Using Camp Tools
Using an Ax
Priesthood Purpose
Develop talents by learning and demonstrating camping skills.
Young Women Area of Focus
Recreation and the world of nature-
by developing life-preservation skills.
People who can help
Advisers
Parents
Lumberjacks
Camping specialists
Things needed
An ax for each youth
Sharpening stone
Handbook on ax use and safety
Wood for chopping
Chopping blocks or logs
How to do it
1. Teach the parts of the ax and what they are called.
2. Teach ax safety principles.
3. Let the youth demonstrate safety by showing how to-
a. Carry an ax in a sheath.
b. Carry an ax without a sheath.
c. Properly pass an ax to another person.
d. Safely swing an ax to cut wood.
4. Teach how to sharpen an ax. Allow the youth to take turns using the sharpening stone.
5. Teach the proper methods for cutting wood.
6. Have each youth demonstrate the following: a. The contact method for chopping wood.
b. The slitting method for chopping wood.
c. Lopping or limbing.
d. Logging or bucking.
Divide the groups into teams and have them compete in the following exercises. Emphasize safety.
a. Chop a six-inch (152mm) thick log into four pieces. Judge for speed and safety.
b. Chop a six-inch (152mm) thick log into two pieces. Judge for safety and for the fewest number of cuts with the ax.
c. Chop a log one-and-a-half feet (46cm) thick into eight tent pegs. Judge for speed and safety.
Using a Saw
Priesthood Purpose
Develop talents by learning and demonstrating camping skills.
Young Women Area of Focus
Recreation and the world of nature-
by developing life-preservation skills.
People who can help
Advisers
Parents
Camping specialists
Lumberjacks
Things needed
Small hand saw for each youth, if available
Small file for sharpening the saw
Two-man saw
Sawhorse cradle for logs
Wood to saw
Handbook on saw use and safety
How to do it
1. Teach each youth how to saw with a hand saw.
2. Teach the principles of saw safety.
3. Let each youth practice sawing until he feels comÂÂfortable doing it.
4. Have a specialist teach how to make a dovetail notch. Show how it is used to hold two pieces of wood together without using a rope or nails.
5. Show how to sharpen a saw and let each youth practice doing it.
6. Divide the group into teams and have them compete by doing the following exercises. Emphasize safety.
a. Saw a four-inch (10cm) thick log into four pieces using a hand saw. Judge for speed and safety.b. Saw a 10-inch (25cm) thick log into two pieces using the two-man saw. Judge for speed and safety.
c. Saw a 10-inch (25cm) thick log into two pieces. Judge for safety and for using the fewest cuts of the two-man saw.
Using a Knife
Priesthood Purpose
Develop talents by learning and demonstrating camping skills.
Young Women Area of Focus
Recreation and the world of nature-by developing life-preservation skills.
People who can help
Advisers
Parents
Camping specialists
Things needed
A knife for each person
A knife-sharpening stone
Wood for whittling
Handbooks on knife use and safety
How to do it
1. Teach the parts of the knife and the proper words to describe them.
2. Teach knife safety principles.
3. Let each youth-
a. Pass a sheath knife to another person.
b. Pass a folding knife to another person.
c. Properly put a sheath knife on his or her belt.
d. Practice opening and closing a folding knife.
4. Teach each youth how to sharpen his or her knife.
5. Spend time using what has been learned by carving a spoon, tent peg, or a fuzz stick for making a fire.
From “The Activity Book”, Camping, pp 157-171. available from Church Distribution for $6.00.
