Mistakes I've Made

[JeepHammer]

When the SHTF, I'm just coming to your house to stay...

Bring beer, snacks, and NO Speedos/'banana hammocks' on men allowed at the lake!

If you are fat, KEEP YOUR CLOTHS ON!
Things will be bad enough without seeing THAT!

 

[way2good4u95]

Excellent post with tons of information I did not think of before.

 

[JeepHammer]

Excellent post with tons of information I did not think of before.

It's when you actually DO rather than think/talk about things...

I grew up swinging an axe, pushing a shovel, etc.
Something simple as 'Unbreakable' tool handles, particularly shovel & sledge hammers is something people don't think about.

I HATE plastic/fiberglass handles, I suggest you stock up on LEATHER work gloves for those blister making handles.
The truth of the matter is, unless you swing an axe/sledge every day, you WILL miss and break handles, and since very few of us swing axes/sledges every day, the unbreakable handles are a REALLY good idea...
And in an emergency situation you will need to swing an axe/sledge, push a shovel, etc.

On another note, entrenching tools...
Everyone I see with a 'Bug Out Bag' that has a shovel has one of those folding pieces of crap.
I found out one of the old wooden handle shovels works a LOT better when only the blade folds.
In my field gear (different than issued inspection gear) I used a WWII wooden handle, which I later traded for a Soviet titanium (light weight) shovel from military surplus store.

If pressed, a straight handle shovel makes a pretty good weapon, but it makes a better frying pan than shovel or weapon...
Keep in mind I didn't dig holes everyday, but I did eat everyday!

 

[Nazgul]

Heating with wood about 30 years ago, I wore out a sledge hammer. My dad was a machinist and he made me several splitting wedges from S7 tool steel properly hardened. You wore out the hammer not the wedge.

The sledge was an older one and it just wore out. One day at work had to go to the hardware store and they had good US made sledges on sale and I bought one.
When I got home couldn't wait to try it so before I went in the house tapped a wedge in a piece of hard maple and took a mighty swing-missed and broke the handle on the first swing with my new hammer.

Bought a new handle the next day and it is still on the hammer today.

Don

 

[JeepHammer]

YUP! It happens.

I broke two sledge handles in one day taking down an old barn with unfamiliar hammers.

You split a lot and a different handle got you... And that's my point exactly.
A guy that doesn't split or chop is going to do horrendous things to the handle until they get used to it.
Mission critical gear needs to be bullet proof, even if it's rough on the hands.

The old hillbilly saying is, "When you get a new axe handle, get two."

What I believed when I was young was I'd just make a new handle.
That's fine if you have 2 year dried wood, AND you have a draw knife, and five years experience making handles.
I had access to every power tool and couldn't make a handle that worked worth a darn, finally bought one from an old Amish guy that had been making them for 30 years.

It *SEEMS* simple, but it's not, so the unbreakable versions are the best for a SHTF situation.