Types of Woods Tools
The woods tools you will generally encounter in Scouting are :
Saws
Saws used for camping generally have large, coarse teeth compared to saws for carpentry.
Bowsaws have a thin blade and a rounded or triangular frame, like an archer's bow.
Folding saws are bowsaws that are built to fold up for safe packing.
Two-man cross-cut saws and chainsaws are generally not found in a Scouting environment, and should only be used by adults who are trained and can use them safely.
Saws are used for large projects: felling trees, cutting logs, removing large limbs.
Axes and Hatchets: Axes are two-handed choppers, either double-bit or single-bit.
Axes are for large jobs: felling and limbing trees, splitting logs
Hatchets or hand axes are one-handed tools, always single-bit.
Hatchets are good for intermediate jobs: limbing small branches, splitting firewood.
Knives
Knives are for cutting things on a personal level. There are more types of knives than you will ever need to deal with, each designed for a specific job. For Scouting you want a folding pocket knife, like the classic Scout knife or the Swiss Army Knife
Other woods tools you might encounter, such as post-hole diggers, peaveys, splitting wedges and sledges, are not covered in this material.
Safe Scouting
The Guide to Safe Scouting (online at http://www.scouting.org/nav/enter.jsp?s=ba ) says :
A sharp pocketknife with a can opener on it is an invaluable backcountry tool. Keep it clean, sharp, and handy. Avoid large sheath knives. They are heavy and awkward to carry, and unnecessary for most camp chores except for cleaning fish. Since its inception, Boy Scouting has relied heavily on an outdoor program to achieve its objectives. This program meets more of the purposes of Scouting than any other single feature. We believe we have a duty to instill in our members, youth and adult, the knowledge of how to use, handle, and store legally owned knives with the highest concern for safety and responsibility. Remember - knives are not allowed on school premises, nor can they be taken aboard commercial aircraft.
A pocketknife is often all you need. - Do not carry or encourage sheath knives - Know how to use it, handle it, and store it - If it can't be done safely, it can't be done.
For all woods tools, the most important safety rule is :
A Sharp Tool Is Safer Than A Dull Tool
A dull knife cannot be controlled. A dull axe forces you to work harder. A saw with dull or broken teeth will skip and bind in the cut. All these hazards can be avoided by taking proper care of the tool.
When you pass a tool to another person, make sure the cutting edge is pointed away from both of you. The person who is receiving the tool says 'Thank you' when she has a firm grip; this tells the other person that it is safe to let go.
Saws
Before you start: Always wear protective eyewear and work gloves when using saws. Make sure the area around you is safe: clear branches that could foul you, logs you could trip over. Make sure other people keep their distance.
When you are using a saw to cut a log, brace the log in a sawbuck, or roll it firmly against a chopping block or something else solid. Use long strokes, and let the saw cut the wood; do not try to force the blade down into the cut (called the kerf).
When you are using the saw to cut limbs on a standing tree, cut as close to the trunk as possible, to minimize stubs that stick out and catch people. If you undercut the branch, then saw down into the undercut, the weight of the limb will help you cut, and you will not tear the bark on the tree as the branch comes off.
When you store a saw, carefully wipe down the blade to remove wood chips and sawdust that might rust the blade. Clean off pine sap and other sticky materials. Bowsaws should have a sheath for the blade; folding saws will fold the blade into the handle to protect it.
To sharpen a bow saw or folding saw: get a replacement blade at OSH. Hand-filing all those teeth to maintain the angle of cut is more work than it's worth.
Axes and Hatchets
Before you start: Always wear protective eyewear and work gloves when using axes or hatchets. Make sure the area around you is safe: clear branches that could foul you, logs you could trip over. Make sure other people keep their distance. If you are in a long-term camp, set up an axeyard with a perimeter rope to keep people outside, and oriented so that flying chunks don't go towards people's tents.
Each time you use an axe or hatchet, make sure the head is on securely
Felling a tree with an axe is a waste of vitamins. Use a saw to fell the tree and then use the axes to limb it so you can get it back to the axeyard. When you limb a tree, stand on the opposite side of the trunk from the branch, and chop down into the crotch of the limb. If you chop up from the base of the trunk, the axe can skip and slide.
When you split wood with an axe or hatchet, have a safe, firm, chopping block to work on. Do not work on bare dirt or rock, it can damage the blade. Do not use a rounded surface, or the wood may fall over at a bad moment. Hold the wood upright, and drive the axe into it.
