Built-in Timepiece

[turnip]

I haven't seen anything about this on this site, and maybe a lot of you know 'bout this anyway, but thought I'd throw it out….

You can use your hand(s) as a timepiece. Place fingers together, straight (thumb has no part in this). For most hands, each finger would be about fifteen minutes, so the four together is an hour. Hold your hand up so that the bottom finger rests on your view of the horizon. Can then 'stack' your hands to see how long before sunset. If you know the approximate time of sunrise, or sunset, or where the sun is at noon for that time of year, you've always got a 'clock' with you. I've been able to know what the time is within five minutes.

If you have very large, or pencil-thin, fingers, you might need to adjust your time scale.

[Addreonynn]

My dad taught this to me but with my thumb. He called it the "thumb dial" I held my thumb up to four fingers for comparison, and waddya know?! My thumb is barely longer than the four of em! So if the fingers aren't accurate, try the thumb dial! and has anybody ever heard these?



I thought these would be very nice additions to kit. the solar one you just put the sun in the hole, and the star one you just put the north star in the hole.

we have methods of telling time like the one Turnip and Sindara mentioned and using the reverse 24 hour Cassiopeia clock for telling time at night, but these things are supposed to be accurate to 15 minutes! and there portable!!!

[Straelbora]

I have thick fingers, so I'd have to adjust.

I did most of my hiking and camping in Michigan, one of the cloudiest spots in North America, so a lot of things depending on sunlight and starlight were of little effect.

[Manveruon]

That's absolutely fascinating. I will definitely have to try that method myself.

[turnip]

You're right, Addreonynn! I measured my thumb and it is the same length as my four fingers. I love the Sun Dial and Star Dial. Where did you find those?
So, Straelbora, if you ever do get some sun, you could use your thumb like Addreonynn suggested.

[RikJohnson]

I have thick fingers, so I'd have to adjust.

Not necessarily.
The trick works on the proportion of fingers to arm length. so you shouldn't be more than 5 minutes off and really, who needs to be that exact?

[turnip]

This is all in great fun, and it is very enjoyable to be able to share little things like this with others. It shouldn't really matter whether you're 5 minutes off, or 30 minutes off. Unfortunately, our modern society is entirely too 'rushed'/ busy… now, a day in the woods - kind of transcends 'time'.

[turnip]

This is all in great fun, and it is very enjoyable to be able to share little things like this with others. It shouldn't really matter whether you're 5 minutes off, or 30 minutes off. Unfortunately, our modern society is entirely too 'rushed'/ busy… now, a day in the woods - kind of transcends 'time'.

And yes, Manveroun, it really does work!

[RikJohnson]

I have the one to the right but is was made for a differnt latitude, probably England, so I ran some contact paper inside and on 21 June (or the saturday closest), went outside every hour and marked the shadow to set it for Tucson (32 degrees).

I should also redo that every month to create a time-date graph as each day the sun rises and sets a minute earlier and later from Winter Solsticve to Summer Solstice, hwhne that reverses,

so the sundial is only as accurate as the date-chart.

[Rifter]

Anyone found any vids on the first technique that was discussed with the hands/ fingers. We have garden shops here that sell those sundials

[Stormraven]

I had one of these buried in a drawer. Had to dig it out now that you reminded me I had it. Thanks. Yeah, I'll add it to my kit.

[ineffableone]

I haven't seen anything about this on this site, and maybe a lot of you know 'bout this anyway, but thought I'd throw it out….

You can use your hand(s) as a timepiece. Place fingers together, straight (thumb has no part in this). For most hands, each finger would be about fifteen minutes, so the four together is an hour. Hold your hand up so that the bottom finger rests on your view of the horizon. Can then 'stack' your hands to see how long before sunset. If you know the approximate time of sunrise, or sunset, or where the sun is at noon for that time of year, you've always got a 'clock' with you. I've been able to know what the time is within five minutes.

If you have very large, or pencil-thin, fingers, you might need to adjust your time scale.

Yep I have been doing this for decades. I had to know sort of what time it was while out in the woods, as I could not be late for dinner or my mom would not let me out into the woods.

BTW Ron Hood popularized this method in his videos. While this was not invented by him (it has been around for centuries most likely), he is likely responsible for the resurgence of this knowledge in the modern era. He did some seriously cool stuff and I would highly recommend his videos and books to any rangers interested in picking up woods skills. Another good source of knowledge is The McPhersons, John and Geri. they do a series called Naked into the Wilderness, where they bring no tools or supplies, and teach how to use what is around you to make what you need.

Anyone found any vids on the first technique that was discussed with the hands/ fingers. We have garden shops here that sell those sundials

There are a bunch of them out there. As mentioned Ron Hood popularized the method but his videos are not on youtube, you have to buy them.

Here is just one of many videos talking about this method.



BTW another cool trick Ron Hood popularized in his videos that sadly aren't on youtube is this method of determining direction from the sun.

Thankfully someone else did their own version of the same knowledge.