Graves Bushcraft Books Online

[Rick]

Here's a bushcraft book that's pretty in depth. There are some items and ideas listed that I had never heard of or seen. For example:

"Even a simple item like a stake or a peg must be cut properly, and if it is to be driven into the ground it must have the head bevelled and the toe properly pointed."

I had never heard of beveling the head.

The next page arrows are located in the lower right and left hand corners.

http://chrismolloy.com/page.php?u=p131

[bacpacker]

Pretty good looking site. Thanks for sharing.

[hunter63]

That's a good find.......Thanks.
Stake heads are beveled to keep from splitting off the sides...and the bottom end will either start standing straight up, or tipping toward the ground if the point isn't correct.

Hard to explain.......
Just as an example, cut a 2X2 with a diagonal cut on the bottom (/) and drive it in the ground.....it will tip.......really moves.

[Rick]

I get it I've just never seen it before. Lord knows I've splintered the sides of plenty and didn't know there was a way to prevent it. Ya'll just hang around here. You might learn something.

[hunter63]

At the rendezvous, the President of the Archeological Society brought out a tarp for the display........Now he is used to modern stuff, but in keeping with the surroundings, bought a canvas tarp, some poles and stakes.

So I had the ropes and tensioning devices (blocks with two holes in them) and we started to set it up.
Stakes were aluminum , and were twisted for strength (I guess), and had a hook on the end, to keep the ropes from sliding off.

When pounding them in, it was like they were screwing into the ground, so the hook ended up facing the wrong way when all the way in.

Now by pointing the hook toward the tarp, they would end up in the proper orientation when in....but you had to know that.......I started laughing, like WTF, it's a stake, Right?...What so hard about a tent stake.
Just struck me funny.

[Rick]

Must have been the subterranean stakes. You just keep pounding until the hook points the right direction. Comes with shovel.

[DSJohnson]

Yes if you have ever gone to the effort of making 20 or so wooden tee pee stakes, using traditional hand tools and methods you realize very quickly the value of beveling the edges of your stakes to keep them from splintering. Just like the head of steel punches and cold chisels are beveled for the same reason.

[Old GI]

I seem to remember (more and more difficult) store-bought stakes with beveled ends. Now I know why. Thanks Rick.

[hunter63]

Yes if you have ever gone to the effort of making 20 or so wooden tee pee stakes, using traditional hand tools and methods you realize very quickly the value of beveling the edges of your stakes to keep them from splintering. Just like the head of steel punches and cold chisels are beveled for the same reason.

...and Locust make good stakes and pins.

[DSJohnson]

Yes it does! I ended up with an amazing set of stakes made from Bois D'Arc that a dear friend made for me. He used some 50 year old fence posts "re-purposed" for the stakes.