The Production of Arrows AND Arrow Shafts

 Be it in North American or the rest of the world, it is commonly believed that arrow shafts were either made out of bulrushes, cat-tails, reeds; or out of shoots, such as dogwood, wild rose, ash, birch, choke-cherry, and willow; and, I suppose that they were--on rare occasion. But this was a very inefficient, labour, and time consuming method of obtaining what infallibly turned out to be very inferior, unreliable, shaft material.
 If, or when, using this, or any other method; the shoots, or sticks, of shaft wood still had to be shaved, sanded, heat and pressure straightened. 
Tools, made of bone, or sandstone, were used to shape, size, and straighten the shaft wood, making dowelling.
While the North American native did not fall many trees they did fall some; as evidenced by their totem poles. They also cut and split small logs. It was, actually, through a process very similar to producing cedar shakes or splitting kindling that most arrow shafts were produced. The Native North Americans may have been primitive, the last truly stone age people on earth but they were definitely not stupid.

Reeds from common reed grasses were also used with some frequency throughout the Americas with the exception of the Plains where reeds did not grow.

However and where ever obtained; the shaft wood must always be: shaved, sanded and or heat and pressure straightened. 

Because they are hollow light and lack spine, reed-shaft arrows typically have a wooden fore-shaft and a wooden plug for the nock end of the arrows. If a fore-shaft was used, it could be glued to the main shaft, tied with sinew, or fit closely enough to not need glue or sinew.

Points were made of antler, bark, bone, horn, leather, or wood and were attached to the arrow shafts with a variety of methods. Most frequently, the arrow shaft would have a slit cut unto one end to accept the point. Cord or sinew would then be wrapped around the shaft to pinch the slit closed.

Fletching balances the weight of the arrowhead to prevent the arrows from tumbling end over end in flight. When fletched properly an arrow will spin in a spiral, producing the ideal trajectory.

When making field expedient arrows it is not always necessary to fletch them, simply cut thin shavings off the shaft and leave them attached at one end, when bent up in flight these should act as make-sift and easy to construct flights. Do not let them run across your hand.
The bow conveys power to the arrow through the bowstring. The amount of power is equal to the strength required to bend the bow into an arc when the arrow is drawn to its ful length. If the bow is stiff (and if it doesn't break), the amount or force can be great. Bows ar described in terms of pounds of pull necessary to bend the bow to the full length of the arrow.
The force is a constant for each bow, reflecting its stiffness and the length of pull appropriate far a particular length of arrow. Since force is constant, if mass increases, acceleration must decrease. If you have a heavy (solid-shaft) arrow, the mass is relatively great, and the acceleration imparted by the bow string will be less than if you have a light (cane) arrow. With the same bow (and as long as the arrows are the same length), a cane arrow will fly faster and farther than a  solid arrow. However, when the arrow hits its target, both arrows will impact with the same force, which is determined by the quality of the bow. If a hunter's arrows are bouncing off the target rather than penetrating, it's because the bow is too light rather than because the arrows are "dull". When a hunter has a "good bow", he selects a heavy or light arrow depending on how close he can get to the prey without scaring it away. Heavy arrows are best for short distances, cane arrows are best for long distances.

© Al (Alex Alexander) D Girvan 2012 All rights reserved.

HOW TO MAKE: A NORTH AMERICAN NATIVE, TYPE BOW

AND THE ARROWS TO GO WITH IT.

For various reasons, as explained in some of my older posts, a bow and arrows is not really a practical; or wise, choice of tools for use in bush-craft, or disaster survival situations, and could very likely be detrimental to your chances of survival. 

This having been said, there will always be those who insist on trying to fashion one; so here's how.

It  is just an illustration; but none the less, the bow, shown in the illustration;

 would undoubtedly break with first use. 
 For sure, the arrow will not travel to any where near the intended target:

 to find out why;
 first, observe the illustration;
 (including not only wood grain; but the hand, and arrow, positions) more closely;
 then-read more.

MISCONCEPTIONS

There are many, many, many misconceptions not only about how Native North and Central and South Americans made their bows and arrows; but how they used them as well. Many of these derive from television “Reality Survival” programs and “John Wayne Westerns; that were and are; more concerned with producing props and scripts for the shows cheaply; and quickly; than with striving for historical accuracy, reality, or even common sense. Often the bows and arrows shown have been made of fibreglass with high-tension cloth rope or string and painted to look like wood. These differ significantly in form, function, and type, from true native bows. Still other images have been of what is commonly known as a “composite bow”, which is a bow, made from several flat layers of different woods and materials. The absence of steel tools in Native, North American, culture made this type of bow, or arrow, impossible for them to create.

