The indispensable Woodman's Pal

[Absintheur]

The Woodsman's Pal has been with us for since 1941. It was adopted by the military and was named "LC-14-B" in military terms, and was standard issue from the early part of World War II through Desert Storm. G.I.'s and the US Army Signal Corp. relied heavily on the Woodman's Pal for land clearing operations. During the Vietnam War, the Woodman's Pal was designated the "Survival Tool, Type IV" and was issued in air crew survival kits. It was issued with a carrying case that also contained two booklets: Care, Use and Sharpening of Knife LC-14-B (Orange cover) and Fighting with Knife LC-14-B (Blue cover).

My personal Woodman's Pal served with me starting when I entered into military service in 1981. If I went to the field my Pal went with me. It accompanied on every step I took on the Appalachian trail. It dug fire pits, batoned kindling for fires, help make shelters, cleared brush, served as an impromptu ice axe, made cat holes, split deer pelvis, opened ammo boxes and cases of rations...and other tasks it was both meant to do and some it was not. The steel always came back to sharp easily using one of their round stones the finish lasted a long time. Mine has had the finish renewed several times over the years, more for protection than for looks. This last time it was stripped and I used Rust-Oleum's epoxy paint to cover.

It looks great on the metal work but sadly there is little that can be done for the leather handle. It shows stains from over the years but all it gets is a light sanding to keep the leather rough to help with grip.



As I stated it is very versatile. The sickle hook works as a climbing tool extending your reach when climbing vertical surfaces, I used it more for this than for cutting I think. The back of the blade is flat a square and holds up well to batoning. I do prefer the leather grip over the wood and have learned to appreciate the knuckle guard on the model I have. This is the one tool I would never leave home without when heading into the woods, it even goes one short day trips with me.

These days they even make smaller versions of the tool for youths and a two handed version for heavy chopping. No matter which you chose, you can't go wrong.