End of April Break in Maine

Yesterday I successfully finished the most comprehensive section of the book: axemanship. As I began to outline some of the tests for which I have yet to write, I realized that the main purpose of this book is a helpful study guide for candidates who are at testing camp, as opposed to an explicit "textbook" for the program. Most of the skills that are tested in the JMG program are physical knowledge that require experiential learning.

The axemanship test however, is a tricky examination on which you can easily earn demerits that will result in a failing score. This section will remind the candidate what to do to make sure every action with the axe is a safe one.

"I. Axemanship - candidate should know how to use an axe, knife, and saw safely and comfortably.

- Remember to bring your own axe, saw, and knife (exact specifications explained below) with proper sheaths.

- Sheath your blades and/or stash them under wood when not in use; testers will demerit you for “leaving blades in the open.”

- Bring an axe that fits you

- Do not swing an axe over your head. While we teach axemanship one way at camp, JMG has rules that differ from ours. Make sure to follow theirs when they are testing you!

- Remember that your axemanship evaluation continues into your wet-day fire test. If you pass the axemanship test and are unsafe with your blades at wet-day fire, you could fail both.

- Always carry your tools with care; do not swing the axe around, toss your knife and saw when you are not using them, etc.

Examination:

1. Select a fallen tree-

    Make sure you choose a tree that is not going to be too difficult to saw through. You should take size into account, but also notice how soft/rotted or hard/green the wood is. Common sense will tell you what tree is a good choice.

2. Limb the branches off your tree-

Be sure to only be limbing the side of the tree that is opposite your legs. The tree should be in between your shins and the axe, and the axe should be cutting from the roots end to the top of the tree. When you have finished a side, go to the other side and do the same thing.

3. Saw a normal-sized billet off your fallen tree-

Try to avoid an area of the wood with a lot of knots. These will be a pain when you start splitting. When you are sawing, put the tree on top of something such as a rock or another piece of wood so that the tree is at an angle. As you cut through, the part sticking up in the air will help spread apart your cut and will make it easier to get all the way through.

4. Cut a “V” into your tree to use as a chopping block for the billet-

Using the axe, cut a “V” shape in the tree by making cuts back and forth on the tree.

5. Split your billet with the axe-

Place the billet in the V so that the top of the billet is resting in it, with the lower part resting on the ground. Split the billet down the middle making sure that you do not swing the axe over your head (with a billet this size you should not have any problem). When you have split the billet twice, take a quarter piece and contact split it with the axe. Put the blade in contact with one end of the billet while holding the bottom flush with the axe handle, forming a triangle. Strike the two objects together on the chopping block until it splits apart.

6. Split (with your knife) the piece you just contact split with the axe-

There are several methods of knife-splitting. The safest way is to place your billet piece straight up on the chopping block, your knife blade perpendicular along the grain, and to then strike the blade with another piece of wood to wedge it through the piece you are splitting. The final step is to take this smaller piece of your billet and make shavings.

The best blades to bring:

Axe- pick a wood-handled axe that is free of any cracks in the wood and has been recently sharpened; use it at camp beforehand and make sure that it is an appropriate weight for you. Bring a sheath (or make one out of duct tape and cardboard).

Saw- a bow saw (with a sheath) is the best choice, however if you are going to use a small-handled tree saw make sure it is a fixed-blade and not a foldable/collapsible one as the locks on them are not 100% safe.

Knife- bring an appropriate size knife and make sure it has a finger guard and is a fixed-blade (not collapsible). It is also a good idea to get a knife that is full-tang, where the metal of the blade continues to the butt, ensuring safe contact-splitting."