The Chopping Block
"A chopping block is the first thing needed about a camp. The axe, when not in use, should always be stuck in that particular block, where one can find it when wanted, and where it will not injure men or dogs."
The Axe
"Do not let the axe lie outdoors on a very cold night; the frost would make it brittle, so that the steel might shiver on the first knot you struck the next morning...."
The axe is a most dangerous tool, and a glancing blow may cripple one for life.
1. Do not put your foot on a stick you are chopping.
2. Always have in mind where a glancing blow may throw the axe, and keep your foot away from that danger.
3. In splitting short sticks for kindling hold them by one end flat on the chopping block and strike the blade into the other end.
4. Do not hold the stick on end in one hand while splitting it.
5. Cut or split small wood on a chopping block or log. Never let the axe strike into the ground, as a hidden stone may ruin the edge.