What woodworking can be done at a campout

[Robert Hartmann]

What woodworking can you do during a campout? I'm looking for suggestions, from a woodworking perspective, for things that are possible at a campout keeping in mind I have to pack it in. I've thought about carving spoons and bowls as a start. I would need a carving hatchet and some knives. I would probably also need an adze for bowls. So that option was quickly costly to get quality tools. I'm not adverse to the cost if I knew I would enjoy it.

FYI, I have experience with powered tools and have been doing some powerless work for over a year now (so a novice, with a lot of tools).

I edited this post since I'm not looking for things for scouts to do. I would like some suggestions of what you could do during a campout.

[Stanley Covington]

My son just moved up to Boy Scouts and I'm a newly anointed Assistant Scoutmaster. What I've quickly learned is there is a lot of free time (for the adults) at a campout. We try to make everything boy led, which means we are standing around a bit. We do teach them different "stuff", but there is free time.

So what would by your suggestions, from a woodworking perspective, for things that are possible at a campout keeping in mind I have to pack it in? I think it would also be a good opportunity to get some of them involved in woodworking. I've thought about carving spoons and bowls as a start. I would need a carving hatchet and some knives. I would probably also need an adze for bowls. So that option was quickly costly to get quality tools. I'm not adverse to the cost if I knew I would enjoy it.

FYI, I have experience with powered tools and have been doing some powerless work for over a year now (so a novice, with a lot of tools).

Don't know where this scouting experience will take place, but if you will be permitted to collect/cut dead wood, and there is enough of it around, you can carry in rope and twine and tape measures and carpenter pencils/lumber crayons, and a few lightweight pruning saws (significantly safer than hatchets) to cut wood and lash stuff together. Rafts, shelters, ladders, first aid stretchers, small bridges (lashed trusses), tree houses, traps, etc.

I used to do these things with my boys when they were that age.

Be VERY careful with any activity with boys in groups involving cutting tools, especially hatchets. Axes are much safer in comparison.

Stan

[Frederick Skelly]

You could begin by teaching them to whittle. A dry stick and a pocket knife will keep a boy interested for a good while. They'll do the same for you.

As you said, spoons & bowls are another good one for all of you. Prepare the blanks at home as much as you can, to minimize the gear you have to bring along. Then just do the carving at the campout.

Finally, for just yourself, you could learn/practice carving.

Just ideas....
Fred

[Robert Hartmann]

Stan, we have activities to keep the boys busy. I just held a class on axe use/safety at our campout this past weekend (canoe trip). I'm looking more for things I can do to occupy the dead periods when the boys are off doing something else. I thought this time would be good for me to learn a new skill.

[Bruce Haugen]

I spent a long time as an assistant scoutmaster and chair of our troop committee and, as a result, a LOT of time at scout camp outs. First, you aren't going to have nearly as much free time as you think. Scout leadership or not, there is always a lot of adult participation. That's at least half the fun. Boys are allowed to carry knives, usually pocket knives, so carving and whittling are good ideas BUT don't bring an adze under any circumstances. Those boys will find other uses for it and the outcome won't be pretty. My advice is to go to the first couple of camp outs with no expectations except to have a good time. You will find ways to teach the boys as you figure out how to fit it in.

[Robert Hartmann]

I've been to campouts, so I'm not going in without any knowledge. Yes, our goal is to teach the boys at every opportunity. Being overseas we have a small troop and the luxury of a number of involved dads (the last campout had 9 boys and 6 adults). I'm not saying there is a lot of free time, but some and want to use the time to learn something myself or just be productive. I did not necessarily intend for the boys to use the tools I bring (carving axe, adze, etc.), but maybe they could.

I really just wanted some suggestions.

[Pat Barry]

I spent a long time as an assistant scoutmaster and chair of our troop committee and, as a result, a LOT of time at scout camp outs. First, you aren't going to have nearly as much free time as you think. Scout leadership or not, there is always a lot of adult participation. That's at least half the fun. Boys are allowed to carry knives, usually pocket knives, so carving and whittling are good ideas BUT don't bring an adze under any circumstances. Those boys will find other uses for it and the outcome won't be pretty. My advice is to go to the first couple of camp outs with no expectations except to have a good time. You will find ways to teach the boys as you figure out how to fit it in.
I agree with above. I did cub scouts, webelo's, boy scouts for many years as a leader and assistant and I don't recall having much free time at all. Bring a good book and a good pocketknife and you will be all set.

[Scott DelPorte]

I was asked to teach Woodwork merit badge to a group of scouts before. One thing you can do is make sure they all have their "totin' chip" badge, and know how to sharpen.

[Mel Fulks]

I think kids are puzzled by garage and shop activities done in the wilderness. I would stick to whittling type stuff. Make a tooth brush from Dogwood twigs , gather sasafrass for tea, learn to make acorns edible, generally recognize and use herbs an stuff, and how to make pinup art to decorate the tent during extended woodland stays.

[William Adams]

Classic things:

- make a broom out of a piece of suitable wood --- these work really well and are quite long-lasting
- make a cane --- if you can find a suitable branch or vine
- if doing the toothbrush thing, be certain your plant identification skills are up to snuff --- don't be like the arrogant 2nd. Lt. from my survival school class who chose to make one of poison sumac (yes, despite him yelling at me when I tried to warn him, I went and got the medic and told him to bring his kit for a tracheotomy so he was ready --- still had to be airlifted out)
- all the classic whittling things --- trapped ball, chain, &c. --- if you can find suitable woods, you could make baby rattlers / teething toys, carve out figures or animals
- if it's legal, I'd keep an eye out for a tree suitably shaped to carve a gunstock out of --- just rough shape it and take it home to dry, then finish shaping and inletting
- archery is popular, and a self bow is a challenging project (but you'd need to invest time in letting the wood dry) --- doesn't need more than a hatchet, rasp, drawknife (if you can work up workholding), rat tail file (to cut the nocks) and a pocketknife

if you have gullible kids, pocket a twig pencil beforehand ( http://www.twigpencils.com/ ), wait for the moment when someone needs a pencil, then announce you'll go find a pencil tree and “cut them one”.