REMEMBER

Unlike in other areas of the world; Native North American’s did not begin using bow and arrow technology until about 1,500 years ago. Prior to the advent of the bow and arrow, the spear thrower or atlatl (an Aztec word) was commonly used. Most “arrowheads” seen in museums or that are found today which are longer than 1 inch were really points for the long, spear-length atlatl shafts. What are now often referred to as “bird-points”, were the true arrowheads. They were used for almost everything from hunting bison (when and where this was ever possible) and rabbits to occasional warfare. The bows used by natives of the AMERICAS were short, notably inaccurate, and not very powerful. As is true, almost, anywhere that arrows were, or are, used to hunt birds; the arrows used were,and are usually, blunt, or ball tipped.

Bows then were much different from the large and elaborate compound hunting bows used today. They were much, much, lighter. Also, the English style longbow didn't lend itself to the realities facing hunters on the American Continents; where dense forest, or jungle, had to be threaded through and a cumbersomely long bow would get hung up in vines and brush! So, a short stout bow was used (or so it is commonly believed), pretty much by all tribes. While it was not near as powerful, and didn't shoot as far as a long bow, that was not the idea. The aboriginal hunters mostly relied on stealth, tracking skills patience and what they had learned from “THE CREATOR”Nature to get close to their quarry. Even so it usually took more than one-sometimes many-arrows to make a kill.

Even a relatively short bow (4 to 5 feet) is capable of delivering an arrow quite a distance. The power of a bow isn't only in its length, however, but its power is really in its stiffness (one reason not to use green wood when fashioning a bow). After an archer learns the basic skills with a light bow, they can then make a longer stiffer, more powerful, bow for shooting larger targets at greater distances.

A flatbow is a bow with non-recurved, flat, relatively wide limbs that are approximately rectangular in cross-section. Because the limbs are relatively wide, thickness (of flatbows) will usually begin narrow(thin) and become deeper at the handle, with a rounded, non-bending, handle for easier grip. This design differs from that of a longbow, which has rounded limbs that are circular or D shaped in cross-section, and is usually widest at the handle Contrary to common belief and actual  intent, in reality; a flatbow (the bow most commonly used by natives anywhere in the Americas) is, usually, just as long as a longbow. Traditional flatbows are usually wooden selfbows (bows made of one solid piece of wood), though laminated and composite flatbows have been made in ancient, and modern, times.

The flatbow is a superior bow design for almost all materials because the stress is more evenly spread out than with rounded limb sections. A bow limb is essentially a flexed beam undergoing bending, and in any flexed beam the farther from the neutral axis (line in the middle of the flexing beam which is not under tension or compression) the more stress there is within the material. When a limb is rounded, as in a longbow, some material "sticks out" farther from the neutral axis, and thus is put under greater stress. In a flatbow, the flat belly and back ensures that all of the most highly strained material is a uniform distance from the neutral axis, spreading the load over a wider limb, minimizing stress and making weaker woods far less likely to fail (break or become permanently bent and lose the springiness needed in a bow).

 Only particularly resilient timbers can make an effective and powerful wooden longbow. For the above reasons, the lashed/tied together composite"Survival Bows", so often seen, or described, in the many articles and videos dealing with the subject; are  useless; except that is, possibly as kindling. 

Disadvantages of a rectangular cross-section: Compared to a narrow, rounded longbow design, the bowyer needs to start with a wider stave, take more time to achieve an approximately-rectangular cross-section, and may need to cut through growth rings on the back of the bow which can cause breakage.

HOW TO MAKE A BOW

Native North Americans used all kinds of wood and other materials for bows, but some wood is better than others for the finest bows. Generally speaking, do not use Western Larch (more commonly called Tamarack by older generation Canadians). It makes a very good fence post; but because in tends to have a twisting grain it is not really suitable for the fashioning of a bow.

Bows were usually made with the best wood that was locally available in their territory, but some woods had such a good reputation for bows that people would trade bow wood over hundreds of miles. One such wood is Osage Orange. Osage orange is a hardwood that becomes bright orange in colour when its bark is peeled, and it is stiff and strong. Hickory was a favourite of my grandfather. Ash, birch, cedar, elm, oak, yew, black locust, juniper, willow, choke-cherry, Saskatoon and other local woods can be also be used for bows, although they may be more fragile. Wapiti antlers, mountain sheep horn, bison horn, and ribs, and caribou antler also were used when and where available.

STEPS

The selection of the right piece of wood helps in the creation of the bow, including length, straightness, grain (lack of side branches.

Look for a shoot, or limb; that is nearly straight for 4 to 5 feet in length and is about 1 to 11/2 inches in diameter. You will find that this is the hardest part about making a bow. Side twigs are OK  but side branches are not, since they distort the grain of the limb and weaken the wood. In some cases, (actually this is usually; the most efficient, and practical, technique) you can cut a thicker limb, or log, with side branches; if all the side branches are on one side. The thicker limb or log can then be split down the middle, using an axe, or wedge; and the side, or sides, without the branches can be used to fashion the bow. Of course, in any case, the wood has to be dried and seasoned.

