TotinChipReading

Boy Scout Handbook, 11th edition, p. 77-

POCKETKNIFE

Ever need to cut a rope? Open a can of food? Whittle a tent stake, slice a biscuit, or punch a hole in a belt? Want to tighten a screw on a pack frame, make wood shavings to start a fire, or trim a bandage?

A pocketknife can help you with all those tasks and hundreds more. A good knife for general use has a can opener, a screwdriver, and one or two blades for cutting. As handy as knives are to bring on outdoor activities, however, you should never take a knife into secured areas such as schools and airports.

SAFE KNIFE USE

• Do keep the blade closed except when in use.
• Do cut away from yourself.
• Do close the blade before passing the knife to someone else.
• Do keep your knife sharp and clean. A sharp blade is easer to control than a dull one.
• Do obey any school regulations that prohibit carrying knives on school property.
• Do use a knife only within your safety circle. Hold the closed knife in your hand, extend your arm straight in front of you ,andturn all the way around, creating an imaginary circle. If no one or nothing is inside that circle, you can safely use your knife.
• Don't carry a knife with the blade open.
• Don't throw a knife.
• Don't cut toward yourself. If the blade slips, you could be injured.
• Don't strike a knife with another tool or prywith the point of a cutting blade. The knife could bend or break.

Note: The B.S.A. does not encourage the use of large sheath knives. They are heavy, awkward to carry, and unnecesary for most camp chores.

Taking Care of a Pocketknife

Most modern pocketnives are made of a metal that won't rust. However, dirt and lint can collect inside, and normal use will dull the blade.

Cleaning

Open all of the blades. Twirl a small bit of cloth onto the end of a toothpick, moisten the cloth with light oil, and wipe the inside of the knife. If you have used your pocketknife to cut food or to spread peanut butter and jelly, get rid of bacteria by washing the blade in hot, soapy water along with the rest of your dishes.

Sharpening

Shapren your knife with a whetstone. Most whetstones are made of granite or other materials harder than knife metal. Some experts put waer on the stone when they are sharpening, some use light oil, and others keep the stone dry. The choice depends upon the kind of stone as well as individual preference.

For general-use knives, hold the blade against the stone at an angle of about 30 degrees. That means the back of the blade will be tilted off the stone one-third of the way to vertical. The blades of special-use knives, such as those used by whittlers, may be sharpened at angles as small as 10 degrees to produce a kener, though less durable, edge.

Push the blade along the stone as though you were slicing a layer off the top, or move the the blade against the stone in a circular motion. Sharpen the other side of the blade in the same manner.

Wipe the knife with a clean cloth and examine the edge of the blade in the sun or under a bright light. A cutting edge reflects the light and loks shiny. A sharp edge is so thin that is has no shine at all.

CAMP SAW

A camp saw is the right tool for most outdoor woodcutting. The blades of folding saws close into their handles, much like the blades of pocketknives. Bow saws have surves metal frames that hold their blades in place.

When cutting firewood, brace the piece of wood against a chopping block, sawhorse, or other solid support. Use long, smooth strokes and let the weight of the saw pull the blade into the wood.

Clearing branches and brush from a hiking trail is a conservatino project you might do with your patrol or troop. To saw a branch from a tree, make an undercut first, then saw from the top down. The undersut prevents the falling branch from stripping bark off the trunk. A clean cut close to the trunk won't leave an unsightly "hat rack" that might snag the clothing of hikers. Cut saplings level with the ground so that there are no stumps to trip over.

Treat every say with the same respect you give your pocketknife. Close folding saws when they aren't in use and store them in a tent or unde the dining fly. Protect the blade of a bow saw with a sheath made froman old garden hose cut to the length of the blade. Cut a slit along the length of the hose, fit it over the blade, and hoold it in place with duct tape or cord.

The teeth on saw blades are set - bent so that they cut two thin grooves in the wood and then rake out the shavings in between. Even with the best care, the teeth will slowly lose their set and will bind in the wood. Bow saw blades are replaceable and are not expensive. Take along a spare if you will have a lot of cutting to do.

