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GEAR REVIEW: Bob Dustrude Folding Bucksaw- Best bucksaw on the market?

Photo Credits: ©2014 Rocky Mountain Mountain/Jason Schwartz unless otherwise noted. All Rights Reserved

Okay folks, here is another "run, don't walk!" piece of outdoor gear to grab- Bob's Folding Bucksaw sold by the Four Dog Stove Company of Minnesota. Bob's Bucksaw is bar none the best folding bucksaw I have used.

I came across this excellent bucksaw while checking out Four Dog's vendor table at the 2014 Winter Camping Symposium last October. Four Dog is a small outdoor company that specializes in portable wood burning stoves for use inside canvas tents during winter camping.

Four Dog Stove's vendor table at the 2014 Winter Camping Symposium:

Four Dog's owner Don Kevilus is an experienced and knowledgeable outdoorsman with over 50 years of field experience under his belt. He has spent time in the bush with his friend Mors Kochanski, legendary author of the seminal book "Bushcraft." I think it's safe to say that Don knows a thing or two about what makes a good woods tool!

Don Kevilus (photo credit: Jason Schwartz/Rocky Mountain Bushcraft)

THE SAW

As Don explained to me, this ingenious folding bucksaw was invented by Bob Dustrude, a 92-year old WWII Fighter Pilot and veteran outdoorsman. Bob painstakingly handcrafts each saw at his Northern Minnesota home. The saw is constructed of lightweight aluminum held together by sturdy copper rivets, and is a marvel of simplicity and ruggedness.

Each bucksaw comes with its own handmade cordura sheath, and for an extra $6, Don will include a Raker Tooth saw blade, which is great for cutting green, frozen or pitchy wood (the bucksaw comes standard with a Pegtooth saw blade, which is better for cutting dry firewood). You can read a more detailed explanation of the two types of saw blades here (scroll down 3/4 of the way to see it).

The 24" model used in this review weighed in at a very reasonable 15.6 ounces (20.7 ounces with the sheath and extra blade). The bucksaw folds down  to a very compact size, making it easy to throw inside a backpack, preparedness kit, or saddlebag of a horse or motorcycle.

The lever action handle is made from Northern Minnesota Ash and hot soaked in paraffin wax to make it waterproof. An illustration printed on each handle gives instructions on how to put the saw together.

The saw comes in three sizes-- 21", 24" and 30" (a photo of the 30" model was unavailable at the time of this review)

(photo credit: Four Dog Stove Company)

When it comes time to deploy the bucksaw, it is simply a matter of unfolding it, attaching the saw blade to one of the aluminum saw arm ends, then attaching the wood lever-action handle onto the opposite end, and snapping the handle into place.

Here is a video of Don demonstrating how Bob's Bucksaw works:

FIELD TESTING

To field test Bob's Bucksaw, I took it into the northern Minnesota wilderness around Gunflint Lake after attending the 2014 Winter Camping Symposium last October. There was a ton of dead Lodgepole Pines there, making it an ideal test environment to see how the saw would perform. I found a healthy-sized Lodgepole Pine and proceeded to buck it in half.

Success! The saw made short work of this job.

Colorado Pitchwood Hunt

Although I was impressed with Bob's Bucksaw after my initial test up in northern Minnesota, I wanted to give it some more backcountry use before recommending it.

After returning to Colorado, I thought it would be a great test of the saw's strength to use it during one of my pitchwood hunts. I've twisted and bent the frames of cheaper bucksaws when trying to saw pitchwood. Pitchwood is a tough, dense, waxy\pitchy wood that's great for starting survival fires, but it is hard on edged tools. I figured if Bob's Bucksaw could make it through this kind of test, it would be one tough saw.

On this particular hunt, I was looking for elusive Pinyon Pine pitchwood tinder in the Southern Rockies.

Pinyon Pines produce less pitchwood than their Ponderosa Pine cousins, so finding it can take some searching. Once you've found it though, you know you've found something special. It smells like sweet incense and burns with an intense flame.

After a bit of hiking, I found what looked to be a good candidate. 

A quick check with my Leatherman's blade on one of the hard roots revealed that I had hit pitchwood paydirt!

