Axe Skills

Axe Skills Practice Requires Adult Supervision

Camp Craft

An axe is the perfect tool for making all kinds of camp craft.  Start with the basic Tent Stake.  Skills used to make this item are used to make all sorts of Camp Items.

Contact Method for Chopping Wood with Hatchet

For chopping a stick in two, hold the axe edge against the stick to be cut on a slant to the grain rather than straight across the stick.  Raise the stick and axe together and bring them down hard together on the block.  

Using Wedges

Wedges will allow you to split wood that may too difficult to do with an axe alone and can make difficult splitting tasks a breeze. 

Limbing

Limbing is the act of removing limbs from a downed tree.  Done improperly, limbing is very dangerous.

Safety Notes:

• The lager the tree, the greater the risk

• Limbs may be propping up trunk

• Limbing may result in trunk move, rolling or slamming to ground

Rules to Limbing

1. Inspect tree and Note which limbs are supporting trunk

2. Ensure clear path should trunk move

3. Position body so trunk shields you from axe

   • You will have to Zig Zag

4. Start limbing at base of tree and work towards top of tree

5. Larger limbs may require notching 

Bucking

Bucking is cutting a larger trunk into smaller logs.  This makes it easier to move the wood and can allow you to size it for chopping into firewood.

Safety Notes:

• If axe cuts through log or deflects, there is danger of hitting your leg

• Position feet well apart while still maintaining a stable stance 

• If you are using a short axe, use a kneeling position to avoid leg injuries 

Position

• Smaller Trees - stand uphill from trunk

• Larger Trees - stand on trunk

Rules to Bucking

1. Chop a large V-Notch

   • 35-45° angle

   • Notch should be twice as wide as the trunk’s diameter or larger

2. Sharp blade if essential

   • Dull blade will glance off trunk

3. Big trees are Big Jobs - take breaks

4. Take care when notch gest close to cutting through

   • Hitting ground will damage blade

   • Cutting through unexpectedly can result in you hitting your foot

   • Will log roll away or spring towards you?

Felling

Felling is cutting down a tree.  Felling is dangerous and they don't always fall where you think they will.

Felling should NOT be performed without the permission of the Land Owner or without a qualified Adult supervsing the job. 

Sharpening an Axe

When needed, touch up the edge with an 8-inch flat mill file.

The key to filing an axe is placing the head in a secure position and avoid cutting your hand on the blade.  A vise works great for holding and axe head.  In the field, a log and a peg will support your axe head nicely (see picture).

Kneel on one knee and place your free foot on the handle to keep the axe steady.  Place the file on the edge and push down hard.  File the whole edge with long, even, straight strokes, working along the blade from one end to the other.  Keep the file in light contact with the edge on teh return strokes.  Work slowly and with care, holding your file firmly to avoid cutting your fingers.  When you have done one side, turn the axe over and do the other side.  Finish with a few honing strokes of the sharpening stone. 

When using a stone to hone your axe, use circular motions to smooth and polish the edge.  Like a knife, axes will also burr if sharpened incorrectly. 

Hod the head of teh axe in one hand in such a way that the handle points up and away from you and rub the dry stone over the edge with a circular motion, from one end of the edge to the other.  Then turn the axe over with the handle now pointing down and hone the other side in the same way, until the edge is so keen that it no longer shows up as a bright line when you look at it. 

Axe Repair

Handles wear out and break from abuse and accidental mis-strikes.  Heads can also come loose from the handle.  It happens.

Part of Axe Use is repairing a handle.  

Wedge

An axe head needs to fit securely on an axe handle.  Tighten thing up by hammering a wedge into the top of the handle to make things really tight.  

A wedge can be made from wood and properly sized will work great.  Metal wedges are also available and come in flat and barrel shapes.  Barrel wedges work great to tighten things up. 

Soaking

A temporary fix for an axe head that's a little loose is to soak it overnight in water.  Water may get you through an outing until you can do more permanent fix.  

Better than soaking in water is soaking in Linseed or Tung Oil.  Pour some oil in a large Ziplock bag and stick leave the axe head to soak overnight or longer. 

Replacing Handle

This can be quite the task to get everything just right.  

Note - don't hit your new handle with a metal hammer or back of a hatchet - you will damage it.  For pounding, use a wood baton to do the job. 

If you are in a wilderness situation, you can use a straight stick as a handle.  A straight handle will save you many hours of carving and get the job done.  The old handle can be removed by placing the axe head in a fire to burn out the stuck remnants of the handle. 

Resources

• Scout Skills Use of Axes and Saws INFORMATION SHEET

• scouts.org.uk - Using axes and saws safely