This is a continuation of my mini-bushcraft manual to hand out during classes. As you can tell the information is really basic. I am not trying to reinvent the wheel. At the end of the manual I am going to include a bibliography with suggested books, websites and blogs. I would like to thank the retailers I mention in the article for there support and advice. Please take a moment to visit there sites and support their businesses.
The Knowledge: Bladecraft
The KnifeThe “perfect” knife for general outdoor use is a fixed blade belt knife with a 4” blade made of high carbon steel that has a Scandinavian grind (flat bevel). Large, stainless steel, hollow ground blades should be avoided; the reasons will be discussed shortly.
When choosing a knife it is important to understand the advantages of a “small” knife and the draw backs of a “large” knife. By “small” I mean a knife with a blade that is 5” or less in length, “large” knives in my opinion have blades 8” and over. With a small knife it is possible to do fine detail carving on projects like a netting needle as well as fell a 6” diameter tree (with a little knowledge). Many people like large knives so they don’t have to carry a knife and an axe, but the relatively lightweight of a large knife makes it a poor substitute for an axe, and the large blade makes fine carving difficult.
A high carbon steel blade has a few distinct advantages over stainless steel. The pros & cons of both steels are:
- Stainless: It is difficult to sharpen because of its hardness.
Carbon: It is easy to sharpen while holding an edge.
- Stainless: It is brittle and prone to breaking (especially in cold temperatures).
Carbon: Is relatively soft and is more likely to bend than it is to break. (this is important when batoning).
- Stainless: Does not work well for throwing sparks to start fires.
Carbon: Works well with ferrocerium rods as well as a traditional flint/chert stone.
The grind, or bevel, of your knives is as important as the type of steel chosen. The two most common blade grinds are the Scandinavian grind, or flat bevel and hollow grind (pictured below).
(Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grind)
The advantages of a Scandinavian grind over hollow are ease in sharpening, lifespan of the blades edge, and overall blade strength.
When sharpening a blade with a Scandinavian grind the entire surface of the knife’s face is kept on the stone (you can sharpen one with your eyes closed). A hollow ground blade has to be held at a specific observed angle while sharpening (it is difficult to do by feel). Also because the face of the blade runs from the cutting edge to the spine a Scandinavian ground blade can be sharpened until the blade is gone. Because of the constant gradient of the face of a Scandinavian the overall blade strength is greater when compared to the “scooped out” face of the hollow ground.
Their are a wide array of knives that meet the qualifications that I have laid out here and happily many of them are C-H-E-A-P! The quintisential bushcraft knives are Frosts Moras. Frosts Moras come in several makes and models which run from as high as $20.00 a knife, to as low as $10.00 and are available from a variety of sellers online. Four of the best in the States are:
The Saw
By carrying a fixed blade knife and a small folding saw, or a bow saw blade the versatility of the knife is greatly increased. With a saw you can cut larger diameter wood into desired lengths and then using your knife and a baton (stick) you can split the cut piece for firewood, kindling or carving. The type of saw you choose is based on both personal preference and the task you wish to use the saw for.
Different tooth designs on blades are made for cutting different type of wood (green wood versus dead wood). For dead wood a peg tooth design is preferred and for green weed wood it is best to have a raker tooth design.
(Retrieved from www.midwestbushcraft.blogspot.com)
- Teeth cut on push AND pull.
- Easy one handed open and close.
- Blade locks open.
5 comments:
Nice post, great description of some basic tools. By the way why haven't you been over at Bushcraft USA.
Thanks IA,
I am trying to keep it simple, yet descriptive enough to be useful.
So, if you had to choose between a hatchet and knife, you would choose a knife?
Johnnyburn,
Where I am I would choose a knife over a hatchet, especially if I also have a small folding saw of Swede saw blade with me. Because I am gearing this series of articles toward novices to the outdoors I didn't cover hatchets or axes because of the level of skill it takes to use them safely. What is your preference?
Nice post. Great information
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