Cub Scout Day Camp Knife Projects
Part of being a Cub Scout means learning to use a knife safely and constructively. Scouts first earn their "Shavings and Chips" achievement by learning basic use and safety for pocketknives. They learn more-advanced techniques when they earn their "Whittling Chip" card. There are plenty of projects you can use in Cub Scout day camps to help scouts learn knife skills. You may need to cut or drill some portions of these projects to help get your kids started.
Other People Are Reading
-
Propeller on a Stick
-
For this project, each scout needs a long and a short piece of wood, a finishing nail and a wooden pencil. The long piece of wood should measure approximately 9 x 2 x 1 inches; the small piece should be 2 x 1/2 x 1/8 inches. Tap a nail through the middle of the small piece of wood and into the end of the longer piece, forming a propeller. The nail should fit loosely enough to let the propeller turn easily. Have your scouts carve a series of notches along the top of the long piece of wood about 1/8-inch apart. Then have the boys run a pencil over the notches while holding the stick firmly. The vibration makes the propeller turn.
Neckerchief Slides
-
Scouts can whittle their own neckerchief slides using patterns and instructions found on the Web (see References). Print several patterns so your scouts have different patterns choose from. Provide 3 x 3 x 3-inch pieces of a soft wood like pine for the scouts to carve. When they are finished, have them add details to their slides with paint.
-
Key Chains
-
Use 5 x 2 x 3/4-inch blocks of basswood to make key chains. Using transfer paper, trace a pattern onto each block for the scouts to carve out. Make sure to drill a hole through each pattern for the key chain to run through. Once your scouts have carved their shapes, have them sand them down until the wood is smooth. Then have them apply furniture oil to their shapes and pass a key chain through the drilled holes.
Wooden Boats
-
Start with 6 x 4 x 2-inch blocks in the general shape of a boat. Use a jigsaw to create one tapered end for each boat's stern, leaving the back end of each block square. Have each scout carve out the inside of his block to form his own boat. Have your scouts finish their boats using sandpaper and furniture oil.
-
References
- Photo Credit Stockbyte/Stockbyte/Getty Images
