SECOND CLASS SCOUT

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 ax into the topside of the limb. Keep the log between you and your cuts. If the ax misses the branch, the blade will hit the log rather than your leg. .

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

Splitting wood is best done on a chopping block, a piece of a log that provides a solid, flat surface. A poor swing of the ax 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 ax into the end of it. If the wood doesn't split, remove the ax before swinging it again. Do not swing an ax with a piece of wood stuck on the hit.

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