When a student uses tools such as an ax, dagger and saw, it is the teacher's responsibility to ensure that the student knows how to use, handle and maintain the tools. Make sure students have a good knowledge of safe use of the tools.

 

Knife, saw and ax are important tools in a number of outdoor activities. For example, when we make a fire, build with rafters or cut a bread stick.

 

Knife

Knife Legislation

In 2016, we got a new knife law. Here we make you more aware of when you may carry a knife and what you should be aware of when carrying a knife. Axes are blunt weapons and thus also included in the new Knife Act. The same rules apply to carrying and transporting axes as knives.

 

In which places are you allowed to carry a knife?

• As a scout/after-school student, you must carry a dagger and an ordinary folding knife when you have a purpose for it that you can explain, e.g. that you need to use the knife for a specific activity. It also recommends that you at least wear a scarf when carrying a knife.

• You are welcome to use the knife in a public space, e.g. a pedestrian street, if you need to use it for a Scout after-school activity.

• You must not bring your dagger to school, to sports or to after-school activities, even if you have to do scouting activities later.

• Knives may not be brought to large gatherings and the event, e.g. football matches, concerts or demonstrations.

 

Transport of knives: 

• You are welcome to transport your knife to and from a Scout/after-school event. It is recommended that you go directly to and from a scouting event when carrying a knife, i.e. without making stops or errands along the way. Carrying a knife covers both that you have the dagger in your bag, but also that you have it in your belt or in the glove compartment during transport.

• During transport in public spaces (e.g. bus or train), the knife should be securely stored (e.g. in a bag) and should not be left unattended.

 

What knives can you use? 

• The design of the knife must suit its area of ​​application. As a scout, it is legal to use, for example, daggers, folding knives and multitools coined for general scouting and leisure use. According to the new knife law, the small pocket knives (with blades under 7 cm) may no longer be carried everywhere.

• The same rules apply here as for other knives, namely that you must have a purpose worthy of recognition. It will be included in the assessment that the small folding knives typically have a wider range of use than other knives and can be used for many different and suddenly arising everyday practical tasks.

• For example, peeling an apple or screwing in a loose screw.

• But you must remember to leave the pocket knife at home if you are going to a restaurant, to a sports match or the like.

•  As a scout, you may bring knives with a blade over 12 cm if it is to be used for a special purpose, e.g. cutting vegetables or fileting a fish.

• Axes with a blade over 12 cm may also be brought if they have a purpose worthy of recognition, e.g. chopping firewood or sharpening a raft.

• One-handed folding knives designed for leisure use (e.g. certain pocket knives and multitools) are legal to use. As with all other knives, you must have a worthy purpose for carrying them.

 

Use common sense: 

• It is recommended that you use common sense when carrying a knife. It is always a concrete assessment whether a knife is carried legally. It is assessed based on the design of the knife, the person who carries it, and the place, time and situation in which it is carried.

 

 

Guidelines for knife use

• When you use a knife in class, you as a teacher must be aware, to keep an eye on all the students, especially those for whom a knife is something completely new.

• For teaching, the rules of the teachers and the school apply. It is a good idea that you as a teacher have agreed common rules with each other in advance.

• A good way to learn how to use the knife is to take a dagger certificate.

 

The student shall

• Be familiar with the knife

• Know the safety rules and know why they are important

• Observe the safety rules

• Know when to use the knife and when not to

• Show knowledge of rules by cutting a small thing

 

Safety rules for use of knives: 

• Always cut away from yourself If the knife slips, you don't cut yourself.

• Sit down when you cut. You have the best control over the knife when you are sitting down.

• Sit with your legs apart and always cut in front of your knees

• You have to sit so you don't cut your knees if the knife slips in front of you.

• Think about the best way to sit without risk to yourself and others.

• Watch others when cutting

• Think about where you sit when you cut.

• It is your responsibility that no one else is harmed by your dagger

• Handing over the knife correctly. When the knife is given to someone else, the blade must be turned away from the recipient. Hold the blade with your thumb and forefinger.

• Never run with your knife in hand

• The knife must be in the sheath when not in use. The sheath is the safest place to store the knife when not in use. If you put it in a rafter or put it on the ground, others may overlook it and cut themselves. You also risk forgetting it.

• Keep the knife clean, dry and sharp. A dull knife slips easily because you can use a lot of force to cut. It must be kept clean and dry, otherwise it will rust and become dull.

• The knife is not a toy. The knife is a sharp tool and you can get hurt if you are not careful. Therefore, never play with the knife.

• Use a firm surface when the knife is used for cooking or the like.

• Use the knife correctly. Do not cut with it and do not throw it into soil and sand. It makes it dull.

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Saw

Guidelines for use of saw

• The saw is an important tool for scouts. We use it when we saw wood for the fire or saw rafters for pioneer work. Like the knife, the saw must be used carefully so that no one gets hurt when we use it. 

 

Safety rules for use of saw

• Only saw in wood thicker than your wrist It sounds like a strange rule, but it quickly makes sense when you try. If the wood is thinner than your wrist, it will be difficult to get a proper bite with the saw. The saw will therefore jump up, and there is a risk of cutting yourself in the hand.