If you have the time available there is method; which surprisingly, was used on occasion by most tribal peoples of the world; including those of the three Americas.

In Modern Times It Is Still Used By Some Weekend Survivors And Bushcrafters-Providing They Have Available Either A Large Work Shop Or Have Found A “Survival Location Where Some Other “Survivor” Has Previously Hauled In A Semi Trailer Full Of Equipment.

Flatbow Making-Starting From a Fallen Tree or log.

Ash wood is flexible and good for bows but only as a flatbow, as this style allows for more flexibility in the bow in comparison to the ‘D’ section profile of a so called longbow.

Tree Felling

The ideal tree should have a section as straight as possible from the ground to about 7 feet with no side branches. This is the area you will cut the stave or staves from.

1.    A line is scored in the bark down to the wood firstly. This helps with guiding the splitting of the log.

2.    An axe-or in primitive times, a stone wedge- is then driven into the scored line to start the split. Note the axe or wedge should be kept at 90 degrees to the person hammering it in. This maintains a safe position for the worker.

3.    The first axe is followed by a second axe or wedge, to widen the split.

4.    As other wedges are driven deeper into the split; the previous ones can be removed, and used again.

5.    An axe can also be used to cut the wood fibres not split by the wedges.

6.    Once the log has been split once the process is repeated again and again until you have the staves you require. In actual reality, it through theemployment of this general method that most arrow shafts were produced.

7.    Being very careful to only remove the outer and inner bark and not touch any of the wood; use a draw knife shave off the bark of the stave.

8.    The wood found just under the bark is the most flexible part of the bow and will form the back of the bow. Apart from light sanding this area of the bow will not be touched.

9.    Use a string to mark out a centre line, down the length of the stave; then mark out the shape of the bow.

10. Saw stop cuts all along the stave. These cuts help when chopping out the excess wood. As a piece of wood is cut out with the axe the stop cut stops a split running through the whole bow so that you only cut out the wood you want.

11. Once the top profile is cut out the side profile needs to be cut out.

12. Again using stop cuts the stave was roughed out, to the basic shape of the bow.

13. At this point the bow should be left to season for a about a month; one week in your well-equipped garage or work shop, and for three weeks in a cool spot in your favourite  survival cave, house, survival shelter, or tent. This should allow the wood to season enough to start the fine work.

14. The bow should be clamped down for the fine work. Begin by using a draw knife; then, move onto a spoke shave. Having the bow clamped will allow you to use the tools safely and with precision.

15. For very fine shaving, use a cabinet scraper. Tested the bows flexibility by floor tillering it- this involves pushing down on each limb to test the flexibility and then comparing the flexibility of each limb. Look for an even flexibility in each limb.

16. Next, carve out the knocks on each limb, using a round wood file. The knock should be at an angle of about 45 degrees and deep enough so that the string does not slip off.

17. Finally sand the knock so that the edges don’t abrade the string. Use some strong nylon string at first. One end of the string is tied on with an overhand loop and the other end with a timber hitch. At this stage the bow should not be put under any tension, by the string; so that the bow can be trained to bend in increments by using the upright tiller(putting the bow under too much tension will lead quite quickly to it snapping or cracking).Placed the bow on the tiller and in increments slowly bend it to view the curve on each limb.

18. After viewing; return to the workbench, to scrape wood from areas of stiffness using the cabinet scrape, or spoke shave.

19. Final brace about six inches;; tillering is now complete, with evenly curved limbs-time to take the first shot-provided you have done everything correctly, the bow should not break, and you might even manage to hit the target.

20. Your bow will still have to be finished with some kind of preservative.

Here are a few other things to consider when selecting parts for your bow and your arrows.

The bow and the arrows form a complete technology. Each element must be balanced in proportion to the others and to the user to make an effective tool. The bow acts as a pair of springs connected by the grip or handle. As the string is pulled the material on the inside or belly of the bow limbs compresses, while the outside or back is stretched and is placed under tension. This action stores the energy used to draw the string back. When the string is released, the limbs quickly return to their state of rest and release the energy stored by drawing the string. Therefore, the power of a bow is measured in terms of draw weight.

The height and strength of the archer determines the ideal draw weight of the bow. A combination of the length of draw and the draw weight of the bow denotes the cast (propelling force) of the bow.

The draw weight of the bow also determines the weight and diameter of the arrow shaft. Even a bow with a high draw weight can only throw an arrow so far. If the arrow is too heavy, it will not fly far or fast enough to be very useful. A shaft that is too thick or too thin will also lead to problems. It must compress enough to bend around the bow staff as it is launched by the string. If it does not bend, the arrow flies off target. If it bends too much, it will wobble (reducing the striking force) or even shatter.

