Tool Craft PPT

*Previously posted on older site, reposted here in event of its crash*

if you can use ppt, this is a helpful tool for teach tool craft
Tool Craft Merit PPT

This toolcraft merit is a throw back from the Ranger of the Year progarm. The names of these parts of these tools often were the deciding point between 1st and last place.

After quickly teaching this merit. It's a good idea to teach the Cut n Chop Card found in the Adventures in Camping. It acutally teaching HOW to use the tools. I usually do this at every Pow Wow.

Ranger boys of today have little idea how to handle tools. It's just not taught enough. It would be good to fix this meirt and add cut n chop to it.

Mark Jones

I agree with you Mark. We added how to use the tools when we do tool craft. I bought the tool craft cards and present them when they've completed the tool craft merit material AND demonstrated that they can use the tools correctly.

Agreed with Mark and Phillip. May i add to include how to pass, store and sharpen the tool properly.  

I've personally witness safety violation made by rangers and this is due to they are not taught before or they have simply 'forgotten'. We are to be good steward of the tools that has been issued or placed in responsibility to us.

all very good reminder points,

That is included in the Adventures in Camping Cut n Chop Requirements. I can do a review with a big group of boys and leaders at Pow Wow in about 45 minutes. Then give out a new cut n chop card. It's a good time as it refreshes there memory as at Pow Wow they will often use these tools.

Mark Jones

Arcliner wrote:Agreed with Mark and Phillip. May i add to include how to pass, store and sharpen the tool properly.  

I've personally witness safety violation made by rangers and this is due to they are not taught before or they have simply 'forgotten'. We are to be good steward of the tools that has been issued or placed in responsibility to us.

Little disclaimer: this PPt was never intended as the sole resource for teaching the merit. Simply a tool to help this section of it. I just assumed that commanders would teach the hands on part, hands on. If I make tool big a PPT, then the merit becomes another school class and that kills boys

By all means add in whatever you want... please!

Adding a visual of the parts is helpful.

strods wrote:Little disclaimer: this PPt was never intended as the sole resource for teaching the merit.  Simply a tool to help this section of it.  I just assumed that commanders would teach the hands on part, hands on.  If I make tool big a PPT, then the merit becomes another school class and that kills boys

By all means add in whatever you want... please!

Thanks for all the effort put into the power point slide =)

I think the power points are fine as you all stated as a aid..yet not the whole class. Hands on is the best for these boys.

The point I was making on the toolcraft was in my 20 years never once did I need to know the parts of a knife and a Hawk other than the sharp points and the handles. The names were a filter to filter out the boys during ROTY. I have always felt it was a shame on us as it's not a practical teaching. It would be better to teach things that are indeed revelent.

Just a thing that was put in for "No real good reason other than to filter boys during ROTY" It needs to be revised.

Mark Jones

Its not bad to review the parts but requiring to know them isn't necessary I agree.

On one hand I hear you and understand what you're saying about not needing to know all the parts of the tool. HOWEVER, the reason we do and will continue to require it is one of principle. I can hear it now! Someone may say something to the tune of, "enjoy hanging out with your principles as all the boys leave". Well I must've missed the part where everything that is correct will also always be democratically popular.

In a culture of falling expectations and standards, I see nothing wrong with keeping the bar set higher. The less something costs to get, the less valuable it is. Some may say that it's JUST a Tool Craft merit and not all that important. At our outpost it's one of the most coveted merits. When doing rope craft, lashing, camping, hiking, ANYTHING, it's a whole lot better to have your own knife than to need to have someone else cut something for you. Since we're heavy on survival, we use knives a good bit. We also allow boys to "carry" to all outpost activities and meetings when they've earned the TCM.

My cited reasons may be exactly similar to your outposts and you may still disagree with me about keeping the bar set high. That's OK. But we've decided before we ever started the outpost that we weren't going to go WITH the cultural flow, but against it. We also made a conscious decision that we'd rather have a small number of committed boys than a large number of what-are-you-going-to-do-to-entertain-me boys.

As it relates to tool craft I too think a merit should be hands-on but in everything we do there is always some technical learning. A pilot doesn't just get thrown in the cockpit and learns hands-on only. Lot of predatory work before hand. They need to learn the names of the parts of the plane. To requalify each year I would stress hands-on skills be a must while a "review" of parts is secondary.

Phillip Gross wrote:
In a culture of falling expectations and standards, I see nothing wrong with keeping the bar set higher. The less something costs to get, the less valuable it is. Some may say that it's JUST a Tool Craft merit and not all that important. At our outpost it's one of the most coveted merits. When doing rope craft, lashing, camping, hiking, ANYTHING, it's a whole lot better to have your own knife than to need to have someone else cut something for you. Since we're heavy on survival, we use knives a good bit. We also allow boys to "carry" to all outpost activities and meetings when they've earned the TCM.

