Category: Traditional Skills/Fieldcraft

U.S. Military Tent Stoves – Part 5, by Tunnel Rabbit

(Continued from Part 4. This concludes the article.) This photo shows the area behind the stove that is about 18 inches away. It could have been safely installed at only 12 inches away, yet because there was the space available and to help improve the airflow at the closest point, 6 inches, this was a good use of the additional distance. In addition, we can see the welds around the stove pipe collar on the wood stove and the welds at the juncture of the lower half and the pan that supports the grate. The bottom of the stove becomes …


Tools For The Next Generation

In this article, I’d like to emphasize the importance of tools that will be needed by our descendants. To begin, I’d like to stress the importance of buying quality tools. Don’t buy junk tools from Mainland China, often sold at places like Wal-Mart and Harbor Freight. I prefer tools made by companies like Snap-On, MAC, Matco, Irwin, Stahlwille (of Germany), Proto (called Plomb in the company’s early days), SK, Klein, Husky (pre-Taiwan), Cornwell, Kobalt (pre-China), Facom (of France), Worx, Fiskars (of Finland), Knipex, Ridgid, and Craftsman (pre-China). Sadly, many tool companies like Craftsman, Husky, Kobalt, and Stanley have moved part …


Practical Furniture for End of the World – Part 2, by Tunnel Rabbit

(Continued from Part 1. This concludes the article.) Table Project #2 was just the Project #1 design retrofitted with heavier lumber that supports seating for up to six people. It is very comfortable. This design is very sturdy and the table is stable enough that three people can sit on one side without tipping the table. The design lends itself to quick disassembly so that it can be loaded into a full-size 8-foot pickup bed.   Table #3 is similar to Project #1, although its legs are different. There is no cross beam, so standard chairs can be pushed completely …


Practical Furniture for End of the World – Part 1, by Tunnel Rabbit

Because I only have a small cabin, when doing large-scale canning, I use my outdoor kitchen that includes a deep stainless steel sink. While there is relatively inexpensive used furniture for sale at thrift stores and online places such as Craigslist, most of it does not meet my standards for that which is rugged or sturdy construction and durable when exposed to a long duration of many years exposed to the elements. This means that it is better if we can make our own, especially if we can not purchase it in the future bad times ahead. Furniture can be …


A Rifle is Not Enough – Part 5, by Tunnel Rabbit

(Continued from Part 4.) Barrel Length and Effectiveness The M4 Carbine with military 14.5-inch barrels and civilian 16-inch barrels were practical for the kind of police action tactics used in the Middle East where troops regularly deployed out of vehicles and in an environment where clearing buildings was necessary. And so their gear and weapons evolved to better suit those tactics. They did however discover that when in the open in the deserts of Iraq or shooting across canyons in Afghanistan their carbines were woefully inadequate. I will justify this opinion further and later in this article. The 20-inch barrel …


Log Home Repair, by Thomas Christianson

One of the major drawbacks of owning a log home is the amount of maintenance that such homes require. Logs decay if they are not properly maintained. To keep a log home from decaying, a log home owner must constantly inspect, stain, and repair the logs. My wife, “Kari”, and I have lived in a log home for the past 11 years. The home was built about 36 years ago. Kari and I have worked hard to maintain the home, but not all of the previous owners were as diligent as we are. At least one previous owner neglected to …


Basic Sewing: Cloning Clothes – Part 3 , by N.C.

(Continued from Part 2.  This concludes the article.) Front And Back Seams Now you have two separate pieces and each piece (left and right) has one completed French seam. You can pick front or back for the next seam, I will show with the back. To join them into a single 4-panel piece of cloth use the same French seam procedure. The only difference is to start at the top and only go down the sharp angle Figure 17.   Right sides out, pin from the waistband area down to the sharp angle. Sew with a running stitch. Flip the …


Basic Sewing: Cloning Clothes – Part 2 , by N.C.

(Continued from Part 1.) Figures 4 and 5 (below) show a little more of the process of tracing. Note that the shorts themselves are moving around a fair bit.                     Figure 6 shows that using this method of keeping parallel to the seam you will wind up with a gap. That’s not a big deal. Extend the lines out and you’ll be done drafting the pattern. The little error here doesn’t matter. Extend the lines and you’ll be fine. Then cut the pieces out.


