Fire Safety

Source: CBC

When I was about 10 years old, my Grandfather made my brother and I each a gift – a wooden maul for splitting wood. It’s made from a large 8″ diameter x 4-foot hickory log. I remember when I could barely lift it. It was a practical gift and a true working man’s tool. While I didn’t appreciate the work that went into carving it at the time, it was the perfect tool for crushing the enemies of my favorite GI Joe and He-Man warriors. Almost 35 years later, I still have that maul. It’s as good now as the day I received it. It’s stained and a little beat up, but it’s a great tool that reminds me that all gifts don’t have to be bought. Some of the best ones are made.

So today, my gift to you is to show you how to make a wooden mallet or maul of your own or for a gift.

From driving in tent stakes to pounding a wedge for splitting wood, a solid wooden hand mallet has countless uses around base camp. Not only is it useful, it’s a really fun project. Besides, having a mallet on hand is always a good idea and packing in a hammer isn’t fun. You can make your own in just a few minutes, while the bread is rising in the dutch oven. While these can be made as large as you’d want, the tutorial below shows one that is a perfect size for light duty pounding.

Start with a solid, seasoned log that is approximately 3-4″ in diameter x 12-15″ long. The first step is to saw in what’s called a “stop cut” to form the head of the mallet. Saw all the way around the log and leave the center of the log untouched. This untouched area will ultimately form the handle of the mallet. The excess will be trimmed or batoned away in the following steps. Remember, you can always make the stop cut deeper but you can never put wood back in. Start by making the stop cut a little more shallow than you think you will need, especially if this is your first mallet.

Next, begin to trim away the excess wood from the handle portion of the mallet. The stop cut will prevent you from accidentally splitting off the head portion of the mallet.

Continue to split and carve away wood from around the handle until it’s the desired diameter.

Once the handle is close to the diameter you’re wanting, simply finish it off by carving away any rough edges or splinters. A final coat of linseed oil or beeswax will protect the wood and keep your mallet in working order for years to come.

What uses can you think of for a wooden maul or mallet in the woods?

Remember, it’s not IF but WHEN,

Creek

The post How to make a Wooden Mallet for Bushcraft & Survival appeared first on WillowHavenOutdoor Survival Skills.

Lets hear your predictions and opinions about what might go down in Richmond, Virginia on 1/20/2020.

Original source: Monday, January 20, 2020 | Your Predictions

Tennessee Citizens for Wilderness Planning and Obed Wild and Scenic River will be hosting the annual Cumberland Trail work day on Saturday, February 15.

Volunteers should meet at the Rock Creek Campground, located just off of Catoosa Road in Morgan County, at 10:00 AM (ET). Trail maintenance will be performed on the 2.5-mile section of the Cumberland Trail between Rock Creek Campground and Alley Ford. Work will concentrate on routine trail maintenance such as cleaning out clogged water bars, removing down logs and limbs, cutting back brush along the trail and establishing the original trail base in some areas. The event is expected to conclude around 3:00 PM (ET).

Participants should wear sturdy shoes or boots and bring work gloves, shovels, loppers, clippers, and small bow saws or folding saws (NO CHAINSAWS).

Volunteers should bring clothing appropriate for weather conditions, and plenty of water, snacks, and a lunch. Also sunscreen and bug spray may be needed. In the event of bad weather this work day will be rescheduled.

For updates call the park visitor center at (423) 346-6294.

Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com
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Shared housing can also be referred to as co-living spaces and they are rental spaces that have separate areas from the private bedrooms where the residents can meet together to share and co-live in....

The post What is shared housing and why it is great appeared first on The Homestead Survival.

On this day in 1968, the siege of Khe Sanh began, as NVA regulars surrounded the USMC hilltop airfield near the Laotian border. Fearing a repeat of the French Army’s 1953 Dien Bien Phu debacle, the Pentagon assigned maximum round-the-clock air power to the region, including B-52 bomber strikes, to break the siege. According to the Infogalatic wiki this was “‘the most concentrated application of aerial firepower in the history of warfare’. On an average day 350 tactical fighter-bombers, 60 B-52s, and 30 light observation or reconnaissance aircraft operated in the skies near Khe Sanh.” More than 100,000 tons of …

The post Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — January 21, 2020 appeared first on SurvivalBlog.com.

A list of items to get you thinking about how to survive a pandemic. The key will be isolating yourself from others – waiting it out. Easier said than done.

Original source: How To Survive A Pandemic | Survival Kit Supplies

There is a lot in the news about the outbreak in China and the increasing number of cases of the Wahun virus that are being seen in the United States. While there is reason to be concerned and take some … Continued

Security overload leads to apathy. How often do you hear a car alarm go off and roll your eyes hoping the owner would disable the blasted thing before the incoming headache comes a knocking? The primary objection I have to such systems is they work too well. Every week I hear an alarm being triggered […]

This is just the start of the post Security Information Overload: From Panic to Apathy & the Remedy. Continue reading and be sure to let us know what you think in the comments!

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Security Information Overload: From Panic to Apathy & the Remedy, written by Thomas Xavier, was created exclusively for readers of the survival blog More Than Just Surviving.

11 Million People just Quarantined in China over Mysterious, Deadly Virus Outbreak

It seems the mysterious Wuhan Coronavirus Outbreak may be much bigger than we are being told. Today Chinese officials took the unprecedented step of Quarantining the entire city Wuhan, which has a population of 11.08 million people. […]

This Article 11 Million People just Quarantined in China over Mysterious, Deadly Virus Outbreak is an original article from OFFGRID Survival If it is appearing on any other site but OFFGRID Survival, that site does not have our permission to use our copyrighted content!