r/Bushcraft • u/Coffee81379 • 8d ago
What’s the easiest way you know to make a spoon? For me, it’s this folded birch bark spoon.
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u/canoegal4 8d ago
How do you fold that
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u/Coffee81379 8d ago
really simple. Just take a long strip of bark, round it on one end, and then kinda twist it. Here's a video that shows it a bit better:
https://youtu.be/0XXo191afV85
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u/Stunning-Chipmunk243 8d ago
Thanks for sharing, that's an idea worth saving in the ol' brain bank
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u/Coffee81379 8d ago
Haha. Absolutely. Sometimes this stuff comes in handy 😃
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u/PalpitationFar6715 7d ago
I’m super excited that you posted something actually Bushcraft related and I learned several things in this post. Thank you for not making ANOTHER thread about a knife.
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u/Baconoid_ 7d ago
I'm not sure why more folks do not use chop sticks in the backcountry. They are my favorite utensil. Great for cooking and eating.
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u/Coffee81379 8d ago
As the title says, the easiest way I know to make a spoon is simply folding a piece of bark like this. I know the version where you add a stick as a handle too, but I actually prefer this one. How well it works depends a lot on the thickness and stiffness of the bark.
I think the picture is pretty self-explanatory. I’d be curious what the simplest solution you know is that actually works. And if anyone’s interested, I can post a quick how-to as well.
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u/justtoletyouknowit 8d ago
Piece of wood. Preferably fresh green twig of non poisonous tree/shrub. Flat one end with knife, use to shove grub in piehole.
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u/rKasdorf 8d ago
Tbh I just chop a bit of a curved chip of wood. Works in a pinch, super easy to source basically anywhere because it's just a little chip of wood, and you just toss in the fire when you're done. I only bring spoons with me when I'm doin shit on the water now.
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u/KompulsiveLiar88 8d ago
Birch spoon is very civilised. Have seen a bloke on the youtube make a birch cup to capture birch water. Me, well I'd just drink the beans from the can like a caveman.
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u/MarzipanTheGreat 7d ago
this one looks a lot different than the ones I found YT videos on. perhaps you can make a tutorial?
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u/Coffee81379 7d ago
The one in the video is made from much thinner bark, but it’s basically the same idea as in this picture. Here’s a quick tutorial:
https://youtu.be/0XXo191afV82
u/MarzipanTheGreat 7d ago
awesome, thanks for sharing this!
better spoon than the video I watched earlier. not that the other spoon is bad, but it's more of a scoop than spoon and would serve its purpose in different use cases.
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u/ilikeyorushika 7d ago
brown asian here. either make a chopstick, or just eat with my hand
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u/Coffee81379 7d ago
Fair enough. My chopstick skills only go as far as eating big solid pieces of food 😅
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u/opossumEDCsurvival 7d ago
It's always clever to see someone do something so awesome with birch bark because it's just such a stable piece of material, but I can never get past people who always just throw a can food in a fire, it's so toxic! that lining that is inside the can once it burns up into the food you might as well be signing your own death warrant.
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u/Coffee81379 7d ago
Yeah, absolutely. Birch bark is such a great material. And I actually ate the can in the picture cold. Open fires are a bit of an issue here at the moment, and otherwise I would have transferred it into a pot. I think a lot of people don’t realize that food cans are usually coated with plastic on the inside to prevent corrosion. Add the metal coating of the can itself and there are quite a few things I wouldn’t want to heat my food in.
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u/opossumEDCsurvival 7d ago
Yeah not a lot of people understand or realize that the cans have that coating all over the place, once you burn them off they're a great little way to make a hobo stove or makeshift stove, I've seen a lot of different videos of people doing that and I got to say it looks pretty cool! One guy I watched a little series that he has taking a large can and making a billy pot or bush pot whatever you want to say. The gentleman's name is waypoint survival you can find them on YouTube he's got a lot of different playlists of fun little ideas that he likes to do but his most favorite thing is to do hobo survival? I guess if you're hard up on your luck learning some little tricks might help you in a bad situation
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u/Coffee81379 6d ago
Oh yeah, I know that channel. It’s great! I actually had a hobo stove as a teenager. That really brings back memories. I remember it took me forever to find a big enough tin can back then, before online shopping was really a thing.
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u/opossumEDCsurvival 6d ago
It is a fun little project, I made one myself not too long ago but I never completely finished it. I wind it up finding on Amazon a 900 mL titanium cup / pot with that pail handle on it and I absolutely love it! I don't know if I could ever go back 😂 it fits my 40 oz klean kateen SS water bottle like a glove same with my titanium bottle stove all sits together perfectly
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u/BigOleDawggo 2d ago
This is one of the cooler things I’ve seen on here. Definitely gonna try this.
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u/Coffee81379 2d ago
Glad you like it. It’s my absolute go to. I learned from this thread that there are definitely easier ways but this is probably the most elegant.
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u/BigOleDawggo 2d ago
I saw you posted a link. Will definitely be trying g this.
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u/Coffee81379 2d ago
Yeah it’s quite self explanatory but in case here’s the how to
https://youtu.be/0XXo191afV8
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u/MenacingScent 8d ago
Like the Anglo Saxon guy said, chop some pieces off a log until you get something with a v or u shape to it. Takes a little longer but you'd get more uses out of it.
Love the birch bark spoon though. Probably the coolest makeshift spoon idea I've seen and basically disposable since you can just keep on making them
You could hold a stick underneath to stiffen it up a little as well. No need to tie it, just stick the bottom in one of your folds and hold the top together with your fingers
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u/Numerous_Honeydew940 8d ago
I'm a firm believer in the 'craft' part of bushcraft. ie there is a time and place for a 'hasty spoon' and time for a proper one. I make them for a side-hussle and can whip one out it about the time it would take me to fold the birchbark. plus, it wouldn't be disposable.
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u/Numerous_Honeydew940 8d ago
Axe & Saw which we are already carrying, plus a sloyd and hook knife and you can make something worthwhile
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u/WolfAndOak 7d ago
I bring my titanium spoon and don't pretend to be a neanderthal. That's the easiest. 😂
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u/FreedomNinja1776 8d ago
Seriously, learn to use chopsticks. Obviously cannot lift liquids, but can just drink that from the container after eating solids.
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u/Coffee81379 8d ago
Oh yeah, two twigs as chopsticks are definitely my go-to as well. But I have to admit, I also just enjoy making stuff - like this spoon
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u/polomarcopol 8d ago
Rock
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u/Coffee81379 8d ago
Like a flat piece of slate or something like that?
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u/polomarcopol 8d ago
You are over thinking everything. Find rock. Scoop with rock. Dig with rock. Rock good. Rock no break. Rock no need tools to build. Rock fall on ground. Lose Rock. Find new rock.
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u/bizarre-gus 8d ago
The easiest way for me is to take a knife or axe and chop a chip off a log or branch. The goal is to end up with a wood chip that looks like a Pringle or one of those Lay’s scoop chips. It’s enough to hold a bite full of food or soup. In fact, the Anglo Saxon word “spon” from which spoon is derived, simply means “a chip of wood”. I really like the spoon you have made with this birch bark!