Handtools for Trail Work
Tools for Brushing, Continued
Corn Knives
These tools, also called tobacco knives, come in a variety of shapes and sizes. They are commonly used for hand brushing on tree and tobacco plantations.
Corn knives are single-grip tools, so hold tightly to the handle while operating. Stand well balanced and bend at the waist. Use your free hand to steady the stems you intend to cut. Wear a glove to protect your free hand from scratches or burns from weeds.
When carrying, grip the knife on the handle near the blade. Carry the tool by your side with the blade pointed away from your body and down. When sharpening, maintain factory edge bevels. Corn knives may have curved blades that are sharpened on only one side like brush or weed hooks, or they may have straight or adjustable blades that are sharpened on both sides like machete.
The tobacco knife blade is tough alloy steel that is 12 inches long by 1
inch wide and 3/32-inch thick. It is beveled and sharpened with an ax stone
only on one side. The round hardwood handle is 1¼ inches in diameter.
Scythes
Scythes efficiently mow open areas of weeds or grass. Grass or weed scythes have 24- to 40-inch blades and long handles. Brush scythes have shorter, sturdier blades and handles and are often preferred by trail crews.
Operate the scythe by grasping the handles (nibs) projecting from the bar (snath) and rhythmically sweeping the blade low to the ground across and in front of you. A "grass nail" placed between the bar and the blade keeps vegetation from catching in that junction.
Carry scythes by your side in one hand, blade forward and handle behind. Keep control of the blade by grasping the handle near the blade and pointing the blade away from your body with the tip down. Stop and change hands if the tool becomes too heavy. Transport scythes well behind a line of workers, and work only in areas clear of others.
Before sharpening the scythe, stand the handle on its end so the blade is horizontal and the tip points down. Use a whetstone or scythestone to hone the blade from back to front (tang to tip) on both sides. Maintain the factory edge bevel. If the blade is badly chipped detach it from the handle and reshape it with a grinder or file. Return the edge to a bevel of 10°. Although some argue that the wire edge facilitates cutting light vegetation, we recommend removing it. A lesser known method of sharpening involves beating the blade with a special hammer to shape and sharpen it without grinding. Finish with a whetstone.
Sickles and Grass Hooks
Sickles are curved knives used to cut weeds or grass in limited space. The single grip handle angles upward so the blade cuts parallel to the ground while the operator stands bent at the waist. The blade is 12 inches long and the handle is 4 to 5 inches long.
Carry the sickle by your side with the cutting edge away from your body and pointed down. Maintain a firm grip on the handle when carrying or using.
Maintain sickles with a whetstone or scythestone. The blade is beveled on the top side only. Remove the wire edge by working the stone flat against the backside.
The grass hook combines features of scythes and sickles. It can be operated like a scythe from an upright position, but the small blade is maintained like a sickle.
Weed Hooks
Workers can easily trim annual vegetation along a trail with a weed hook. These tools have a curved inside blade that cuts by pulling through stems toward the operator and a straight top blade that cuts by pushing. Long handles allow the operator to remain upright.
Since these tools are light enough to operate with a single grip, carry them by the handle with the head away from the body and down and weed as you walk. Always maintain safe distances between workers. Remember that the tool has two cutting edges and that swinging it could be especially hazardous. Sharpen weed hooks with a mill bastard file and finish with a whetstone. Use a curving stroke on the pulling cutter that follows the inside edge around to the tip. Sharpen the pushing cutter on the top side only.
Weed hook and head diagram.
Weed Cutters (Grass Whips)
Weed cutters are used for cutting light growth like grasses and annuals that grow along trails. They are lightweight and durable and usually swung like a golf club. The sharper the blade, the less energy needed to cut. Both edges are serrated and cut on the forward and return strokes. When sharpening the edges of these tools, remember that different models have the blade bevels on different sides. The frame may interfere when sharpening top-beveled blades. It may be best to remove the blade and screw it to a block of wood for sharpening. Maintain a 25° bevel on both serrated and straight blades. Cutters usually have a 9- by 2-inch blade and a 40-inch long handle.
Tools for Pounding and Hammering
Sledge Hammers
Sledge hammers have heads that weigh from 8 to 20 pounds, which are forged from heat-treated high carbon steel. They usually have two rounded striking faces with beveled edges to minimize chipping. Thirty-six inch handles are common. Handles can be fiberglass or wood.
Driving sledges are used to set heavy timbers and drive heavy spikes or hardened nails. Stone sledges are used to break boulders or concrete. Because of differences in tempering, these tools are not interchangeable.
Swing sledge hammers carefully--more like mattocks and picks than axes. Carry these tools like axes, holding the handle by your side, extending the handle behind you, and gripping the hammer near the head.
Maintain hammers by keeping striking faces smooth. Use a grinder, but do not allow the tool to overheat, which will weaken its temper. The temper is shallow, and excessive grinding will go through to soft metal. Have a blacksmith recondition those with badly chipped or mushroomed faces. Check handles regularly for tightness or cracks. Repair or replace them as needed.