The length of the draw is also determined by the body of the archer, determines the length of the arrow. The maximum cast of the bow determines the maximum weight of the point. This is how we know that certain “arrow heads cannot really have been used on an arrow, at least not to any good effect.

1.       Find a piece of dry, seasoned, but not grey and cracking hardwood. This piece of wood should be somewhat flexible.

2.       Try to get a piece of wood that curves enough so that when you release arrows, the string doesn't slap the side of your wrist (which can be very painful).

3.       Green wood can be used but only is absolutely necessary. Just was when building a tip-up snare; it should normally be avoided because it does not provide the same power as dry wood. If using green wood, try for pine. It is the easiest to cut, and clean. Also, if using green wood, skin it and soak it in hot water. This will help the bow to bend. If it is green wood once you bend it, you can smoke it over a fire to dry it; just don’t hold it so close that is burns or scorches.

4.       Determine the natural curve of the stick. Every piece of natural wood will have a curve or warp, no matter how slight. As you construct the bow, be mindful of the curve.

5.       Shape the bow. Ideally, you will want the bow to be strong (and hence thicker) in the centre.

6.       The piece of wood that you select probably will be thicker at one end than the other. Begin at the thinner end, trimming off side twigs and whittling off the bark. 

 When shaping the bow, make sure to shave wood of the inside of the curve (belly) of the bow only. Otherwise, the bow, most likely, will break on the first use.

Don’t cut into the wood very deeply, because any notches into the wood will create weak spots, which in turn can cause the bow to break…Something you do not want to happen.

7.       When the bark and twigs are all removed for the entire length of the limb, you have a blank or “bow staff”. 

 Locate the centre of the bow staff, and allow a six-inch space for the handgrip (this will be the thickest part of the finished bow). The thinner end of the bow staff should be shaped (whittled) first , because there is less wood to remove (DO NOT WHITTLE THE BACK OF THE BOW OR STAFF)and it will serve as the “model/template” for the reduction of wood in the thicker end of the staff. The thickness of each bow end should taper smoothly and continuously from the handgrip to the tip, but the tip needs to be thick enough to hold a notch for the bow string without breaking. A typical thickness will be ¾ to 1 inch at the handgrip to ¼ inch at the tip. The cross section through the bow end should be more and more like a flattened oval as you move away from the rounded oval of the handgrip.

8.       Once both ends have been whittled into their tapers, cut notches to hold the bow string; use your “ stock-man”, folding belt, or sheath knife. Cut the notches about 1 to 2 inches from each end of the bow. The notches should be in the shape of a half-moon on the back of the bow.

9.       The bowstring will be attached (tied, using a slipknot) permanently to one end while the other end should have notches whittled so that the bowstring loop can be slipped on and off. This means that the notch must hold the loop securely in place while the bow is bent for use and the string tight. Tightly wrap the bow with a wet strip of gut, leather, or raw hide, if available, around the centre two thirds of the bow (before stringing) and let it dry naturally. This will give your bow extra strength to resist breakage and should allow you to project arrows at a greater velocity. You can also carve a notch into the grip part of the bow to rest your arrows on and keep them from wobbling once the bow is pulled back.

10.   SELECT A BOW STRING. The string can be made of rawhide, sinew, thin nylon rope, hemp or linen cord, fishing line; strands of cotton, ordinary cotton twine, vines, or even snare wire. If you are lost in the bush or wilderness it may be very difficult to find a suitable string, and you may need to try a variety of materials before you find one that has the necessary strength. The string should not be stretchy, as the power comes from the bow, not the string. Bow strings most frequently used by the North American Native were made of sinew (animal back or leg tendon), rawhide or gut. Occasionally, although they are a lot more labour intensive and require much more skill to produce; plant fibres such as inner bark of basswood, slippery elm, or cherry trees were used, Nettles, milkweed, and dog-bane are also suitable fibres. Well-made plant fibre strings are far superior to string made from animal fibres because it holds the most weight while resisting stretching and remains strong in damp conditions.        
      When testing draw weight, never "dry fire" or let go of the bowstring without an arrow on it. Such practice can cause the bow to break. 
     When the bow is not in use, the bowstring should be unstrung to save the bow from fatigue. The bow will hold its strength a lot longer. Also, as the wood of the bow dries out, the wood can become fragile and subject to breakage if pulled too far. Native North Americans would rub animal fat into their bows to keep them from drying out. You can do the same with any lanolin based hand cream. you should do this at least once a  month.

©Al (Alex-Alexander) D Girvan 2012 All rights reserved.

