TIMBER!

Ever have one of those days where you were just so thankful to have your obsession with knives, hatchets and all things sharp?  Saturday was one of those days for me.  My Kershaw Camp Axe 1018 really helped me out.  Let me explain.

We have this tree in our backyard.  It’s been there for about 12 years.  Last summer we noticed one of the branches was completely dead, seeing as how I don’t exactly have a green thumb, I didn’t really think much of it.  Well this year, the entire tree was dead.  Beetles had burrowed in and practically hollowed the thing out.  The whole thing was brittle, and rotten, so we figured the best course of action would be to cut the tree down, before the beetles could spread to any other trees in the yard.  Our only issue, we don’t own a chainsaw (I know, I know) and no one we knew had a working one we could borrow.  We started trimming the branches with an electric handsaw, which did a pretty good job at the start, but it slowly started jamming and losing power.  We knew the hand saw just wasn’t going to get us through.  The tree itself was a Quakie, so it wasn’t super thick, just a bit stubborn.

After working our way through the branches, it was time to start on the trunk.  By this point the hand saw was dead, and we didn’t have many more options.  That’s when it dawned on me, I love all things sharp, and I had to have something that could help out.  I ran to my collection, and started rummaging through, looking for something that could help me out, when I stumbled upon on my Kershaw Camp Axe 1018.  This axe had proved useful during my outdoor adventures, so maybe it could help me out now.  I ran back outside, Camp Axe in hand, hoping for the best.  The first couple whacks proved just how useful this tool was going to be.  It hacked at the dry, dead wood amazingly.  Within in first couple swings, I had already taken out a good portion of the trunk, making considerable progress.  Now, don’t get me wrong, I would have much preferred a chainsaw, or a larger axe, but this was a great, handy little tool in a pinch.

Within roughly an hour, I had felled the tree, proudly yelling “TIMBER” as it fell (I’ve always wanted to do that).  Now came the next part, hacking the tree into smaller pieces, for firewood.  This proved much easier than cutting the trunk in the first place.  I had better leverage, and angles.  It took no time at all to have the tree cut up, and ready to be burned.

I must say I was rather impressed with my Kershaw Camp 1018.  It proved incredibly useful, handy, and easy to use.  Plus, it kept its sharp edge through it all, only dulling towards the end, but super easy to sharpen.  This axe has a place in any bug out bag, or camper.  It proved incredibly useful, lightweight, and easy to store.  This would also be an excellent gift for dad this Father’s day.  Give him something he will use again and again.  Something that will stand up to anything he can throw at it.

Have any experiences like this?  Do you love your Kershaw Camp 1018?  We want to hear your real world knife stories.  Let us know in the comments.