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Though both the axe & the hatchet are highly useful to the woodsman, weight usually eliminates one, & then the scout has the problem of selecting the best tool. Experts favor the sort axe which is carried in your pack – never on the belt. Select your type of axe just as you do a pair of shoes. It must ‘fit’ you in handle length, weight & appereance &, of course, must do the job at hand. The right axe soon become a reliable old friend.
Good axemen treat their axes like a wildcat does his teeth. • They keep the blade sharp enough to bite as well as chew. • A dull axe is dangerous, it slips & skips & does not cut. • Keep the handle tight with wedges. • Keep the axe off the ground. • It belongs its sheath or in a block, never where it is dangerous to yourself or others.
An axe is not a pick or a hoe. • But a poleaxe ( one with a flat surface opposite the blade) may be a hammer, maul, or wedge if it is struck only against or by wood. • 2 old loggers’s jingles to remember are – • “Clear the ground an axe length around,” • “On lookers stay two axe – lengths away,” -- to which we add that an axe length is the combined length of your arm & axe.
In passing the axe to another person, hold it by the handle, with head down, & be sure that the receiver has a firm grip on it before you let go. • Never leave an axe lying unprotected on the ground, the moisture of the soil will rust the blade. • Handle every axe as though it were “loaded.” • Use it with common sense as well as strength.
To Split Wood : • Put axe against wood & bring both down on chopping block together.
To Split a Log : • Rest it against chopping block together on side away from you FOR MAXIMUM POWER ( & SAFETY) USE BOTH HANDS IN SWINGING THE AXE, KEEPING THE STRONGER ARM NEARER THE BODY
To Chop a Stick : • Rest it across chopping block, with end in ground or under log FOR MAXIMUM POWER ( & SAFETY) USE BOTH HANDS IN SWINGING THE AXE, KEEPING THE STRONGER ARM NEARER THE BODY
When sharpening an axe, knife or a bolo always try to use an old fashioned whetstone. • It will take longer than if sharpened on a modern composition stone but the result will be much better. • If the axe, knife, bolo is badly nicked o very dull, start sharpening it with a fine file before using a stone. • There are whetstones that are embedded in woodblocks & this make for stability while sharpening. • Keep the whetstones firm otherwise it will take you a long time to sharpen your axe, or the result will not be satisfactory, or worse still, you might get hurt.
To Sharpen Axe, Knife or Bolo • Lay the blade flat on the whetstone. • Moisten the surface of the whetstone first with a few drops of oil or water. • With an edge towards you, raise the back very slightly & draw the blade over the stone toward you. • Later turn the blade over, edge away from you, and push it away from you for several strokes. • Continue working on the side, one rough & the other fine, use the rough side first & finish with the fine side.
A sharp knife or axe are signs of a “sharp” woodsman. Skill in keeping them sharp comes through practice. • With axe head embedded firmly in a log. File side of head gradually working to the cutting edge. • File contact with axe on the down stroke only. • Protect hand with a block of wood or a heavy guard of leather.
File the V-shaped part • File straight down on side of axe-head at first file same way on other side. • File at angle to axe only for the final sharpening. • Work in form the edge rounding slightly repeat on other side and then hone. • Use a rotary motion in holding your axe.
