Making tent (or whatever) stakes

[ninja-elbow]

This thread is more a personal affirmation of something that I can now do in confidence. First, I must mention that we all have strengths and weaknesses. In the bushcraft world I have a few weaknesses, making tent stakes is one of them. Seems rather simple, no? Well, I am one that can turn this chore into real drama. About 10 years ago I solved this problem by buying a crap-pot full of aluminum stakes and putting then in all my kits. Problem solved...

... until car camping a few weekends ago.

My tent, a cir 2004-2005 REI Half Dome, needs 4 stakes for the tent and 2 for the rainfly to be effective. It was raining most of the weekend so I needed my tent to be effective. I poured out the guy-line and stakes pouch and low and behold, 5 stakes and not 6.

Well, stakes being my bane, I'm well read on what makes a good stake. I have my axe and Mora knife. I just re-read Kochanski's Bushcraft last winter. I'm in front of a bunch of kids who look up to me like I'm some mountain man that their parents aren't. I'm the president of a ZS chapter. Hear I go again.

I looked at the 2 boys helping me out and said, "Boys, let's make some tent stakes!" Stay tuned for part II

[ninja-elbow]

I am lacking many photos as I had to both watch some kids, teach the boys knife safety, set up my camp in the rain but here are the photos I did get of my awesome tent stake:

stake at work

stake at ease


and, the infamous "Chucken", this bastard is everywhere up to and including my just set up tent.


Next, after I finish my morning coffee here, how I made my magical tent stake.

[ninja-elbow]

This process may seem complicated but it is the first time I did it this way and the first time I made a tent stake that worked.

1) found a good "fire wood" log about the the size of a wrist and about 12 inches long.
2) Batoned it (for the practice, I had my axe with me) into quarters. 3/4 of the material to the firewood.
3) Batoned the last quarter to about the size of my big-ass thumb.
4) Using this oppurtunity to teach some young boys the finer art of using a knife to whittle, I carved the stick in half. I did knick myself in the thumb as the boys watched and I used this as an oppurtunity to show them that blood does not = panic and drama. No need for Mommy when you see a drop of blood.
5) After halving my stick, I made sure we had some good flat sides on the body of the stake. The flatter the sides are on your stake, the better they'll hold in wet dirt I have read and been told.
6) I sharpened my tip first with carving then with some scraping. You gotta' make this smooth as the tip needs to go in as effortlessly as possible for many reasons: going deep, less pressure on the body while being driven so the body of the stake is structurally sound to do it's job.
A) I need to mention that when I did the last step, I used a piece of firewood as a work rest. I held the tip of the stake against the firewood and carved down. I let the Mora blade do the work and moved from the shoulder and carved into the work rest. When I got the stake tip into shape I then finished it to smooth with some shaving.

Using the spall of my axe I drove the stake into the packed but soaked dirt at a 30degree or so angle and set the rainfly loop over it and tightened it to taste. When I pulled it hte next day I had to use my multitool plyers as it would not come out by hand alone.

[airballrad]

Good writeup. I have done this a few times when I came up short on stakes, and even at home when trying to stake down lawn decorations on a windy day. I can never seem to find the plastic ones I purchased from the hardware store, so I just make them from lumber scraps.

One addition to your method; I usually notch the stake toward the top to keep the guyline/tent loop from popping off if it's windy. The top of the notch is perpendicular to the stake body, and the bottom of the notch comes in at a 45 degree angle from the body. This wasn't necessary in your case because of the angle of the stake, but it's sometimes handy to have more leeway on the angle chosen, especially in rocky ground.

[aa1pr]

Gotta love the expression on your Chucken !!

Nice writeup.

[chimpac]

What about burning the sharp end a bit in a flame to make the wood harder.
I saw this done somewhere to make a wood spear.

[DaJoker]

Good writeup. A nice alternative to trying to hammer bent stakes back into shape.

[ninja-elbow]

What about burning the sharp end a bit in a flame to make the wood harder.
I saw this done somewhere to make a wood spear.

Hmmnn... good concept. Might be over engineering maybe? I honestly don't know.

[maddmatt]

Here is my quick stake technique.

[Sanders]

Very nice guide. I had to do this myself a lot back when I was in scouts. Those stakes always seem to sprout legs and walk off

[ninja-elbow]

Here is my quick stake technique.

I've tried these many times - the main problem I had was finding the Y branch. You'd think it is easy in the PNW; and it is, until Ol' NE needs them. I'll keep my eye out though next time I'm out and just make them when I don't need them.

[maddmatt]

Here is my quick stake technique.

I've tried these many times - the main problem I had was finding the Y branch. You'd think it is easy in the PNW; and it is, until Ol' NE needs them. I'll keep my eye out though next time I'm out and just make them when I don't need them.

I really like to use a branch from the American Hornbeam tree. They are all over the river banks here, and they posses an extremely dense wood that is great for tool handles. Their branches are also covered in forked limbs.

[Woods Walker]

Good thead.

I mostly just sharpen one end of a green or non punky deadwood stick with the knife and saw the other flat though a knife will work for the hammer end too. For me this is a keep it simple type thing done on the fly if any pegs are MIA. Wooden pegs hold very well.

[JoeTosco]

I've also made it with bamboo, works great.

Just get the bamboo, about an inch and a half thick, cut in 8" or so sections, split in half, and carve a point and grooves for the cord.

Done!

They are perfect for sand, because of the round shape.

That was the main reason I made them, about 15 years ago.

[ninja-elbow]

Are you still using them Joe?

[JoeTosco]

Gave them to a friend after he fell in love with their superior efficiency over the regular ones.

But as I said, they are so easy to make, that I can get a new set if needed.

[ninja-elbow]

Awesome, I'm going to try that next time I find some good bamboo stalks. Should'nt be hard around here. Thanks for the tip.

[JoeTosco]

Today I was doing a bunch of nothing at work, and started to think about this topic.

A few minutes later, I had a series of edited pics showing the idea behind the bamboo stakes.

Step 1: Find the right sized bamboo.


Step 2: Cut the desired lenght and split in half.


Step 3: Cut the point and carve some grooves for the strings, and you are done.


I think the idea is so simple that requires no image at all, but then again, I was bored.

[ninja-elbow]

Thanks. I was doing some yard work last weekend and made some smaller guaged ones as all I had handy was smaller bamboo. They would work but I really need to find some of the bigger stuff.

[dogbane]

I like this thread. I've had to make a few expedient stakes myself.

[bystander]

In the Old Boy Scouts, one needed to earn a "Totin Chip" card to carry a sheath knife or wield an axe. The practical test was making a tent stake, complete with notch for the guy line, using only an axe.

As an aside, any time a leader caught a Scout doing something unsafe with and edged tool, he cut a corner off of the guilty party's card. Lose all your corners, you lose your sheath knife and axe.

[JoeTosco]

In the Old Boy Scouts, one needed to earn a "Totin Chip" card to carry a sheath knife or wield an axe. The practical test was making a tent stake, complete with notch for the guy line, using only an axe.

As an aside, any time a leader caught a Scout doing something unsafe with and edged tool, he cut a corner off of the guilty party's card. Lose all your corners, you lose your sheath knife and axe.

Sounds fair. That way the boy can learn to treat blades the right way.

[JoeTosco]

Yesterday was independence day in Brazil, and I used the day for testing my new hammock and tarp.

Since the objective was merely testing, I didn't bother to make pretty stakes, just functional ones.

That's the result:









As I said, not a thing of beauty, but get's the job done.

[ninja-elbow]

Wow, good job. I never thought to auger a hole through the stake itself but I can see the advantages.