Basic Sewing: Cloning Clothes – Part 1 , by N.C.

Being able to make your own clothing is an old-time skill that shouldn’t have been forgotten. Our forefathers made their own hunting shirts and buckskin leggings out in the wilderness but with modern cheap clothing few of us know how to make our own clothing anymore. I taught myself how to hand-sew garments and what I found is that it is an excellent project for intermittent spare time or for multitasking. It doesn’t tie up all your attention. You can make useful progress in 5 to 10 minutes. It’s easy to pick up and put down. You’re practicing a skill …


Bartering in a Post SHTF World – Part 2, by D.K.

(Continued from Part 1.  This concludes the article.) Equivalent Value When most people think of the word ‘barter,’ they think ‘trade,’ or ‘like-for-like.’ The following is a list of possible items that you might want to consider having for bartering purposes, or charitable giving, should the need ever arise. These are merely suggestions. Barter Item Categories & Suggestions Air Gun/Archery: BBs/pellets, CO2 cartridges Spare bow strings, arrows/bolts Food: Freeze dried, #10 cans, MRE Flour, yeast, sugar, wheat Coffee/tea, drink mixes Hand crank grinder (meat/grain), spare parts Alcohol: Homemade wine/liquor Airline mini-bottles Fuel: 93-octane, diesel, kerosene, white camp fuel, 1 lb. …


Building a Utility Trailer – Part 2, by Lodge Pole

(Continued from Part 1.  This concludes the article.) What to store in the trailer truck box? Because of the current mindset of theft with little to no penalty in many states, I do not have a truck box attached to my personal truck any longer. Since I do not take my trailer out, except for outdoor activities where I am typically within eyesight of it, I feel comfortable having a toolbox permanently attached to the trailer frame. The following is a list of what I carry in my toolbox and why. This is an extremely personal list suited to what …


What is Old is New Again – Part 2, by 3AD Scout

(Continued from Part 1. This concludes the article.) Keeping warm will be another area where we revert back to old ways. I see lots of prepper articles and YouTube videos about sawing wood for heat. Back in the bygone days, one of the daily chores of children was picking up “sticks”. Many of us may remember the old nursery rhythm with the line “five, six pick up sticks”. These sticks were used for cooking. Heat from the daily food preparation was just an added bonus in the colder months. We may want to lower our expectations of post-TEOTWAWKI comfort. Trying …


What is Old is New Again – Part 1, by 3AD Scout

As consumers, we are bombarded with new and improved devices and other consumer goods constantly. Buying something to make our daily work and tasks easier has been ingrained in our psyche over the centuries. As I prepare for the end of the world as we know it (TEOTWAWKI), I don’t look for the “new and improved” devices that have electronics, require power (either AC or DC), are made of plastic or that are made in China. That does not mean that I don’t have a Ham (amateur) radio, flashlights, solar panels, and plastic items made in China. What I mean …


Valley GTDB-48 Ditch Bank Blade, by Thomas Christianson

Prologue: The Dacian Wars: 101-102 and 105-106 AD During all of their far-flung campaigns, the Roman Legions had never faced a weapon as fearsome as the Dacian falx (“sickle”). The large falx was a two-handed weapon with a roughly 3-foot blade mounted on a roughly 3 foot handle. The long handle provided a tremendous amount of leverage, giving the weapon enough power to split a legionnaire’s helmet or shield with a single blow. After seeing a large number of Roman corpses with gruesome head wounds, the armorers accompanying the legions adopted a field expedient: they riveted two transverse reinforcing iron …


Warwood Tool Perfect Axe, by Thomas Christianson

Editor’s Introductory Note:  This article was written in February 2024. That was several months before I contacted Warwood Tool, to set up an affiliate advertising contract.  Full disclosure:  We earn a modest commission on the sales of any Wawood Tools that are derived from visits to the Warwood Tool site, from clicks on the affiliate ad at SurvivalBlog. — The Warwood Tool Perfect Axe is a contemporary version of a classic and highly effective American axe design. The Kelly Perfect Axe was first patented in 1885, and remained in production until about 2016. The most notable features of a Perfect …