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How to Use Your Swiss Army Knife

To get the most out of your Swiss Army Knife, make sure you know how to safely use it. There are a lot of sharp, moving parts in the Swiss Army Knife. Like any tool, if you do not know how to use it properly it can be dangerous. Many of the tools do not lock into place. However, in the medium and large models, Victorinox has added locking mechanisms to some of the tools, which is a great safety feature.

No Locks, No Problem!

A non-locking blade does not pose a safety issue in and of itself. Not knowing how to use it is the safety issue. Since many of the tools on the Swiss Army Knife do not lock, always fold a tool back into the frame whenever you are done with it. If you choose not to replace the tools, then change the position in which you are holding the knife so that your fingers are only holding onto the scales and are out of harm’s way in case one of the tools accidently closes. And never extend more than one tool at a time when using the Swiss Army Knife.

Use the Right Tool for the Job!

Tools should not be used in ways for which they were not intended. There are exceptions to this rule: if you’re in a serious situation when there is no other option, or if it is being used for light duty (where the only detrimental effect would be a dull blade, for example). Using the tip or the edge of a knife as a screwdriver or a pry bar will most likely result in severely damaging the blade and should be avoided. A tool that breaks can throw sharp metal pieces in many directions.

A WORD OF ADVICE

When you start cutting, you may have trouble with the saw sliding and not biting into the wood where you want the cut to be. To help start the cut, place the saw teeth where the cut is going to be and pull the saw blade backward several times in single strokes. This should keep the saw from moving side to side during sawing. Sometimes during a cut, the saw will bind or get caught due to the weight of the wood falling 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.