Essential tools: Chopping List

Many people seem to think that in the event of a major collapse, they will repair to the woods and homestead. They will throw up a sturdy cabin and live happily ever after. The hole in their plans is what they plan to do this with. If you’ve ever watched any of the survival shows on television, you will note that the presenter/expert seems to be able to whittle anything, up to and including a grand piano using only the whopping big knife that he carries. The rest of us less talented mortals may need a little more in the way of tools.

So what exactly do you need in the way of tools in the woods? What follows is a by no means comprehensive list, but if you have these cached at your retreat, you’ll be in good shape to work the resources around you into everything from a primitive shelter to a snug little cabin. Note that the tools can’t do it by themselves. As always, you’ll need to acquire the knowledge of how to use the tools and the construction techniques involved in creating shelter, furniture and tools out of wood.

Axes – You’ll notice I used the plural. Ideally, you will have a selection of axes, starting with the felling axe, preferably in a variety of sizes. You’ll want at least one full sized one as well as smaller handled lighter weight ones for tighter work. You’ll also want a splitting axe, which has a more wedge shaped head, for firewood. If you are going to be shaping timbers, a broad axe with its single beveled edge would be useful.

Adze - This tool has a narrow, hoe-like blade set perpendicular to the handle. It is used for rough smoothing and shaping of timbers. In skilled hands, it is one of the most versatile shaping tools out there.

Bow Saw - Also known as a Buck Saw or Swede Saw. An excellent tool to section up logs for construction or for the firewood pile. Spare blades are a must.

Frow (Froe) - A nifty little tool used to split planks from larger timbers. It is an L-shaped tool with a long blade perpendicular to a handle. The blade is driven into the end of your log, and then the handle is twisted to split the log.

Hatchet - It has its uses, but don’t obsess if you don’t have one. You can usually do the same job for less effort with a small axe.

Hand Saws - Nice to have, and will make for nicer finished work, but not absolutely essential.

Draw Knife - Again, not critical, but nice to have a few on hand of various sizes. Makes short work of de-barking trees, as well as other shaping tasks.

Rasp - Nice to have, but again not crucial. It is used to shape objects to a ‘rough finish’ stage.

Two Man Saw - a long crosscut saw with handles on both ends. Used for felling larger trees, as well as in the production of boards, usually with a sawpit.

The last ‘rough’ woodworking tool I recommend that you cache is a brace with plenty of bits, especially long bits. A lot of construction in human history has been done without screws or nails, by way of joining pieces with wooden pegs. If you can create the holes for them, you can use pegs to fasten together almost anything.

You might want to add a few tools more suited to clearing brush, such as a machete or even the traditional billhook. With those, you are equipped to deal with most of what you’ll find in the woods.

Finally, make sure you have plenty of files and whetstones of the proper type for maintenance. All of the tools above are useless to you if they are dull, if not downright dangerous. It takes far more effort to use a dull tool than a sharp one, and the more effort you’re expending, the less control you have of the tool. There are plenty of books and videos around to show you the basics of sharpening your tools.

Make sure that you get practiced at this. Make yourself a little log hut in the woods, or start chopping firewood, or even make a little rustic furniture. All skills you might someday need. And did I mention that it is both fun and good exercise as well?

Originally posted June 14, 2011 @ MPN