I agree with the ending you have writen at least if not all. I had my first .22 gun at 6, and I had many folders before that. I can still remember a cheap brightly gripped dagger I had, mainly becuase I was sittng by tyhe pond whittling and my mother came a toosed it in the pond. She had no reason really, but that was just after the divorce. I only dabbled in scouting as a child. I was pretty bored with it. Just to go see kid type friend had to travel about 1 /12 miles thru the woods to get to the closest neighborhood. By my scouting years I was ahead of most of the leaders, at least so far as I was concerned at that time.<br>After my parents divoced and as my mother forbade most weapons, oddly the .22 was not considered such, I began to collect knives that a kid can manage to aquire. My son has these knives now, and since most of them are pretty much gone more or less he says some of them are collectors!<br><br>I don't have much use for stainless these days it just does not float my stick.... When I want a knife I want a sharp knife. I found a shefield bowie with no guard or grips working construction. it was dug from a cellar hole in the open ground. it was a tad rusty, but cleaned up very well. It is some 15+" long 1/4" thick, and the blade width is some 2/12" at about the widest. I made a brass guard and moose slab grips for it.... That is the only knife I would consider chopping and spliting wood with that I have....<br><br>Please note I am condensing replies here for better or worse.<br><br>My method to split wood with this knife which I don't really do... would be if the split wood was sawn as fire wood, to make 1 chop into the end on the cord wood, and then flip the cord wood over and slam the spine of the blade down on a wood chopping block, driving the blade intp the cord wood.. I have done that a few times, but ususally I have a belt ax or bigger with me and tend to use the better tool for the job, so long as I have it that is...<br><br>it seems to me Stainless like the diamond sharpeners, and carbon steels tend to like natural and man made noviculite type stones to sharpen. I generaly use water with oil type stones if I buy them new. Once a stone has been oiled , oil must be used from that point on. All the liquides do is float off particals of steel, so the stone does not clog.<br> My 2 cents anyway..... Kinda funny here reading and seeing just how far the PC effect has gone.... I think you are supposed to be 18??? to buy a knife these days? ... Mac