Stránka:roll 1931.djvu/186

170 Woodcraft Birch Bark Roll you must know how to sharpen it. The only way to get a good blade is to go to a good maker and pay a good price. The fancy knives that are corkscrew, toolchest, bootjack, and whistle all combined, are seldom of good steel. Old-timers prefer a white-handled knife as it is more read- ily found if dropped on the ground or in the water. The blade cannot be kept in good condition if used for anything but a wood cutter. Therefore, do not cut nails, metal, or softwood knots (especially hemlock knots) with it. Never stick the blade in the fire. That would draw the temper and spoil the knife. Do not abuse your knife by using it for a hammer, wedge, screw driver, or pry. Carry a little whetstone or else_a small file to keep your knife in good shape. A pocket or shut-up knife is the only style worth carrying. The hunting knife or dagger has not enough use to-day to make it worth while. It is a proof of a good whittler if one can make half a dozen firelighters in succession. A firelighter or fuzz-stick (see illustration) is a stick of soft wood about an inch thick or six or eight inches through, shaved into thin slivers which are still on the stick; that is, are one solid piece at one end and all thin slivers at the other. This can only be done if you have a sharp, strong knife, a well-selected piece of soft wood without knots in it, and a steady hand. Provided the wood is good, the firelighter is perfect if not a sliver is loose or drops off. Use of Hatchet A good camper is known by his hatchet; if it is always sharp, and kept muzzled when traveling, the owner knows his business. — Most of the knife rules apply equally to the hatchet. Never try to break a stone with a hatchet or let the hatchet be driven into a log by striking its back with another hatchet or anything of metal; use a wooden maul if it is necessary to drive the hatchet, as in splitting a stick. If you are going to hew a piece of timber with a hatchet, always draw a line first to guide you. If you are going to point a stake, make it a four-sided point, cutting sides No. 1 and No. 3, No. 2 and No. 4; so that finally at any cross-section of the point it will be square.