• Do not saw near others

• Do not saw close to your leg

• If you are holding a piece of wood with one hand and sawing with the other, move your hand away from the saw

• Stand securely on your feet and make sure there is enough space around you

 

how you saw 

• When you start sawing, gently pull the saw towards you 5-8 times. In this way, you create a track that makes it easier to control the saw.

• Most saw injuries occur when the saw jumps off the track and onto the hand holding the wood.

•  You can protect your hand somewhat by wearing work gloves when sawing. Do not press too hard with the saw. Move it back and forth easily. This reduces the risk of the saw jumping. At the same time, you let the saw do the work.

• Hold the saw tightly so it doesn't slip in your hand. However, you should not hold so hard that you get a cramp in your hand.

• Make sure you have a firm surface when sawing.

• You must stand safely to avoid injury. Make sure that the wood lies still. A saw trestle ensures that the wood lies still and that you get a comfortable working height. If you use a saw trestle, the saw track must be placed outside the legs so that the wood is not pinched by the saw blade.

• You can also keep the wood still by holding your free hand so far from the blade that you don't saw yourself in the hand.

• If there are two of you sawing, you can sit opposite each other and hold the tree firmly with your feet spread apart.

• Never saw in soil or stone. It dulls the saw and makes it useless. A saw trestle or a piece of wood as a base ensures that you will not saw into the ground.

• Never leave the saw floating in the grass. It must be placed on a table or hung on the saw stand/tool ​​stand. A saw is difficult to spot if it is lying in the grass, and many people have been injured by a saw that is lying and floating. In addition, the saw becomes rusty and dull if it lies on the ground.

• Protect the saw blade when the saw is not in use. Put a guard on the blade if it is a jigsaw or a hacksaw. A piece of cut water hose can be used as a blade guard.

• Fold the saw if it is a folding saw.

• Cleaning the saw A saw must be kept clean, dry and sharp. A wet and dirty saw rusts and becomes dull, so it does not cut well. A saw must always be cleaned of soil and wood debris. Resin is cleaned off with household alcohol.

• A saw, like any other tool, likes to get a little protective oil in between.

 

Ax

Guidelines for use of ax

• The ax is a heavy and sharp tool that must be handled with care.

 

Safety rules for using an ax:

The ax head

• Before using the axe, check that the ax head is secure. This is done by grasping the ax head with one hand and the shaft with the other. If the ax head can move, 5 the ax must not be used.

•  Never use the ax head as a hammer. This can make the ax head loose and thus create dangerous situations.

• Check whether the ax is sharp and without notches in the egg. A sharp ax wedges itself into the wood. A dull ax slides more easily on the wood and can hit the leg of the person using the ax. You also use more force to chop with a blunt ax than with a sharp ax.

• Keep your distance Everyone else must be at least 2m away when using the axe. In this way, the risk of someone being hit by the ax or a piece of firewood is minimized.

• The chopping block must be large enough that it can stand stably and not wobble. Dig possibly the chopping block down, so that the firewood has a flat and stable place to stand while chopping.

• Hugge Pladsen must be clearly marked. The best thing is to frame it on three sides with posts and string, which ensures that any spectators are at least 2 meters away from the ax and any flying pieces of firewood. Make sure the chopping space is cleared. Make sure that the cutting area is always clear of pieces of wood so that no one trips or slips while cutting firewood. Smaller splinters and logs can be advantageously collected and used as small kindling wood. Collect it and pack it in a bag while it is dry.

• Do not collect firewood at the cutting site while someone else is cutting firewood.

 

Footwear

• In the event of an accident and the ax slips, sturdy leather boots are safer than sandals or trainers. Remember that teachers always lead by example.

• Stand with your legs apart at an appropriate distance from the chopping block. An appropriate distance is the length of the ax plus your forearm.

• Check that the distance is correct by chopping in the chopping block without firewood on it. You must stand so that you naturally hit the middle of the block. Should you hit the side of the tree, or the axe slips, the risk of you hitting your legs is the least when you stand with your legs apart.

• Take a break when you are tired. When you get tired, take a break or hand over the ax to someone else. Fatigue means you can lose concentration or grip on the shaft, both of which can lead to accidents. The same applies if you get pain in your hands (e.g. starting blisters).

 

About chopping a thick raft over

• It is usually faster to use a saw if the wood is thick. If you choose to use the ax anyway, you must chop in a v-shape. In this way, shavings are cut off, and you avoid the ax getting stuck.

 

Storage

• You can get hurt by stepping on an ax lying on the ground.

• The ax will also not be lost if it is in its place when not in use.

• Place the ax in the chopping block so that the egg is completely covered.

• The ax must be packed away in rainy weather when everyone leaves the camp and at night.

• Carry the ax correctly If you have to carry the ax over long distances, it must be in a case. Over shorter distances, you must hold the ax head with the egg backwards, so that you do not risk hitting others you pass on the road, and so that you do not hit yourself if you fall.

 

Cleaning

• A wet and dirty ax rusts and becomes dull. When the ax is cleaned, it must be sheathed. Resin can be cleaned off with household alcohol. If it is a long time before the ax needs to be used again, it should be lubricated with an oil. It prevents the ax from rusting.