"Bushcraft knifes"....

[steelnwool]

Googling around , you see lots of knifes labeled "bushcraft knifes" most of them look like stiff/strong kitchen knifes. Like the Mora varieties.

What makes them "ideal" for bushcraft? what is the criteria? Or would you guys say its anything that can effectively cut sticks and branches and the rest is mostly marketing?

Here is what I've got for knifes right now.

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- Grohman Outdoor Dream

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- Alce brand knife. Bought this when I was 14 with paper route money. Handle has always felt small, but I keep it around.

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- I really like this one. I have to assume it was home made and is likely over 60 or 70 years old. Grandmother gave it to me after my Grandfather died,but I have no idea of its history.

Sorry for the out of left field non direct question. Still learning.

[crashdive123]

IMO, and in the strictest sense of the term "bushcraft knife" it is a knife that is fairly study and is primarily used for wood (cutting, carving, batoning) work. It generally doesn't have an extremely long or wide blade. Other qualities that I look for is that it is reasonably easy to sharpen in the field.

That being said, some are comfortable doing bushcraft type work with a kukri, but you wouldn't normally consider that a bushcraft knife. Some also believe that you can do anything with a large knife that you can with a small one, but not visa versa.

Me? I like options - so I carry a few knives.

[Rick]

I'd offer that it depends on your definition of "bushcraft". If you mean working in the field then Crash has defined it pretty well. If you mean making things like baskets, cordage, etc then you might be referring to a smaller blade. Like Crash, I carry more than one.

[klkak]

I consider a bushcraft knife to be a general purpose knife. The one you reach for the most often.

For me that would be a knife with a blade no more then 5" in length of high quality carbon steel (1095 or D-2). With a blade geometry that lends itself to making kindling, cleaning game and fish, slicing food for cooking, etc.

I too carry several knives of varying sizes.

[rwc1969]

You know what makes a knife ideal for bushcraft? THE USER!

[kyratshooter]

The bottom knife, referred to as "home made" was a very popular style before Rambo came along. It still is in some areas. It is a midification of the european skinner blade used by butchers and traded widely on the American frontier.

A "bushcraft knife" seems to follow the old rules of the outdoorsman. A three blade system of hatchet, utility knife and pocket knife. The utility knife having a blade no more than 5" long, and not more than 1 1/2" wide, with a solid, fist sized handle of durable materials.

This was the standard recomended belt knife all through my first 40 years of life.

I blame the "knifemakers' guild" for the current "big knife" syndrome due to the entry into the guild requiring production of a big knife to meet the test criterion. therefore, each makers "masterpiece" will be a big bladed monster of useless deminsions.

Our nation started off as wilderness from shore to shore. The knives used to survive that environment were the basic utility knives if each European region that settled there. Most of those knives we would refer to as "Kitchen knives". They were imported by the hundreds of thousands as trade goods and housewares. The rocky mountain fur trade records show hundreds of dozens of butcher knife blades carried to the mountains for trade each year. They were shipped without handles to save space in the packing crates.

The early settlers carried big knives for fighting, but many times the metal in them was low quality. They were primarily for hacking limbs and splitting skulls. They knew the difference too. Often they referred to their small knives as having "good steel" and the big knives as being "iron knives" of softer metal. They were not intended for general purpose use.

The settlers normally carried a hatchet (tomahawk) as their general utility/fighting tool.

Each person had a moderately sized utility knife (our bushcraft knife), that they carried on their belt or hanging around their neck and used as their basic eating tool. Forks were not used by the common people. Spoons were often used but difficult to carry around. The wide blade on the eating knife doubled as a spoon and allowed one to slice off chunks of meat from the spit as needed.

The fact that you had just skinned the same critter with the same knife was no problem for those folks.

Our "bushcraft" knives were the everyday carry of the pioneers. The styles remain due to 2 million years of evolution, from sharp rock to what we have today.

What makes them ideal?

RWC hit the nail on the head. The user.

In the hands of an unskilled user no knife will accomplish any task with efficency, and most will be dangerous. In the hands of a skilled user a box cutter is an efficient outdoor tool.

