In bushcraft, the machete is the most valuable tool in your pack. A Zulu man will not go out into the wilderness without his machete, and often with nothing else at all. With only a machete and some knowledge you can build a shelter to protect yourself from the elements and dangerous animals, make other tools, fire, collect food and water, and you can defend yourself with a machete too.
If you are interested in bushcraft, the machete is a tool which you must have, but a machete can be dangerous if used incorrectly!
The first rule while working with a machete is to always keep the blade pointing away from your body, so that if it does slip or rebound, you won't lose any body parts. Don't use exessive force while wielding the machete, keep the blade under control at all times.
Keep your machete clean. This will prevent your machete from rusting and becoming blunt. You will also be using your machete to collect food, so it needs to be hygenic. If your machete is made from spring steel, you can apply a thin layer of any edible vegetable oil with a cloth to prevent dulling and corrosion.
Always keep your machete sharp. A blunt machete is dangerous because the dull blade does not bite into the wood, but has the tendency to recoil. There is a variety of tools, natural and commercially available, to sharpen your machete and other knives. I will discuss this in posts to follow.
