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Requirements

Level 1

Level 2

Level 3

1. Knife

Safety in knife use comes first.

1. Show that you can safely use a pocketknife.
2. Show that you know what all parts are for, how to pass a pocketknife safely (even if it cannot be folded), how to open a pocketknife, and how the lock works.
3. Open a can with the opener, drive a screw into a piece of wood, or use another pocketknife tool for its proper purpose.
4. Make a stick for baking bread over the campfire. Remove part of the bark and do this so that you move only the stick and not your knife.

There are different grips for using a knife.

1. Show that you master the following grips:

• knee grip (forehand grip)
• chest lever
• reinforced grip
• chest lever
• potato grip

1. Using your knife, make a wooden tent stake with a sharp point and a notch for a rope. Mind your cutting technique and the right grip to work safely and in control.

With a knife you can apply multiple cutting techniques.

1. Look up what a trystick is and explain what all the notches are for, which cutting techniques you use for them, and how they work.
2. Make your own trystick.
3. Explain and show what batoning is.

Tip: If you do not (yet) have a pocketknife with multiple tools, you can perhaps borrow one from your leaders or another scout.

1. Axe

Learn to handle an axe safely. For practice, use only the haft of an axe or, for example, a hammer.

1. Show how to pass an axe safely.
2. Explain how much space you need and what else you must consider when chopping.

Small wood is best chopped with a hand axe--an axe you can hold in one hand.

1. Show how to chop through a small log.
2. Show how to chop a V-notch.
3. Indicate what to pay attention to in order to chop well and safely.
4. Indicate what can make chopping difficult.
5. Name examples of three different types of hand axes and explain what you use them for.

Chopping large logs or felling trees is done with a large axe with a long haft, held with two hands. These axes are often called (half) axe, but may have other names.

1. Show how to chop through a large log.
2. Show how to use a wedge.
3. Show how to split wood.
4. Find out what a kindling cracker is and how to use it safely.
5. Name examples of five different types of large axes and explain what you use them for.

1. Saw

Wood can be worked in many ways, including with a saw.

1. Show how to use a coping saw and how to replace its blade.
2. Using a coping saw, cut a shape out of a piece of wood (tip: plywood or multiplex works best).

To divide wood into smaller pieces or prune branches you can also use a bow/hacksaw.

1. Show how to use a bow/hacksaw or frame saw and how to pass these saws safely.
2. Explain what these saws are suitable for.
3. Saw a flat disk from a log with a diameter of at least fifteen centimeters.

There are different types of saws, each used in its own way.

1. Show how to use a folding saw and how to pass it safely.
2. Show how to use a two-man crosscut saw. Saw through a large log and demonstrate how to do this alone and with two people.
3. Explain what these saws are suitable for.

1. Knowledge and Maintenance

Good knowledge of materials is important.

1. Explain which wood you may use for carving, bread sticks, or other woodwork without damaging nature.
2. Show how to clean a pocketknife and what to do if parts are stuck.

Learning to chop, saw, and carve sustainably means, among other things, not cutting into living trees and plants and maintaining your tools well.

1. Explain which wood you may or may not use when chopping, sawing, and carving and what to consider when choosing wood.
2. Name suitable wood types for carving and give pros and cons of different species.
3. Show how to sharpen a pocketknife.
4. Show how to store axes and saws after use.

Tools wear over time and sometimes need replacing. With good, sustainable maintenance, tools last longer and you need to buy new ones less often.

1. Show that you know how to replace the following:

• the haft of an axe
• the blade of a hand/bow saw
• and/or frame saw
• the blade of a folding saw

1. Show how to sharpen an axe.
2. Explain how to store knives, axes, and saws sustainably for a longer time.

1. Decorative Work

To practice carving you can also use fruits and vegetables.

1. Show that you know how to use a paring knife, for example by peeling an apple and slicing cucumber sticks.
2. To learn carving, start with soft woods such as willow or linden. Show safe knife use by carving a simple figure in a piece of wood, such as a small face or a simple pattern (think stripes, dots, or a star).

Tip: Use fresh wood; it carves more easily. Do not cut or pull wood from trees--use fallen branches or, for example, check the green bin in your neighborhood.

You can make beautiful decorative and functional items from wood.

1. Make a piece from fresh wood, such as a gnome or other figure, a tally stick, or a spatula or spoon.

Let it dry first and sand it smooth, from coarse to fine sandpaper.

1. Finish the item nicely. Ensure that a functional item can actually be used.

There are special techniques for making decorative works.

1. Make a piece incorporating chip carving² and kohlrosing³.