Victorinox Swiss Army Knife Camping & Outdoor Survival Guide. Bryan Lynch
in on itself. To prevent this, make an undercut and support the wood when possible.
Cutting Methods
The golden rule of cutting is to cut away from your body. And always have your fingers behind the blade. You should also never cut if you are fatigued.
In many of the projects, I suggest using the wood saw to make a cut. If your Swiss Army Knife lacks a wood saw tool, you can still complete these projects. Although the wood saw makes fast, clean cuts, using the cutting methods below can still be achieved, but they may take longer.
THUMB-PUSHING
Use this method when you need to make precise cuts. Since the cutting strokes are short, you can put more force into the cut while still maintaining control. Place your right thumb on the spine of the blade, your left thumb over your right thumb, and hold the wood in your left hand while pushing the blade with your thumbs (reverse hands if you’re left-handed). This is very helpful when cutting notches into wood.
Thumb-pushing is for cutting small areas, detail work, and carving out the inside of notches.
This is the correct way to make a draw cut. If the knife slips or cuts through the wood quicker than anticipated, you will not have a bleeding thumb.
This is an incorrect way to use the draw-cut because my thumb is at the end of the cut. Ouch!
DRAW-CUTTING
This method goes against the golden rule because the knife is going toward your body. But it is a controlled, slow cut, so the odds of cutting yourself are small.
Use this method when working on the end of a piece of wood or in tight spaces. If you’re right-handed, use your right thumb as an anchor point while drawing the knife toward yourself.
STRAIGHTAWAY CUT
This method is ideal for when you want to remove a large amount of wood in short order and being precise doesn’t really matter. Make sure that you keep your wrist as straight as possible and lock it in place. There is a tendency with this method to have the wrist bend sharply while carving away the wood. Bending your wrist is going to hurt after a while and also lead to an uncontrolled cut.
If your wrist is bending too much, it is either because you are cutting too deep or there is a knot in the wood. When there is an offshoot of another branch, do not try to cut it away from the base of that branch. It will usually be too thick to cut straight through it. Instead, cut from the top to the bottom, making small cuts as you go.
The straightaway cut is great for making shavings for fire tinder.
BATONING WOOD
Batoning wood is a method of splitting wood by hitting the spine of the blade with another piece of wood. While this can be done with the small and medium models, it works best with the large models. Be extra mindful with blades that don’t lock when using this method of splitting wood.
A WORD OF ADVICE
If the blade becomes stuck, invert the piece of wood and tap the knife with another piece of wood to back it out of the cut.
Batoning wood may be done with the small or large blades, but the large blade works best.
PART 3:
USING YOUR KNIFE IN THE WILD
To thrive in an environment like this, make sure you have a Swiss Army Knife on hand.
Intro to Bushcraft and Survival
Bushcraft has become a popular term to describe someone who uses his or her knowledge and skills to live in the wild. While bushcrafters are using survival skills, typically they are not in a survival situation. For me, bushcraft centers around the ability to sustain yourself long term comfortably by knowing how to construct shelters, furniture, and tools from the surrounding area. A bushcraft situation is one you are prepared for by having the tools you need to complete the tasks at hand (i.e., axe, chisels, saws, and other carving implements). A survival situation is something you’re trying to get out of and are not fully prepared or equipped for. While there are certainly many aspects of bushcraft that apply to a survival situation, they most likely will not be used to the same extent. For example, in a survival situation, not as much time or energy may be spent on building a shelter.
There is also some debate on what a bushcraft knife is versus a survival knife. A knife meant for bushcrafting tends to have a small profile, which makes it better suited for detail work and carving. Generally, a survival knife is thought of as a larger, fixed-blade knife that is capable of digging, cutting, prying, chopping, etc. A survival knife is supposed to do it all because it will most likely be the only tool available.
By my own definition, a Swiss Army Knife is not really a survival knife or a bushcraft knife. Rather, a Swiss Army Knife combines the characteristics of both. However, given the option, if I could have only one tool in a survival situation, I would choose a Swiss Army Knife over a large fixed blade. That is because a Swiss Army Knife can complete more tasks while being safer and saving energy. It will be able to complete finer detail work that is needed in making certain tools and repairing gear.
“For most of history, man has had to fight nature to survive . . . he is beginning to realize that, in order to survive, he must protect it.”
—Jacques-Yves Cousteau
The Swiss Army Knife is arguably the first multi-tool manufactured and has continued to evolve since its simple yet revolutionary conception. It does not do only one thing extremely well, like a single-purpose tool, and this can be frustrating to some. Instead, multi-tools are light-duty tools designed with many attachments to give the user as many options as possible when a toolbox is not available, and thus they may be prone to misuse. Even though they are light-duty tools, they can still complete tough jobs if used properly.
Since I have used a Swiss Army Knife for most of my life, I have never believed the current reality-show lies that we only need one knife and it must be capable of chopping down entire trees or building a small village from logs or defending ourselves from some imaginary force. One of the top reasons I am wary of most of these TV “experts” is because they are using knives that are not really meant for outdoor tasks. When it comes to the detailed work that is involved in camping, hiking, hunting, fishing, and emergency tasks, they just don’t work well. A larger fixed blade has its place, but it works best as a complement to a multi-tool such as the Swiss Army Knife. Together, they create a powerhouse of versatility.
Some of you may read my blog, https://civilizedsurvival.blog/, created to counter the doom-and-gloom culture. I enjoy steering others to good and appropriate tools and techniques through my website, tool reviews, and now this book. My goal was to put a lighter tone to teaching prepping, “old school” skills, DIY projects, natural skills, hunting tips, fishing tips, and emergency preparedness. I don’t want to continue the scare tactics