      

PRACTICAL/USABLE, KNIVES, POINTS, AND TOOLS; PLUS TWO KNOTS

Regular readers are well aware that I am not, at all, impressed or influenced by ALL THE BULL CRAP SO WIDELY CIRCULATED ON MOST WEBSITES, ON MOST SUBJECTS. Usually, the writers have no real knowledge, they are just recirculating advertising/merchancising propeganda. As for the subject of Survival; MOST OF THESE GUYS WOULD NEVER SURVIVE, IN A REAL SURVIVAL SITUATION. On both counts, this post serves, very well, to illustrate, just, why I'm not.

http://ushistoryimages.com/native-american-weapons.shtm

While an axe; especially a light 1 1/4 pound, belt/hand axe, light enough to carry easily; yet heavy enough to do the work it is intended to do-- that of chopping, driving stakes, and splitting wood; and a military type folding belt shovel is great--- for the light, digging, chores;

you can usually break the firewood you need, through the use of two conveniently spaced trees(avoid using a tree crotch; which will pry the crotch apart and leave the tree open to disease, fungal and insect infestation)with your hands; so, there will not, really,  be any necessity to do a great deal of chopping, (Canada's truly Indigenous peoples did very little). And, other improvised tools can be used to dig, drive stakes, or even piles--if you ever have occasion that you wish to do so but i can not imagine why you ever would in a survival situation. 
A knife therefore is your second-third fiftyith-hundredth-most valuable tool (after what ever else is FIRST-needed-Aid)  in any survival/disaster situation. 

Still, however, the wise man or woman always carries at least a top quality "stock-man" knife, pictured top, or other knife; (without a lot of cumbersome gadgets; and not designed for easy conversion into a spear point--a knife is meant for cutting, puncturing, or slicing--you do not CHOP--even meat or vegetables-- and you do not ever, ever, ever, throw them.) on their person at all times and they keep it razor sharp (when quality knives are now so readily available; why would they not? A good sharp knife can be a valuable survival aid, if and only if, used thoughtfully, and properly).
When I was in the Arctic I carried a somewhat larger folding knife that also had a saw blade (pictured bottom). I have used the saw blade to cut through wood as large as a 2x4. While not perfect by any means, (short and stiff) the cutting blade is usable as a game dressing, muscle boning, skinning knife. My main job while in the Arctic was camp cook, so I usually had several other knives readily available; non the less, I have used the knife pictured to fillet Arctic char and had no problem in doing so with no loss of meat.

While, as previously mentioned, a light belt/hand or other axe, with up to a two pound head, can be very handy in any camping, and,or, survival situation; LARGER HEAVIER AXES which are designed for cutting larger logs in long term, and, or, pioneering, projects ARE NOT REALLY TOOLS FOR BUSHCRAFT/disaster/emergency SURVIVAL. 

Machetes are designed and primarily used to slash away heavy undergrowth. In CANADA, in a disaster, or an emergency survival situation, a much more compact and easier to carry meat cleaver (I was Cook and First -aid Man)will do almost as well as either an axe or machete.

REMEMBER, BECAUSE YOU NEED TO, AND WILL WANT TO; KEEP IT WITH YOU AT ALL TIMES; YOU WILL HAVE TO BE ABLE TO CARRY ALL YOUR EQUIPMENT.
It must be noted these “bush craft survival tools” are not toys for macho types; or for kids; who never grew up. All are very, very, dangerous-can be dangerous to human life or detrimental to survival. All are illegal to use in Canada and or other CIVILIZED counties, except in extreme emergency. All must be clearly marked during the period of use; and must be dismantled immediately after the emergency situation is over. IF YOU ARE USING ANY OF THESE TOOLS TO TRAP OR KILL GAME, UNDER THE GUISE OF PRACTISING BUSHCRAFT, YOU COULD, AND SHOULD BE, CHARGED WITH ANIMAL ABUSE, DANGEROUS ACTIVITY-POTENTIALLY CAUSING HUMAN HARM, AND SEVERAL OTHER THINGS UNDER THE FISH AND WILDLIFE ACT.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN  A "FIELD KNIFE"
First, always remember, as indicated by the following paragraph; much of the advice out there is pure bull-shit.
"What you want is a full tang knife made of high carbon steel with a 4-6" flat or convex grind drop or spear point blade with a synthetic handle. A full tang is when the knife blade extends the full length and width of the handle and is by far the strongest design. High carbon steel is stronger than stainless steel because it does not contain chrome which weakens the steel. Of course there are some amazingly strong modern stainless steels out there, so the general rule breaks down. However, high carbon is easier to sharpen in the field. The drawback is that it rusts if not kept dry and oiled. A 4-6" blade is the best all around length if you are only carrying one knife. Flat or convex grinds have stronger edges. I prefer a drop or spear point blade because of its tip strength."

Actually, a field knife or ANY KNIFE does NOT have to be extremely tough; which means- that while you will be wise to avoid certain features which could compromise a knife under duress, do not get fanatical about it.

