20.3 Safe knife use

The safety zone

Before cutting, extend your arm with the knife in your hand (closed or sheathed) and turn around: that circle is your safety zone. No one should be inside it, not even pets. If someone enters, stop cutting.

Golden rules

1. Cut away from your body. The path of the blade should never point toward your legs, your support hand, or another person.
2. Sit and work with your elbows on your knees or rest the piece on a firm surface. If you cut while seated, move the piece to the outside of your knee, never between your thighs: the femoral artery runs there.
3. Keep your support hand behind the blade, never in front of its path.
4. Short, controlled cuts. Moderate force; if you have to push hard, the edge is dull or the tool is the wrong one.
5. Don't use the knife as a screwdriver, pry bar, or hammer. The tip breaks and flies off.
6. Don't try to catch a falling knife. Step back and let it fall.
7. Sheathe it or close it as soon as you finish. Don't leave it on the ground or stuck in a log.
8. Wear cut-resistant gloves for repetitive work and for sharpening.

How to hand over a knife

1. If it's a folding knife, close it before handing it over.
2. If it's a fixed blade, hold it by the spine with the edge facing you and down, and offer the handle.
3. The person receiving it takes the handle and says “thank you” (or “I've got it”).
4. Let go only when you hear the confirmation. Better still: set it on a table and let the other person pick it up.