If you are doing wholesale wood splitting, you may want to use a wedge and sledge; that is not covered here.
The cutting edge of the axe or hatchet should be clean and covered with a leather sheath when not in use.
When you pass an axe or hatchet, hold it with the head down and the blade pointed away from both of you. The person receiving the axe should grip the handle lower than the person who is passing it.
When you walk with an axe or hatchet, grip it by the back of the head, with the sheathed edge pointing away from you. If you fall, the edge will be outwards and you won't fall on it.
Axes and hatchets are sharpened with a flat mill file. The file should have a guard between the handle and the rough surface. WEAR YOUR WORK GLOVES! Place the hatchet on the ground, edge up, leaning against something solid like a chopping block, and secure it with tent pegs or something so it won't fall over. Run the file over the edge, pushing downwards, at about a 30-degree angle. Run the file smoothly from the top of the edge to the bottom. Take several strokes, then reverse the axe and do the same on the other side. Remember, you are not creating a knife-edge surface but a smooth wedge.
Many camps have tomahawks as part of their Field Sports program. These are meant for throwing, but can also be used are regular hatchets. Make sure your Scouts know that tomahawk-throwing is ONLY to be done on the range, with supervision!
Knives
A good pocketknife is your most versatile camping tool. You do not need a fifty-blade multitool with toothpick, fish scaler, corkscrew and satellite dish. The classic Boy Scout knife or the small Swiss Army knife is usually all you need: a cutting blade, a screwdriver, and awl. The scissors on the Swiss Army knife is handy, but so is the can opener on the Boy Scout knife.
Sheath knives and boot knives should never be worn in a Scout camp. There is nothing at camp that they can do that a folding knife can't do as well, and they have a tendency to come unsheathed at bad times.
Before you start, make sure you are sitting someplace secure, and no one is in range if your knife slips. Boy Scouts are often taught to do this by moving their arm, without the knife in hand, in a circle around them, and making sure no one is inside that circle except them. They like to call this a blood circle, which is picturesque, but helps them remember to do it!
When you cut with a knife, hold the wood firmly and cut away from yourself (whittlers often cut towards themselves, which is why they carry Band-Aids). Make small, shallow strokes; if you have to remove a lot of wood, you should be using a hatchet. You can practice your technique by making a fuzz-stick : a stick of soft wood with small cuts that do not remove the wood, creating a fuzzy edge.
The safe way to pass a knife is to fold it, and then pass it. Say 'Thank You' to make sure both parties know who has control.
Today's knives are usually made of a rust-resistant steel; older knives used a high-carbon steel that is prone to rust. Keep your knife clean and shiny by wiping the blade down after each use; if you used it to cut food, run it through the wash with the rest of your camp dishes, to be sure food doesn't stay inside and rot. Use a Q-tip and some light machine oil to lubricate the hinges and inside of the knife case. Some silicone oil sprayed into the hinges lets them work smoothly (WD-40 attracts dirt).
There are many ways of sharpening knives: stones, steel, diamond rods, doo-dads from Ronco. The most widely-used method is with a whetstone. Some stones are meant to be lubricated with oil, some with water, some dry; check on the stone when you buy it. A stone with lubricant will not heat the blade as much, so there is less chance of damaging the temper (the ability of the steel to hold an edge).
Place the stone on a flat surface and lubricate it (if needed). Hold the knife with the edge away from you, and place it on the stone so that the flat of the blade is at about a 20-degree angle to the stone. Note: some people will say 10 degrees, some say 30 degrees; it depends on the steel, and what the blade is used for. A shallower angle will get a sharper edge, but a less durable one, too. Gently push the knife away from you, maintaining an even pressure on the blade, until it reaches the far end of the stone. Lift it, bring it back, and do it again five or six times. Then turn the knife over and do the other side. Maintain the same angle on both sides. You may need to slide the knife across the stone as you push it, to sharpen the entire edge.
Check your knife's edge by holding the knife edge-on to a bright light, and looking along it. A dull spot will show as a bright line; a nick will be a bright spot. A sharp edge will not reflect light. You can also test your knife by cutting a small twig or pencil. Cutting paper to test the edge often tears the paper instead of testing the edge. Do NOT test your knife by shaving your arm, or running your thumb along the edge, or any other part of your body! A Scout who sees you do this is going to get badly cut some day!
Last update 1/4/16 jfr