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The 3 Most Essential Bushcraft Tools for Emergency Situations: Knife, Hatchet, and Folding Saw
Together let’s explore the ways to choose, use and maintain a knife, hatchet and folding saw. These are considered the three most essential bushcraft tools for emergency situations. You’ll get an opportunity to test out a variety of each, learn to sharpen them, use them, and repair them.
Learning how to use a knife, hatchet, and saw together can turn an average camper into a capable bushcrafter. With the right tool for the job, tasks like building a shelter, processing firewood, or carving become easier and take far less effort.
Each tool has its role. A knife handles precise work like carving, fine cutting, and fire-starting. A hatchet or small axe provides the power for splitting and heavier wood processing. A folding saw makes clean, efficient crosscuts and is often the safest way to cut larger pieces of wood.
Just as important as using the tools is knowing how to maintain them. Basic sharpening, care, and simple repairs keep your tools working reliably for years in the field.
When you understand what each tool does best and when to reach for it, you work more efficiently, stay safer, and gain the confidence to meet basic needs outdoors.
Additional workshop information:
Join us for lunch (included), from noon-1pm
All materials are included.
This workshop is eligible for use with a season pass.
Youth under 18 may attend free with an adult registered for the same workshop (1 youth per adult).
Early-bird pricing ($55) is available through May 1. After that, the cost is $75.
Meet the Instructor: Tad Kepley
Tad is known for his spoon carving, which you can see here. He says:
I want people to use my hand carved spoons on a daily basis to create memories and to prepare food for the people they love.
I hand carve spoons because I really enjoy making something useful from a tree that has fallen in a storm. I get a big kick out of making a spoon from someone’s tree that has fallen in their yard. I am able to give them something they can use and have a memory from a tree that was on their property or in their yard.
Spoon carving is therapeutic for me and is as much an art as it is a craft. My grandfather was born in 1899 and didn’t start carving until he was 83 years old. He carved hundreds of birds and toys until he died at age ninety-nine. My father and both brothers carved wood as well. I am thankful for what was passed on to me that has given me so much joy.
After retiring from the Lexington Police Department, Kepley picked up his grandfather’s whittling knife and now hand carves wooden spoons using only greenwood. His spoons are all carved from tree to table and are made to use daily.