I then grabbed Bob's Bucksaw to harvest some of this wonderful natural tinder.  

Bob's saw buzzed through the rock-hard pitchwood roots easily.

The sweet, incense like-smell that emanated from the sawed roots was heavenly!

Bob's saw didn't flinch while I was sawing through the dead Pinyon Pine pitchwood roots. One great advantage Bob's saw has over many of its competitors (such as the Sven Saw) is that it has a lot more room between the blade and the frame, allowing it to cut  larger logs.

CONCLUSION

What else can I say? Bob's Bucksaw is ingeniously simple to use, lightweight, strong, yet saws like a demon. With a street price of just $50.00, this handcrafted tool is an absolute steal. Rumor has it that Bob is looking to retire soon, so if I were you, I would grab one of his awesome bucksaws while you can.

5 out of 5 Stars (Highly Recommended)

Bob's Bucksaw is available from Four Dog Stoves- http://fourdog.com/bobs-quick-buck-saw-24/

Initial field testing with the Chiappa X-Caliber Folding Survival Rifle

Shown above is a 5-shot group at 21 Yards with the Chiappa X-Caliber 12 Gauge/22LR Folding Survival Gun. So far, the replacement guns are looking much better than the first test samples. We should have a major update with detailed field test results posted soon. 

Cheers! Jason

Leah's Corner: Leatherman Wingman Multi-Tool conquers the suburbs

by Leah Klocko

As you many of you know, I am the senior copy editor of Rocky Mountain Bushcraft. While Jason lives and tests gear high up in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, I edit from the less illustrious Pittsburgh suburbs, not exactly a wilderness mecca. However, I am always excited to check out new gear, and thanks to Leatherman, I was lucky enough to be able test out their new Wingman multi-tool which they were kind enough to send my way recently.

I have to say it was a little intimidating at first. Lots of implements all in one. However, once I started working with the Wingman I appreciated having all my tools right there, with no need to go grab a screwdriver or dig up a pair of pliers.

The Leatherman Wingman features tough stainless-steel construction and 14 different tools including:

* 420HC Combo Knife, Spring-action Regular Pliers, Spring-action Needlenose Pliers, Spring-action Wire Cutters
* Wire Stripper, Small Screwdriver, Medium Screwdriver, Phillips Screwdriver,
* Spring-action scissors
* Wood/Metal File, Bottle Opener, Can Opener

I decided to check a few items off of my “To Do” list using the multi-tool. My AT&T Samsung Galaxy S5 Active test phone made taking photos of my progress a snap.

Task number one: Remove rusty nails from an old wicker chair on the porch. My cat likes to use the old chair as a scratching post and some of the nails had become exposed. I didn’t want him to hurt himself, so the nails had to go.

The spring-action needlenose pliers quickly became my favorite part of the Wingman. Their sturdy construction, comfortable grip and spring action made quick work of the nails. Only one problem. One of the nails broke off. Wingman to the rescue! I simply pulled out the wire-stripper which has a curved sharp end and used it to dig out the remaining nail.

Task number two: Tighten the door knob.

For some reason, the knob on my front door has a habit of becoming loose. If you’ve ever tried to work on a doorknob, the angle of access to the screws can cause problems if your screwdriver is too short or the handle is too wide. Not a problem with the Wingman.

Task number three: Cut open a gourd to get seeds for next year.

I had grown some tiny pumpkin-shaped gourdes in my garden this year and I wanted to cut one up to get seeds to plant next year. The knife on the multi-tool cut through with no problem even though gourds tend to have a pretty tough skin.

I then used the serrated part of the knife to cut a twig from one of the nearby shrubs. The Wingman cut through quickly without much effort.

Task number four: Test the Scissors

To test the scissors's cutting ability, I decided to cut a piece of felt. Fabric of any kind can be difficult to cut with scissors unless they are really sharp, and I honestly didn’t think the Wingman’s scissors would be up to the task. I was wrong. Once I got the hang of using them, they cut through the felt almost as well as my full size sewing scissors.

One small issue from a female perspective-- the knife and scissors could be a little easier to pull out. I tended to lose them in the handle and they were stiff enough that they bent my fingernails when I tried to open them.