[steelnwool]

I appreciate your feedback everyone. I typed my question when looking at Mora knives. They seem very capable for the size of them. Also the comment of the user skill makes a huge amount of sense. Comparatively its what I can do with an old garbage computer, to what some of my friends can't do with the newest one off the shelf

I'll admit so far as bush craft goes i'm a stone cold rookie. Have always camped, but am just now getting into the whole idea of survial, "making stuff" and the like. Last night I took a stick out of the wood pile in the basement [some old dry hardwood] and just started trying to sharpen it with each of the 3 knives pictured above. It became pretty obvious after about an hour that a: I need to do this more, my hands hurt b: I need to do this more , my technique is really lacking but with each carve I see a bit more wood come off smoother c: I need to do this more but each one of the knives is pretty good at cutting as designed, cept i'm not fond of that ALCE one. Handle is just too tiny.

THanks again! [And I still want a Mora, price is too awesome to refuse. That combined with a folding saw should be all I need most times]

[kyratshooter]

Just a hint, but that Gorthman is as good a knife as has ever been made. You reshape the edge and sharpen it and you will have all the knife you ever need. It is also a much higher quality knife than the lower level Moras.

You can not go wrong with any of the Moras either. Good steel and well developed blade shapes. Good all purpose knives.

[steelnwool]

@kyratshooter - That came to mind too Its got the nicest sheath out of the bunch too.

[kyratshooter]

Is there any stamping on the bottom knife?

It looks suspiciously like one of the old Marbles Woodscraft knives made back during the 1930s-1950s. If so it has some good steel too.


http://www.oldjimbo.com/survival/edg...woodcraft.html

[steelnwool]

@kyratshooter - It does look a lot like that knife, but mine has no stamping on it at all. Regarding the Grohman, you mentioned re shaping the edge, did you mean a different grind or ?

[kyratshooter]

@kyratshooter - Regarding the Grohman, you mentioned re shaping the edge, did you mean a different grind or ?

I simply mean working out any knicks, dips or damage to the blade and edge. You can do it with light file work, abrasive paper or stones. I see no major damage that would require much more than a good workout on regular stones.

That blade is a classic contour and I would not suggest you do major grinding on it. One of the more knowledgeable people on here would reach through the computer and swat me. I would do a minimal preservation on the wood and recondition the sheath with linseed oil or wax. Grohman still makes replacement sheaths and still sells that model knife. Click on the site and you will see you are not working with a cheap chinese made Wallmart blade.

http://www.grohmannknives.com/pages/r100s.html

[OhioGrizzLapp]

For the bushcraft (making rustic furniture), camp craft and cooking I do,I use 3 knives:

1. A Cold Steel - SRK * Survival Rescue Knife. I have had mine for 11 years now and it has never failed me, easy to keep sharp and sturdy enough for chopping, cutting, boring and taking care of camp needs. The only wish I have is at some point to get a decent brass lined leather sheath for it instead of the noisy plastic thing it comes with.

2. A WWII Woodsman Pal folding *Machettee (Not the Case xx folding machettee), extremely well used but in very good blade and handle condition, stays sharp and once you get the hang of the gadgets on it (hooked blade, rasp, skive, draw knife etc), invaluable when making wooded things. It has the orig side open sheath and is the handiest gadget I own.

3. A 1963 Remington 4 1/2" skinner and dressing knife. Handles all things food wise... fur, fish and fowl. It stays razor sharp with just a few passes on an old antique folding steel I have.

[klkak]

For the bushcraft (making rustic furniture), camp craft and cooking I do,I use 3 knives:

1. A Cold Steel - SRK * Survival Rescue Knife. I have had mine for 11 years now and it has never failed me, easy to keep sharp and sturdy enough for chopping, cutting, boring and taking care of camp needs. The only wish I have is at some point to get a decent brass lined leather sheath for it instead of the noisy plastic thing it comes with.

2. A WWII Woodsman Pal folding *Machettee (Not the Case xx folding machettee), extremely well used but in very good blade and handle condition, stays sharp and once you get the hang of the gadgets on it (hooked blade, rasp, skive, draw knife etc), invaluable when making wooded things. It has the orig side open sheath and is the handiest gadget I own.

3. A 1963 Remington 4 1/2" skinner and dressing knife. Handles all things food wise... fur, fish and fowl. It stays razor sharp with just a few passes on an old antique folding steel I have.

I use a very thin Kydex liner in the leather knife sheaths I make. Never occured to me to use a brass or copper lining.