few railroad spikes and rebar pieces and have searching the internet for basic beginner projects.

                                       This photo shows a forge that is similar to the one I own.

• http://lib.store.yahoo.net/lib/yhst-17797617870419/tentstakes.pdf  
• http://www.incandescent-iron.com/smithingtips.html  projects for beginners
• http://artofmanliness.com/2011/07/14/blacksmithing-primer/   good article
• http://blacksmithsupplies.net/category/blacksmith-tools  this site seemed to have a lot of useful info.

I will update with more later. -R