CONCLUSION

All in all, the Leatherman Wingman is a very useful well-made tool. Plus it is small enough to fit in the palm of my not-very-large hand, and light enough to add little weight to a backpack or purse. (I had it in my purse at one point and forgot that it was in there!) Easy to carry in a pocket as well, with a nice clip that holds it in place.

Its handy features, especially for a suburbanite like me, has made it my ultimate “To Do” list partner. It saves me time running to get tool after tool. I can just move from one job to another with every tool right there in my hand. The Wingman's sturdy construction also means it should stand up to some serious stress. I can see that as I get used to my Leatherman Wingman, I will find more reasons to love having all of my tools right at my fingertips.

For more information, visit www.leatherman.com/831426.html 

Bushcraft: Can a Swiss Champ's Magnifying Lens ignite Tinder?

There has been a lot of debate on the internet over the years about the effectiveness of the magnifying lens on the Victorinox Swiss Army Champ Knife for starting fires. The general perception is that it is too weak for the task, and that it's best relegated to the role of magnifying small objects, such as looking for splinters, etc.

There's no doubt that the Swiss Champ's magnifying lens is weaker than the Fresnel Magnifying Lenses that are typically used to start survival fires, but don't count it out as an effective survival tool. If used with the right tinder, it can be quite effective.

To get the Swiss Champ's magnifier to work, you must find natural tinders that are easy to ignite. One of the best and most widely available tinders is punkwood, a light spongy, dry-rotted wood found nearly anywhere there are dead trees. Punkwood will easily ignite from the spark of a firesteel or from a Fresnel Magnifying Lens. It can also be charred and turned into a superior form of char-tinder.

To prove my theory on the usefulness of the Swiss Champ's magnifying lens, I took a walk in the Colorado Rockies recently with one goal -- to find a natural tinder that any hiker could find and ignite it with a Swiss Champ magnifying lens. As I was walking, I found an old, dead Pinyon Pine that had been blown down:

(click to enlarge)

Snow and rain had repeatedly soaked the exposed side of the wood, over time, turning it rotten (punkwood):

I was able to easily dislodge a piece of rotted punkwood with my fingers:

Ignition! The Swiss Champ's magnifying lens easily ignited the punkwood, which burned intensely for over an hour.

This burning coal can be placed inside a tinder bundle of dry grasses, pine needles, shredded bark or other vegetable matter and blown into a flame to start your survival fire.

Cheers, Jason

The Chiappa survival guns attracted a lot of attention at the range yesterday

Beautiful day in the mountains

Was a beautiful day in the mountains. Warm enough that I could wear a t-shirt!

SHOT Show 2015: Leatherman's new "Signal" Wilderness Survival Multi-Tool

Leatherman with a Firesteel!

Leatherman's new "Signal" multi-tool just might be the coolest Leatherman ever. What makes the Signal significant is that it is Leatherman's first purpose-built wilderness survival multi-tool.

The Signal's survival-esque features include a firesteel, survival whistle, diamond sharpener and yes, a real awl. As some of you may recall from our 2012 review of the Leatherman Charge AL, an awl was one of things we pined for, so it's great to see that Leatherman was listening to the market when they designed the Signal.

(photo credit: www.leatherman.com)

The Signal's diamond sharpener and firesteel, which stow conveniently inside the handles:

 

 

The rest of the Signal's features should be familiar to longtime Leatherman users, such as its 420HC blade (sorry bushcrafters, combo blade only), pliers, wire cutters, screwdrivers, can opener, carabiner, saw, etc. The Signal's carabiner also functions as a hammer and as a 1/4" drive wrench.

The Signal is scheduled for a July release with an MSRP of $100.00. For more information visit www.leatherman.com/832262.html

SHOT Show 2015: Buck 119 "Brahma" Knife

Is this one sexy Buck fixed blade or what? Buck's new 119 "Brahma" Knife is based on their popular 119 model, upgraded with a beautiful stacked Leather/Micarta handle, black powdercoat finish, M.O.L.L.E compatible sheath, and a heavy duty front guard and rear pommel. Made in the USA. MSRP $115.00

For more information visit: www.buckknives.com/product/brahma-knife/0119BRS1-B/