Knife

The knife is you number one tool in your 10 essentials.  We talk about knife options in our Knife Gear Section.  Proper knife selection is important, but more importantly, you also need to know how to use it. 

Skills List

• Blood Circle

• Sharpening

• Cutting rope

• Shaving wood

• Scraping with spine

• Baton splitting wood

• Beaver Chew

• Ferrorod with spine

• Make a Tent Stake

We discuss Knife use on our Swiss Army Knife Skills and Knife Skills Page.

Axe

The Axe, to include a hatchet, is the most dangerous tool a Scout will use.  Proper understanding and use of an axe will reduce the risk of injury and prevent catastrophic injuries such as amputation of limbs.  

NOTE: Leather Gloves and Leather Boots will NOT prevent an axe from amputating what's under them.

Skills List

• Blood Circle

• Axe Yard

• Chopping with long-handle axe on a Chopping Block

• Chopping with short-handle axe (Hatchet) while kneeling 

• Limbing

• Baton Hatchet

• Hatchet parallel to wood

• Splitting with Wood Wedge

• Safe Storage

• Sharpening

We discuss Knife use on our Axe Skills Page.