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I don't believe it ever went away, it has just been changed over the years. For example: YOU NO LONGER CUT DOWN A TREE! Come on, Paul Bunyan and you don't cut down a tree? What sort of Paul Bunyan is that?

In teaching kids to use tools safely, I find many have an expectation that both easy and QUICK work will result. I cringe at speed competitions where tools are involved particularly at the beginner level. We can teach a beginner to use tools SAFELY, IMO QUICK requires experience and may never come by choice. After my 7th grade wood shop teacher taught us how to properly use handsaws, he held a sawing competition. I want each of you to cut your board to these lengths and these angle cuts... And we were off. The first one done yelled I win, so the rest of us stopped sawing. Our instructor

A surgeon once re-attached two parts of my hand because I used a saw unsafely. Because of that experience, not taking wood-shop class wasn’t an option for my sons. I was counting on the Oldscout448’s to teach my sons how to use shop power tools safely. I started my adult leaders wood-tools training class by explaining that the worst damaging flesh injuries in scouts came from saws. Not from not knives, not hatchets, and not the really scary axe. When a scout runs the teeth of a saw across his knuckles, it leaves a scar for life. You’re not only afraid of the wrong tools; your fear i

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Moving large logs into position for cutting, and for moving rocks when doing trail work. See requirement 7 in the Paul Bunyan...you would use this to meet the requirement to build the retaining wall or irrigation way. The long prybar (rock bar, crow bar, tamping bar, lots of other names and configurations...) could be used for both logs and rocks. I also have, teach, and use a cant hook (would like to get a Peavy one day) for the logs, but you can't (pun intended) use it for rocks. https://woodmizer.com/us/how-to-choose-a-cant-hook-vs-peavey

I'm pleased to observe that 'Paul Bunyan' has returned. http://www.usscouts.org/advance/ScoutsBSA/PaulBunyan.asp In the mid sixties this was a hands on course offered over a few days at Scout Camp. I learned the skills from a great teacher, and stepped up to fill the void when he left. Our award had a button hole in the end of the handle and dangled on your right pocket under the flap.

Loppers is probably my most used yard tool. Perfect for car camping. But, many of the saw injuries we tended to occur on back packing treks where minimal equipment weight is priority. Even hatchets are considered to Harvey, so the small backpacking saw is the tool of choice. Sadly, light backpacking saws are particularly difficult to use safely without much practice. Over the years we’ve come to depend on safety equipment to reduce accidents and have found one pair of heavy garden gloves are our equipment of choice for back woods treks. First off, they protect hands from the wildy saw. Bu

After proper training, practice to proficiency (I don't see this a lot..."one and done" is a really bad idea here), group discipline to maintain the standards, and the behavioral example of adults and older Scouts in proper tool usage. One good practice is to have Scouts look at the pictures in the Scout Handbook and describe what the sawyer is wearing for safety (correct) and the pictured saw technique (which is iffy...hard to tell if the sawyer has the end off the ground or resting on the ground...will potentially bind the saw...page 382 of my early 13th edition) And there are so m

I split off the recent discussion of saw and knife accidents to

That is why I like Uber and Lyft I know how much I have to pay before I get inside.

@5thGenTexan, careful there. When the scouts use them wrongly when we aren’t around, at least they are with their buddies who know first aid. When we old farts cut corners (or do something worthy of having a totin’ chip corner cut), we’re usually by our own stupid selves.