Here are some you might want to avoid: hollow, plastic or synthetic handles, cumbersome knives with a lot of unnecessary gadgets, heavy knives, extremely thin, pointy tips (this does not include the extremely practical and useful, double edged, Commando- knives  of the First, and Second, World Wars; that gave the British, Canadian and "The Devil's Brigade"a reputation of being the best in the world), partial  or bolt tangs, serrated edges. 

1. Many synthetic knife handles are actually hollow. For a hollow handled knife, the cylinder has to be bonded, or welded, onto the blade; a bond which could be extremely weak.
2. A heavy knife is awkward, impractical, and tiresome to use--it will just pull your pants down.
3.  With a clip point or other narrow profile blade you could break off the tip; but then; the knife should not be used as a pry-bar in the first place and a narrow, flexible, blade is very useful, for dressing an animal, bird, or fish (muscle boning or filleting).
4.  Partial or bolt tangs could break the handle. But, properly used, a bolt tang will also enable the replacement of that broken handle and, the tightening of any; loose handle. 
5.  While they are somewhat easier to clean, ridged  " Sheath" knives are, primarily, "status symbols"; A quality folding knife should never fail  you, nor will you easily loose it- if -like the ridged sheath knife, it is also kept in a belt case. 
6. The edge on a hollow ground blade is no weaker than any other truely sharp edge; but, the hollow grind, while being slightly harder to sharpen,  may,ultimately, allow you to get a "keener" edge. 
7. Leather or wood handles DO NOT become slippery in the rain which is why they were the handles of choice for military knives and bayonets.
8. Leather handles are usually made with bolt tangs BECAUSE, they can  be tightened, should the leather become dry and shrink. All wood handles, no matter how hard the tree species, are susceptible to breakage but so are synthetic handles, if the knife is misused. Knives are not meant to be used as a splitting wedge or with a batton.
9. Be aware, serrated edges cannot be sharpened in the field and are difficult to sharpen at home.
10. Even a "Field Knife" does not have to be tough but if it did; there is NO noticeable difference  in the strength of stainless steel and carbon steel blades. Stainless steel is harder then carbon steel; so it will take longer, and be slightly more difficult to sharpen to a really keen edge; another but; it will keep that really keen edge longer than a carbon steel blade-one reason stainless steel in so often used in lumber mills-and why carbon steel is now virtually obsolete.

Imagine being in a survival situation without any equipment or tools except your knife.You might even be without a knife(it could and often does happen). You would probably feel very helpless.
With the proper knowledge, preparation and skills, while it may not-will not- be easy, you CAN IMPROVISE needed items. Out of necessity, you may HAVE TO fashion any number and type of tools and/or equipment.
Improvised equipment and tools may serve many purposes. They can provide a sense of accomplishment and hope. They can make life much easier and comfortable.THEY CAN ALLOW YOU TO SURVIVE. 
Improvised cutting implements, of any type, are best fashioned out of bone (from a large bird, if available) 1.quickly made, using any of several different methods 2. will handle most tcutting tasks reasonably well 3.easily resharpenable, again, by using several different methods. 4. much easier to obtain than ANY SUITABLE stone.

CLUBS
A club can have many uses. Here, we are concerned  with survival  and the TOOLS of SURVIVAL (life), not with the military or military weapons of death. We are concerned with REAL survival situations (you know, the type you are most apt to find yourself in); situations where clubs are used as a camp tool (hammer).  You hold clubs, you jab or trust with them-- you swing them(most often to drive stakes--you do not normally throw them. 
Simple Club
A simple club is a staff or branch. It must be short enough for you to swing easily, but long enough to provide some leverage and strong enough to serve the intended purpose.
Weighted Club
A weighted club is any simple club with a weight on one end. The weight may be a natural weight, such as a knot on the wood (the famous Irish shillelagh), or something added such as a stone lashed to the club. A stone with a sight hourglass shape works best. If you cannot find a suitably shaped stone, you can fashion a grove or  channel into the stone by a technique known as pecking (from the chicken or wood pecker). By repeatedly pecking the head stone with a smaller hard stone, you will eventually get the desired shape. The "tomahawk"(see illustration below), used by early North American natives, and often referred to as an axe, was really a just a club with a more, or less, sharpened striking surfaces--a stone axe is not really suited for felling trees.
There are three techniques for lashing a stone hammer head to the handle.

NOTE: DO NOT  attempt to lash and tie the head stone to the handle using knots as illustrated,(you will not be able to tie the knots or lashing near tight enough and it will come undone---whoever drew this diagram, originally, knew very little about the subject) as shown in the above diagram--use instead the WHIPPING METHOD diagrammed below. The simple or weighted clubs are the only ones practical in a survival situation

This is the same method  used to: "whip" the ends of cordage or rope, and since pre-historic times, by farmers, to tie grain or storage bags. It is also, with very little alteration, variation, or in the case of the double; addition; the very same knot that anglers refer to as a bait/egg loop, when fishing for Arctic Char, Northern  Pike, Pickerel Perch, Salmon, Steelhead; actually most any predatory fish.