This is where our outpost is, especially heavy on survival.  And I guess you could say we use the knowledge of parts for 2 reasons. 1.) A little bit because it is Nat'l standard and it shows respecting authority. but mostly 2.) it's a safe guard.  If a young man wants to carry, he's got to earn my trust.  One standardized way we have for that is the TCM. It takes time and commitment to learn all that.  

I think back to my time in Basic Training (Air Force).  Coming from a military family I understood a lot of the why's.  But there were MANY recruits there who couldn't understand the reason for folding shirts into six in squares, having beds aligned in PERFECT lines, why the showers could not have a single drop of water after use.  Why did the U.S. Government care about that?

Well mostly it's a test of following directions.  If the military can't trust you to fold your shirts and clean your bunk, how the heck do they trust you with military equipment.  

In the outpost, if I can't trust you to get to know the equipment that you are going to use on any camp we have, how do I expect you to be there for your patrol when ________ happens?  Or when it's time to step up to Knife & Hawk?  Or Pathfinder missions?

It like in the Parable of the Talents, "You have been faithful in the small things.  Now I shall trust you with greater things."

Getting off my soapbox now.

Very good points, Strods.

I noticed that (for the most part) the boys who would not pay "attention to detail" in a classroom setting were the same ones who would not follow instructions and not have respect for Outpost Equipment in the Field.

And they would also be the ones who would commit Safety Violations (like pulling burning sticks from the campfire).

I observe the same things here.

While teaching the Cut n Chop and knowing how to use the tools is something I do each year to refresh the boys on safety and to do things properly and have done that nearly 20 years now. Teaching 40 boys a year on average. It's important.

Now on the other hand. If I was to take the named parts of a knife or a Hatchet and ask the boys the names... I would venture to say that about all of them would fail the test.

I could teach those parts to the boys every meeting to what avail? What purpose would it serve? What value is it? The names of the parts of the knife or hawk? Perhaps if they were making these then I could see a reference to these names being needed. Yet I have never needed them in 20 years. Blade and handle was all I needed to know.

Running District Ranger of the Year as a Sectional Commander these names were used to filter boys out of the number one slot. Then and only then was there value in knowing these names.

I cover it by giving the boys the pictues with the names on it and then go on and teach them hands on how to use these tools.

As far as fire goes. They can poke the fire with a stick. Yet when they take the stick out of the fire and go to walking around with it or pointing it at other directions than the fire... they cross the line and are instructed to put it back in the fire. In 30 outings a year for the past 20 years this policy has proven to be a good policy. If they can't do that they can no longer poke the fire.

Fire craft is another one of those things that is hands on. You can tell them all day long how to. Yet it is learned by doing it. There are a lot of Ranger Commanders that can't get a fire going with one match and natural materials.

Mark Jones

You use matches?... kidding. We focus on feral rods etc as o think it helps w/ flint & steel

Its like many things we learn in school we learn it to pass a test or course and then retain the hands on skills more. At least for the merit its ok but for recertification of cut n chop basic parts or just hands-on skills are needed.

Speaking of fire craft our DR cmdr is starting off Sept with that merit. Even for that merit some of it maybe 10% of it should be prep work before just doing it. Learn the basics. I do agree with the hear, see, do, and teach method. Hear and see portions should be about 10% each and rest be doing and teaching fellow patrolman how to do it.

RRCmdrBennett wrote:.... I do agree with the hear, see, do, and teach method. ... 

This has been tested and proven, but it is dependent on how well the instructor deliver and prepared.

Agreed, we can't teach what we don't know or practice.

My son of 20 asked if he could try a bow and drill fire starting method. He and one of his friends and I went out in the back yard. I gave them all the right materials and did it along with them.

They both gave up after about 30 minutes. Even with me coaching them. I said hang on. I had a coal with the stuff they were using in about 2 minutes. So they went back and my son got a coal then we added a cedar bark nest and he spoke it into a fire. He repeated the process. The other young man was not disiplined enough to stay with it.

In time.
We will go out into the woods to get natural stuff next time.
Mark Jones

Mark Jones wrote:While teaching the Cut n Chop and knowing how to use the tools is something I do each year to refresh the boys on safety and to do things properly and have done that nearly 20 years now.  Teaching 40 boys a year on average.  It's important.

Now on the other hand.  If I was to take the named parts of a knife or a Hatchet and ask the boys the names... I would venture to say that about all of them would fail the test.  

I could teach those parts to the boys every meeting to what avail?  What purpose would it serve?  What value is it?  The names of the parts of the knife or hawk?  Perhaps if they were making these then I could see a reference to these names being needed. Yet I have never needed them in 20 years.  Blade and handle was all I needed to know.  

I agree
I don't bother with teaching anything past Blade & Handle. The rest is just useless trivia

Awwwwwwwwweesome PPT. Thanks!!!!!