A 'GUN' is a very limited tool, and when it's out of ammo,
Or one of the small, delicate internal parts breaks it becomes a club with bad balance.
On the other hand,
A properly selected edged tool will Feed you, Cloth you, Shelter you and keep you Warm...
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Some people say that 'Opposable Thumbs' are the hall mark of the human race.
(They have never seen a raccoon pick a lock or barn door latch! Or a Squirrel pick the latch on a bird feeder!)
Some people say that using 'Tools' is the hall mark of the human race.
(They have never seen something as simple as an otter balance on rock on it's chest, while cracking a muscle shell with a second rock, all while swimming on it's back!
They have never seen a squirrel pry the lid off a bird feeder with a stick, or watched a money use a stick to collect fruit with, or seen a monkey fish for termites and ants with a prepared grass stem...)
Personally, I believe that using fine edged tools is the mark of humans.
Until fine edges, we were ripping animals apart bare handed, and pulling up plants by the roots.
There wouldn't have been any Pyramids, Roman Buildings, Inca or Aztec buildings if it weren't for fine edged tools, be they wood, rock or metal,
And there certainly wouldn't have been any 'Industrial Revolution' that brings us to where we are today.
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So, with that though put to print,
Now, the all time grand daddy of edged tools is this,
This is a 'Double Bit' axe, and this is the one I use when camping.
With even cutting blades on both sides, it's nearly perfectly balanced,
AND, with two blades, you always have a sharp blade no farther than flipping the axe over!
As I mentioned, this is the camp axe, It's a cheap axe (about $40) with a fairly heavy edge and an 'Unbreakable' handle.
Since about every knuckle head that walks by it has to pick it up and dink with it, I though the fiberglass/plastic handle was a good idea on this one!
(Keeps them from messing with my good ash handle double bit axe!)
As mentioned before, this is the KING of manual cutting tools!
With this axe, you can fall, section, split, notch and trim an entire tree in short order...
With nothing more than just this axe and a hammer, You can build an entire cabin, from floor sills to shingles.
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ANYONE INTERESTED IN HOMESTEADING OR WOODS LIVING SHOULD GET FAMILIAR WITH ONE OF THESE!
These things go by a lot of names, Hook blades, Sling blades, but around here we call them 'Bush Axes'.
Simply put, this is the most efficient way to remove all the really stubborn things,
Multi-Floral Rose, Heavy Briers, Vines of all sorts, and it will clear saplings up to 3" in diameter with a single swing!
Next to a Chain Saw and Bush Hog, this is the way to do it!
This thing is PERFECT for walking the fence line with, clearing the branches that want to hang over or through the fence, briers and saplings that want to grow up through the fence, ect.
It will clear everything but larger trees, and NOTHING argues with it!
This is a thick blade version, about 1/4" thick, good for getting down in the dirt to hook and rip out roots for plants like multi-floral roses.
A thinner blade version, 1/8" or 3/16" is good for general maintinance, and is MUCH lighter to handle and walk with.
A little thinner blade version of this, and one can strip the limbs off a felled tree faster than a man with a chain saw!