The Single Bait/Egg Loop Knot is the  same knot that is used to "whip the ends of cordage or rope.

The Double Bait/Egg Loop Knot

© Above 5 images , Al (Alex-Alexander) D. Girvan. All Rights Reserved

Note:My apologies, some of you may have tried tying this knot and run into problems. This would be because at image 3, I inadvertently neglected a step in my original instructions. TO THIS POINT YOU HAVE A BASIC, SIMPLE, WHIPPING KNOT.
BRING YOUR LINE THROUGH THAT INITIAL LOOP YOU MADE; BEFORE GOING THROUGH THE HOOK EYE; OTHERWISE KNOT WILL COME APART.  Unlike the conventional Egg Loop Knot, this knot has a bait or egg loop as part of the knot-plus the loop formed when the leader is passed through the eye of the hook the second time.(shown in image 5).

©Al (Alex-Alexander) D Girvan. All rights reserved.

I add two more steps, as shown above, (long leader line, now cinched controls front loop; short line the second loop-- near yellow label)which I find holds my bait better; but I know of nobody else that does so:

1. Bring leader length back and pass it under bait loop.
2. Pass it. once again, through the hook eye.

Whether you are Fashioning a axe or club, tying a grain sack, hang man's knot, whipping the end of a rope to prevent ravelling,   tying a single or double egg loop fishing knot; while, they may look some what different, at first glance, they are, basically, all the same knot.  Use them well, and for the purposes intended. Save yourself a lot of grief.

SPEARS
Like clubs, spears are used for thrusting; not throwing. In a survival situation, spears do not have  many practical uses--used mainly  for fishing. Therefore, while points may be attached, they are not really necessary and involve extra time and work better used to accomplish something else--more worthwhile.

KNIVES AND POINTS
NOTE: Some stones such as chert, flint, obsidian, or quartz can have and hold edges very much sharper than the finest steel razors but they chip or break easily. In a short term survival situation, their usefulness is not worth the labour or work required to produce them..
BARK
Bark is easily shaped and it can be heat tempered to take and hold (almost glass-- or at least about the same hardness as copper or bronze) to take and hold a keen edge. A knife made from bark can work very well for slicing--they will even cut through wood.
BONE
Bone, like bark is relatively easily shaped. Some bone, like bark, will take a very keen edge, and like bark, some bone can be further heat tempered but they are usually not as brittle and do not chip or break as easily as stone. It is amazing just how rugged and serviceable they can be.
While whale bone, if, and where, available, is very, very, versatile; generally speaking, the best bone for knives, needles, or points comes from sea birds, poultry, or the smaller animals (quite similar to poultry bones, the bones of a fox are good). Bones from larger animals (excluding horn or antler) are often softer and do not hold an edge as well.
WOOD
Like bark or bone, wood is easily shaped and can be tempered; but wood (except bamboo, which is a grass, not a true wood and is not generally available in most areas of Canada) still will not hold a keen edge. However, for most POINTS; wood is all that is really necessary.
NOTE: While in most survival situations you would not be using  arrows-when arrows are used to shoot birds and small game they are usually blunt, with no point at all-.for very practical reasons, they are easier to recover but still do the job.

FIRE HARDENING/HEAT TEMPERING
Bark bone, or wood can all be hardened or tempered using high heat. If a fire is possible, dry the blade portion over the fire (or other dry, high, heat source, hotter the better, until the bark, bone, or wood (or minerals and resins there in) actually start to melt; but do not allow the material to char,(burning,charring= oxidation)will actually break down and soften the surface of the bark, bone, or wood and render it less suitable for your intended purpose.
© Al (Alex, Alexander) D. Girvan-2012 All rights reserved

KNAPPING STONE, ARROWHEADS, BLADES, KNIVES, AND SPEAR POINTS

As made very evident; in the above illustration, flint or stone knapping (even if you should be lucky enough to find some suitable stone--which is very unlikely and the prime reason why so many "stone" knappers practice on pieces of glass a material that like suitable stone, you are very unlikely to find much of in the bush; or in any other survival situation in which you think you might be called upon to do any napping) is lot of hard work, requiring a lot of skill, practice, and equipment. Even then, with everything necessary, you probably will not be able to actually produce a usable product. While ceramic, glass or stone tools hold an edge better and can be many times sharper than the sharpest razor or scalpel made from steel;  ceramic, glass, or stone is also very brittle and tends to chip or break quite easily.
Produced by the most skilled stone knappers, the very best ceramic, glass or stone blades are not really suited for chopping; which is why truly stone age peoples anywhere in the world, did not fall a lot of trees, build a lot of fences--or actually do that much building or construction of any kind, THAT REQUIRED USING STONE TOOLS TO CHOP.
Imagine the shock it must have been to the early European invaders to discover that the Aztec and Mayan peoples were able to build and construct--out of stone--(the finished product often, in many ways, superior, to any thing found in Europe at the time-- or even today for that matter)--using tools made only from wood and or bone. 
Any sharp piece of stone that is any where near sharp enough or thin enough  to be used as a tool will-- unless you are familiar with the little known technique of heat treating flint or stone-- also have a natural curve or hook

