FacaSecção 02
Navalha de trabalho com bloqueio
Why: lâmina até 10 cm, com bloqueio para não fechar sobre os dedos.
Essential guide · Base level · 6 min
Essential guideBase level · open to all6 min read
Knife, axe and saw: using, storing and carrying them safely
The clear circle, always cutting away, sharpening safely, carrying and setting down an axe — and what Portugal's weapons law says about carrying knives.
Reviewed 5 Nov 2026
06·AKnife, axe and saw
In 30 seconds
The essentials, in four points.
1 arm
Before cutting, stretch out your arm and turn: if you touch anyone, don't cut. If someone steps into that circle, stop and close or sheathe the blade.
Away
Always cut away from your body, your legs and the hand holding the piece. Sitting or standing still — never while walking.
Sharp
A dull blade slips and glances off instead of cutting. A sharp, clean, stored blade is a safe blade.
10 cm
In Portugal, a blade over 10 cm is legally an «arma branca» (bladed weapon). A field knife is legal where it's used, but carrying it elsewhere without a reason can be a crime.
01Why it matters
The most useful tool is also the one that hurts you fastest.
A knife, a small axe and a folding saw solve a lot in an emergency: cutting cord, preparing firewood, opening tins and packaging, freeing something trapped. But a blade doesn't forgive lapses — and a deep cut far from help is a real emergency.
This guide brings together the safety rules of people who use these tools every day and what Portuguese law says about carrying them.
02The knife
Clear circle. Cut away. Put it away.
Step 1
Clear circle
Stretch out your arm with the knife closed and turn. Nobody can be within reach. If someone comes close, stop.
Step 2
Cut away
Blade moving away from your body and your other hand. Small, controlled cuts, without forcing. Sitting or standing still.
Step 3
Put it away
Finished? Close the folding knife or sheathe the blade before you stand up, walk or hand it to someone.
1
Keep the blade sharp and clean. A dull blade makes you use force and it slips.
2
Hand a knife over closed or sheathed — never open.
3
Don't use a knife as a screwdriver or lever: the tip snaps and flies.
4
Children only with supervision and after they've learned these rules.
03Axe and saw
Boots, eye protection and plenty of space.
Plate 06·B — Carrying and setting down an axeSheathed, edge down
1
Sturdy boots and eye protection; a hard hat if anything could fall from above. Leather gloves whenever you sharpen.
2
Clear space around and above you: no branch, cord or person within the swing.
3
If you trip or fall, throw the axe away from you.
4
Never strike the ground with the axe or use the axe head to hit metal wedges: steel chips can fly off.
5
In severe cold, steel becomes brittle. Warm the axe head before chopping hard.
6
Folding saw: the hand holding the wood well away from the blade, and long strokes without forcing.
04Sharpening
A sharp blade is a safe blade.
1
A dull blade glances off instead of cutting — that's how many accidents happen.
2
Wear gloves and clamp the tool firmly before sharpening. Protect your fingers from the file or stone.
3
Keep the edge's original angle and work calmly, the same way on both sides.
4
Finish with a whetstone to remove the burr and polish the edge. Repeat often, a little at a time.
05The law
What Portugal's weapons law says about knives.
1
Over 10 cm of blade, it's a bladed weapon («arma branca»). Butterfly knives, automatic or switchblade knives, throwing knives and stilettos also count, whatever their size.
2
Switchblades, butterfly knives, throwing knives and stilettos are prohibited (class A).
3
A kitchen, field, hunting or work knife is legal where it's used. Found elsewhere, without the carrier justifying why they have it, it's treated as a prohibited weapon.
4
To take it where you'll use it, carry it packed away — sheathed, inside your backpack — so it isn't ready for immediate use.
06Six costly mistakes
Blade myths — and what to do instead.
Myth
“A dull knife is safer.”
It makes you use force, slips and glances off. Sharp, clean and stored is safer.
Myth
“Cutting towards me gives more control.”
One slip ends in your body. Always cut away.
Myth
“An axe rides fine on your shoulder.”
If you fall, it lands on you. Sheathed, in your hand, edge down.
Myth
“You lean the axe against a tree.”
Someone trips or falls onto it. Stick it in a block or lay it with the edge facing a log.
Myth
“I can carry any knife as long as I don't use it.”
Over 10 cm, away from where you use it and without justification, it can be a crime. And some knives are always prohibited.
Myth
“A multi-tool replaces a first-aid kit.”
For cuts you need dressings, a bandage and gloves. Carry both.
07Recommended equipment
The right tools, sheaths and a sharpener.
A folding or small sheathed knife, a folding saw and a sharpener cover most jobs. Add gloves and a first-aid kit.
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SerraSecção 03
Serra dobrável
Why: corta lenha e ramos com mais segurança do que um machado.
AfiarSecção 04
Afiador de bolso
Why: para manter a lâmina afiada no campo.
MachadoSecção 03
Luvas de trabalho em couro
Why: para afiar e para manusear lenha.
Quick card
Print it. Keep it with your tools.
Keep it with your tools and show it to children before they use a blade.
Knife, axe and saw · K72 sheet
1Clear circle: arm outstretched, nobody within reach
2Cut away, sitting or standing still
3Close or sheathe before walking or handing over
4Axe: boots, eye protection, edge down, never on the shoulder
5Blade > 10 cm = bladed weapon · carry it packed away
6Cut: direct pressure; if it won't stop, 112
06·A · k72plus.comEMERGENCY: 112
- Law 5/2006 — Legal regime for weapons and ammunition (consolidated, PGDL, in Portuguese) — articles 2 (bladed weapon, transport) and 3 (class A)
- USDA Forest Service — An Ax to Grind: A Practical Ax Manual — protective equipment, carrying and setting down, sharpening, dull blades
- Scouting America — Knife safety — safety circle, cut away, store
Reviewed 5 Nov 2026 · Next review: Mar 2027 · Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
This guide does not replace hands-on training or legal advice. For a serious injury, call 112.