Sweet Summertime! (Will be picture heavy.)

[Parnell]

I have sinew to make one from, haven't tried it yet, though.  I suppose if I can't get a string to come together from "native" sources, that will be my go to.  I've watched Patrick's video - it's good!

Alright, what am I going to do today, the dogs have run and eaten...

[RidgeRunner]

Milkweed and Dogbane are supposed to make the strongest strings.
They are both, IMO, hard to process.  Yucca is much easer to process, and makes a good string.
Not as good as Milkweed or Dogbane but good.

I got a good quanty of dry Dogbane if you would like to trade.

David

[Parnell]

Thanks David.  I'm gonna try to do the set from things I can find/process in my immediate area.  Even if I can pull off a string for a low poundage bow and do a rabbit hunt...mission accomplished.  I do appreciate your offer, though.

[mullet]

Steve, try Spanish Bayonet. It works pretty good and being 3'  or more longer doesn't take much splicing.

[Parnell]

Ok - I'll start looking around for it...

[Parnell]

Well, here I go.  I took probably an hour of camera footage today doing this.  I'll be looking to post it to my YouTube when I can figure that business out.

Here is the start of goal #1.  I road my bike about 5 miles up the road and cut a roughly 16 foot thin straight "sapling" like branch using the coral hand axe.  It was a breezy day so I didn't fall over dead even though it's summer in SW Florida.   I don't know what type of tree it is.  I thought it was going to be Seagrape.  It wasn't.  Anyhow, I'm not going to go on and on because it'll all be in the video.   Enjoy the pictures and when I get the rest going, I'll let ya'll fine folks know.

What a good day, today has been.

[Parnell]

What is this stuff?  I honestly don't know...

Both staves are 1 and an 1/8th, same branch shoot.

[Parnell]

Made a thin strand from the fine inner cambium layer.  The wood was slick and snotty.  It also sorta died my fingers orangy brown at first.

[Pappy]

Yes,I like that a lot!!!!!!  The sunrise I mean, of course.
   Pappy

[Parnell]

I only wish the clouds were more at bay, Pappy.  I waited for the big ball of burning gas, I think it's starting to crack now.

[Cherokee B.]

Man, what your doing is real cool! How are you splicing and twistin your cordage? I use a two ply reverse twist for my thick cordage. Alotta wood inner bark will turn your fingers brown. Some that I have worked with are: willow, papa. Now, all you need is a clout hangin from your waist, not one of those silly swim suits

[YosemiteBen]

i have lots of yosemite dogbane.

[Parnell]

Twist the cord up, then, Ben.  Cut it, dry it, thresh it, and twist it.

[Parnell]

Recent pictures...

[soy]

Cool idea, ill be following along  neat pic!