[Jim Koepke]

My father-in-law used to make walking sticks in his spare time. Easy to make as fancy and with carving if you want.

A three legged stool is another item that could be made by splitting a firewood log and then splitting out the three legs. Just need an axe or hatchet and something to use to do the boring for the legs.

Imagine the looks on the faces of the boys when they come back from a short hike and there you are sitting on your perch carving a design into a walking stick.

Maybe if there were some contest the walking stick could be the award.

If the same campground is used regularly you could eventually make enough stools for all the adults and members.

jtk

[Gerry Grzadzinski]

I bring my laptop camping and do design and cad work.

[Karl Andersson]

Robert,
when I go to the woods (i.e. rent a cabin) with my wife, I always bring 2-4 chip-carving knives, a medium/fine India stone, and a hard strop. I'll use them to chip carve decorations on a project or two I bring with me, like old worn out levels, boxes, small cutting boards, mora knife handles, or pre-carved spoons or bowls ready for the final decoration. You really only need one or two blade shapes to make most designs, and it can be fun to see how many effects you can get by changing the spacing and angles of border cuts. I carry the knives slid into the fingers of an old, thick leather work glove so I don't lose them or slice up the bags.

If you like decorative carving, this is a good way to amuse yourself and create some neat things - the patterns can be anywhere from simple to complex and shallow to deep.

And, if you do arouse some interest in the kids, they should be able to do some chip carving with their pocket knives.

hope this helps,
Karl

[paul cottingham]

Spooncarving. Just needs a hatchet, a decent knife (a mora 109 is excellent) and a hook knife or a gouge. Can create a life time hobby to love, while helping to develope eye-hand coordination, and teaching responsibility. My daughter is learning all that, and a bit about design as well, although she already has a great eye for that.

[Patrick Chase]

You could begin by teaching them to whittle. A dry stick and a pocket knife will keep a boy interested for a good while. They'll do the same for you.

This. I was about to post the same thing but the Frederick's post caught my eye first. Whittling is the traditional "youth gateway drug" to woodworking. Spoons/bowls sounds a little complicated and (as the OP said) tool-intensive for a first outing.

You should probably think carefully about how you want to train for and manage safety. Back when I was in scouts we had periodic training and "safety cards", and the scoutmasters would clip one or more corners (depending on degree of idiocy) every time they saw us do something unsafe. If they clipped all 4 corners they'd "pull your card" and you had to retrain to earn a new one.

If these are in fact scouts (not clear either way from your post-edit comment) then you might want to focus on the requirements (http://www.boyscouttrail.com/boy-scouts/meritbadges/woodwork-merit-badge.asp) for the woodworking merit badge. That will motivate the more rank-oriented ones...

[Jim Davis]

So, the OP edited his post after y'all answered, OR, nobody bothered to read the edited post? (Not looking for scout stuff)

On one trip with my parents and three of us teenaged siblings, we camped in a national forest (Don't tell anybody) at a spot that had a downed western red cedar. We made a table and benches, a seat for a pit toilet, carved a cooking spoon and a totem pole. We had a 5-foot crosscut, axe, hatchet and pocket knives. (Hammer and nails too.)

It was a very fun trip. Wish it could have lasted longer.

[Jim Koepke]

nobody bothered to read the edited post?

Not all of us missed it.

Nor was the OP's second post missed:


I'm looking more for things I can do to occupy the dead periods when the boys are off doing something else.

jtk

[Darrell LaRue]

My last Scout camp was two weeks ago. It was our area Competition Camp, where the Scouts are on their own and the adults are not allowed to help. I carved 7 spoons, which kept me busy for most of the afternoon. Two years ago at this camp I conscripted a bunch of the other idle leaders and we built a boat out of sticks, string, and plastic sheeting. Three hours from a pile of sticks to paddling on the river.

With a T-auger you can drill holes, which makes it easy to make stools and small tables from planks split from the firewood pile (or scavenged 2X stock). Whittle legs to fit, and pound them in. The auger is also good for making shrink pots. Take a piece of a freshly cut tree branch, bore the center out, finish hollowing with a hook knife, gouge, or your Mora knife until the walls are about 5/16 inch thick. Cut a groove around the inside edge at one end and whittle a bottom to just pop into place. The bottom should be DRY wood. The green wood will shrink around the dry bottom, making a fairly good seal. My mess kit is all wooden stuff I've made, of course.

Darrell

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[Robert Hartmann]

On one trip with my parents and three of us teenaged siblings, we camped in a national forest (Don't tell anybody) at a spot that had a downed western red cedar. We made a table and benches, a seat for a pit toilet, carved a cooking spoon and a totem pole. We had a 5-foot crosscut, axe, hatchet and pocket knives. (Hammer and nails too.)

A toilet seat, that's a new one.

Sorry for not being clear with what I wanted. I blame two years of working in NATO where writing long, unclear and usually useless guidance is an art form.

Thanks for the suggestions so far. I think I'll start with spoons and see where it takes me. I like the totem pole idea (that would tie into scouts nicely), but I don't think my carving skills are there yet. I also didn't think about taking some auger bits, which opens up some options. Would make building the stool Jim suggested pretty easy.