Food from the Fire

Live wilderMaking & using a small splitting wedge

Step by step

Cross cut a wooden pole to the length of wedge you need, often around 20 centimetres if it will help you split firewood with a sheath knife. On 1 end of the cut length, carve a long taper, similar in shape to a flat bladed screwdriver, removing the corners of the narrower end of the taper. At the other end, chamfer around the entire edge to reduce the likelihood of it splitting when struck.

The full Wilding activity guide (what you need, safety, variations and questions to wonder about): re-wild.co.uk/g/making-and-using-a-small-splitting-wedge/
Food from the Fire · re-wild.co.uk

Live wilderWhich wood?

Step by step

Gather small, similar sized samples of dry wood from a range of species, such as oak, ash, birch, pine, hazel, elder and willow.
Test each one in turn on a small, controlled fire. Note how quickly it catches, how brightly and hotly it burns and how much smoke it makes. Note too how long it burns for and what kind of embers it leaves once burned down.

The full Wilding activity guide (what you need, safety, variations and questions to wonder about): re-wild.co.uk/g/which-wood/
Food from the Fire · re-wild.co.uk

Live wilderMaking a feather stick fire lighter

Step by step

Baton the piece of round wood along its grain so it splits in half.
Split these 2 pieces further until you have roughly 8 splints of a similar size.
Select the pieces that seem best suited to shaving into feather sticks, avoiding anything too twisted or knotty, and set aside any less suitable splints to use on your fire platform instead.
Select a splint and hold 1 end with your non dominant hand so it stands vertical along its grain, resting the other end on the wood block. Holding the knife in a fist grip, carve a smooth surface along the edges of the splint. Using the same grip, shave along the length of the wood, aiming to produce a dense cluster of curls that all end at a similar point. Pointing the knife tip downward as you shave tends to make a tighter curl, and pointing it upward makes a looser, more open curl. Holding the knife roughly at right angles to the splint makes short, thick shavings rather than long curls.
Repeat this process to make between 4 and 6 feather sticks.

The full Wilding activity guide (what you need, safety, variations and questions to wonder about): re-wild.co.uk/g/making-a-feather-stick-fire-lighter/
Food from the Fire · re-wild.co.uk

Live wilderBatoning with a sheath knife

Step by step

Position your wood block at least 2 outstretched arm lengths from anyone else.
Cross cut your wood to the length you need.
Stand in front of the block and place your workpiece vertically at the back of it.
Remove your knife from its sheath, placing the sheath to 1 side, clear of the block, if it is not attached to you.
Hold the knife in your non dominant hand and the baton in your dominant hand.
Lower the knife so it is horizontal, across your body, until its cutting edge bites into the centreline of the workpiece. Keep the handle close to the edge of the workpiece: this lowers the risk of it breaking and helps stop the workpiece falling over. Tap the back of the blade with the baton, continuing until the blade is fully buried in the wood. The knife's tip should now protrude from the side of the workpiece.
Continue the split by hitting the back of the tip while maintaining downward pressure on the handle with your non dominant hand.
If the blade starts working its way further into the workpiece, hold the workpiece steady and gently tap the end of the handle so the blade protrudes again.
If the knife gets stuck, tap a wooden wedge in behind it until the wood splits or the knife comes free. Or steady the workpiece with the knife standing proud of it and very gently tap the handle up and down, working away from your body, until it comes loose.

The full Wilding activity guide (what you need, safety, variations and questions to wonder about): re-wild.co.uk/g/batoning-with-a-sheath-knife/
Food from the Fire · re-wild.co.uk