AXE

The axe has a long and colorful history in America's forests. Pioneeers used axes to cut trails and roads through the wilderness. Settlers chopped down trees to make way for gardens and fields. With their axes, frontier craftsmen shaped boards and beams for buildings.

Today, axes can be used to split firewood, clear fallen trees from backcountry trails, and complete conservation projects on pathways and in campgrounds. As with all woods tools, using an axe safely requires practice and common sense.

Safe tool

An axe must be in top condition. If the head is loose or the blade is dull, don't use it. Report an unsae tool to your Scoutmaster and either help repair it or reetire it from duty.

Safe Working Area

You must have plenty of room in which to swing an axe. Check your clearance by holding your axe by the head and slowly swinging the handle at arm's length all around you. Select an area that is free of brush and branches. Be certain other people stay at least ten feet away while you are cutting.

In a long-term camp using lots of firewood, rope off an axe yard large enough to provide the space you need to work, and enter the yard only to chop and saw wood. Clean up chips, bark, and other cutting debris when you are finished.

Safe technique

Chopping branches off a log is called limbing. Stand on the side of the log opposite the branch you want to remove. Chop close to the base of the branch, driving the axe into the topside of the limb. Keep the log between you and your cuts. If the axe misses the branch, the blade will hit that log rather than you leg.

Cutting through a log is known as bucking. Hold the axe with one hand near the head and the other close to the knob of the handle. Lift the head above your shouulder, then slide your hands together and swing the bit (the cutting edge) into the log. Let the falling weight of the axe head do most of the work. Slide your hand back down the handle to the head, lift the axe, and swing it again. Aim your blows so that you cut a V-shaped notch twice as wide at the top of the log as the log is thick.

Splitting wood is best done on a chopping block, a piece of log that provides a solid, flat surface. A poor swing of the axe will send the bit into the block rather than toward your feet.

To split a large chunk of wood, stand it upright on the chopping block and drive the axe into the end of it. If the wood doesn't split, remove the axe before swinging it again. Do not swing an axe with a piece of wood stuck on the bit.

Split a small stick with the contact method by placing the axe bit against the stick. Lift the stick and axe together and bring them down against the block, forcing the bit into the wood. Twist the axe to break the pieces apart.

Safe Carrying

Place a sheath over an axe blade whenever it is not in use. Carry an axe at your side in one hand, with the blade turned out from your body. If you stumble, toss the axe away from yourself as you fall. Never carry an axe on your shoulder - the axe bit will be too close to your neck and head.

Safe Handling

Hand an axe to another person by holding the handle with the axe head down. Pass it with the bit turned away from both of you. When the other person has a grip on the handle, he should say, "Thank you." That's your signal to realse your hold.

Safe Storage

Sheathe your axe and store it under the dinig fly or in a tent to keep it dry, found, and safely out of the way.

Sharpening an Axe

Keep your axe sharp with an 8- or 10-inch-long mill bastard file. The lines across the face of the file are its teeth. They angle away fro mthe point, or tang. A sharp file will br drab gray. A silvery shine means a file has broken teeth that won't work very well.

Wear leather gloves to protect your hands as you sharpen with a file. Make a knuckle guard by boring a small hole in a 3-inch-square piece of leather, plywood, or an old inner tube, slipping it over the tang of the file, and holding it in place with a file handle. You can buy a handle at a hardware store or make one from a piece of wood or a dry corncob.

Brace the axe head on the ground between a log about 6 inches in diameter and two wooden pegs or tent stakes. Anotehr Scout can help hold the axe steady. lace the file on the edge of the blade and push it into the bit. Use enough pressure so that you feel the file cutting the axe metal.

Lift the file as you draw it back for another stroke. A file sharpens only when you are pushing it away from the tang. Dragging the file across the blade in the wrong direction will break the teeth and ruin the file.

Sharpen with firm, even strokes. After you have filed one side of the bit, turn the axe around and sharpen the other side iwth the same nubmer of strokes. A dull edge reflects light; continue to file until the edge seems to disappear.