Heat Treating Flint

It is a well-known fact that flints may be used in fire-lighting but they should NOT be exposed to heating by direct fire. Stone fracturing can result from uneven expansion, causing fragmentation. To combat fragmentation, flint/chert should be “BAKED” (in an oven); slowly brought up to a temperature of 300 to 500 F, held there for 24 hours, and then—slowly—cooled to room temperature. This heating process makes the material more homogenous and thus more knappable producing a straighter cleaner, sharper cutting edge

Comparison of Natural Flint With Ferrocerium 

Use of flint and steel or iron pyrite should not be confused with the use of ferrocerium(also known as hot spark, metal match, or fore steel) which is a manmade material. When scraped with any hard, sharp edge it will produce a spark that is much hotter than that which is obtained with natural flint and steel. Because it will also produce sparks when wet and can start hundreds of fires when used correctly, ferrocerium is a common item included in commercial survival kits. Ferrocerium is also the material commonly used in cigarette and cigar lighters—but we usually call it “flint”, when so used

Any crude tool (such as those illustrated) will NOT have enough practical use (other than for puncturing or stabbing) to be worth the effort, don't waste your time.

Knapping is the shaping of CHERT (chert is a form of quartz with an exceedingly fine grain. Different types are called, flint, agate, and chalcedony. Obsidian, (a similar rock, forms from high-silica lava and is the best knapping stone of all), or other conchoidal fracturing stone through the process of lithic reduction to manufacture stone tools, or in some cases for the construction of buildings. It takes years of practice, and you cut your hands a lot until you become an expert.
Flintknapping or Knapping: is done in a variety of ways depending on the purpose of the final product. For stone tools and flintlock strikers, chert is worked using a fabricator such as a hammerstone to remove lithic flakes from a nucleus or core of tool stone. Stone tools can then be further refined using wood, bone, and antler tools to perform pressure flaking.
For building work a hammer or pick is used to split chert nodules supported on the lap. Often the chert nodule will be split in half to create two cherts with a flat circular face for use in walls constructed of lime. More sophisticated knapping is employed to produce almost perfect cubes which are used as bricks.There are many different methods of shaping stone into useful tools. Early knappers could have used simple hammers made of wood or antler to shape stone tools.
Hard hammer techniques are used to remove large flakes of stone. Early knappers and hobbyists replicating their methods often use cobbles of very hard stone, such as quartzite. This technique can be used by flint knappers to remove broad flakes that can be made into smaller tools. This method of manufacture is believed to have been used to make some of the earliest stone tools ever found, some of which date from over 2 million years ago.

Pressure Flaking: involves removing narrow flakes along the edge of a stone tool. This technique is often used to do detailed thinning and shaping of a stone tool. Pressure flaking involves putting a large amount of force across a region on the edge of the tool and (hopefully) causing a narrow flake to come off of the stone. Modern hobbyists often use pressure flaking tools with a copper or brass tip, but early knappers could have used antler tines or a pointed wooden punch; traditionalist knappers still use antler tines and copper-tipped tools. The major advantage of using soft metals rather than wood or bone is that the metal punches wear down less and are less likely to break under pressure.Soft hammer techniques are more precise than hard hammer methods of shaping stone. Soft hammer techniques allow a knapper to shape a stone into many different kinds of cutting, scraping, and projectile tools.

Uses

In cultures that have not adopted metalworking technologies, the production of stone tools by knappers is common, but in modern cultures the making of such tools is the domain of experimental archaeologists and hobbyists. Archaeologists usually undertake the task so that they can better understand how prehistoricstone tools were made.Knapping is sometimes learned by outdoorsmen, supposedly as a survival tactic.

As a Hobby: if you happen to own one of those souvenir shops, specializing in "AUTHENTIC"--mostly made in China--Native North American curios it COULD become quite profitable.
Knapping for the supply of strikers for flintlock firearms was a major industry in flint bearing locations, such as Brandon in Suffolk, England, where knappers made strikers for export to the Congo as late as 1947 (some are still produced for the "black powder/muzzle loader" crowd).

Knapping for building purposes is still a skill that is practised in the flint-bearing regions of southern England, such as Sussex, Suffolk and Norfolk, and in northern France, especially Brittany and Normandy, where there is a resurgence of the craft due to government funding.

©Al ( Alexander) D Girvan 1995-2012