shapes

[SARKY]

For my small to medium knives, up to 6 inches I prefer a drop point. For a big knife, I prefer a belly forward/recurve blade like my Benchmade Bushmaster.

[owl_girl]

I baton my axe to split wood and such. It gives me much more control and I can do so much more safely and efficiently.

exactly. batoning gives more control and has been necessary or more effective in some situations that we have ran into where chopping just wasnt the best option. big knives seem to baton better for me then an ax.

[owl_girl]

The K-Bar opened cans and dug holes,

*GASP* im calling the knife abuse hot-line!

[huskymill]

i would think that the type of steel used for the knife would be more important than shape. i have two main (not counting the small ones) knives in my BOB. one is a gerber LMF and the other is a really cheap like $7 combat knife. both i keep nearly sharp enough to shave with. i like the weight of the LMF for chopping, also it has a serated portion that is good for sawing through small sticks. i havent actually used the cheap one yet and im not sure how sturdy it actually is but it is very sharp and any type of carving im sure it could handle without any problems. im not sure because ive never gotten the chance to use it but i also have a small utility knife(razor blade) in there too that i figured would be a good thing for skinning, should i get a rabit or squirell. does that sound like a good idea or is it too small? i know the theory behind skinning and gutting animals but have never had the experience of actually doing it. the only thing i have experience in is cleaning fish cause i used to fish with my grandpa and my dad.

[owl_girl]

@ huskymill
you dont need a knife to skin a rabbit or squirrel other then making the first slits. it will only make things more difficult trust me. you just pull the skin off like a glove, well not quite as easy as that but its not hard.

the shape and steel matter. for example a blade with a longer sharper point will be better at carving more delicate objects like a fish hook then a blade with a more blunt point.

[huskymill]

thats kinda why i figured a razor blade would be a siutable tool for that kinda stuff. and i understand what you are saying about the shape being important, thats why its not a bad idea to have a few different type blades. of course the down side of multiple knives is the weight factor.

[Camp10]

@ huskymill
you dont need a knife to skin a rabbit or squirrel other then making the first slits. it will only make things more difficult trust me. you just pull the skin off like a glove, well not quite as easy as that but its not hard.

the shape and steel matter. for example a blade with a longer sharper point will be better at carving more delicate objects like a fish hook then a blade with a more blunt point.

Couldnt agree more! The shape is very important to what you want to use the knife for and the steel type is important for how long you want to use it!

[Sarge47]

*GASP* im calling the knife abuse hot-line!

OG made a joke!!!! (writing in journal) "Today I started to suspect that Owl-Girl has become a "Pod-person!"

Seriously though, I use a hatchet or an axe for splitting in most cases. I've never been into using a baton, but did think of being a cheerleader once; however Mom said no when I tried on that little skirt!

For the record, I never gave the blade style much thought; if I like it, I buy it!

[welderguy]

Originally Posted by Ole WV Coot
The K-Bar opened cans and dug holes,

*GASP* im calling the knife abuse hot-line!

If you think thats bad you should see some of the abuse videos from cold steel. they put some hurting on them blades.

[Sarge47]

Hey! Weren't you the girl who liked carrying a machete?

[owl_girl]

i had a cold steel machete once. it did not meet our standards. after a few weeks we left it in the woods. after getting the ka-bar kukri i know there is no comparison, better quality all the way around. we have had it a year and its awesome. i am now skeptical of cold steel and not likely to buy a big knife from them again.

[Sarge47]

i had a cold steel machete once. it did not meet our standards. after a few weeks we left it in the woods. after getting the ka-bar kukri i know there is no comparison, better quality all the way around. we have had it a year and its awesome. i am now skeptical of cold steel and not likely to buy a big knife from them again.

Hmmm, I don't know what your standards are, but Cold Steel is a great company. The "Pass-around" knife is one of their's & it's really strong. Maybe it was one of there "El-cheapo models." Ka-bar is very good, also. I own a couple: one with a "Bowie" style blade, & one with...whatever(?)

http://www.tomarskabars.com/1275_INFO.html

I don't have a very good machete, but if I were to buy something like that it would probably be the R-TAC II made by Ontario Knives.

[Ole WV Coot]

*GASP* im calling the knife abuse hot-line!

That is a general all around tool, we were told by our dear Uncle Sam and it was used for most everything. The Ek I carried was more of a rib tickler and never abused. The Ka-Bar is in almost perfect condition and took a lot of abuse. They both look great and are in a display case, been there 35yrs. They have a good home and will never be sold or used by me again. They are treated with care. So CALL

[owl_girl]

you can do what you like with you knives but no matter how good or tough a knife is, for me, touching blade edge to mettle, stone, or sand is against my religion (unless im sharpening). i believe in fully using knives other then that. the fact that stone and mettle has such a strong ability to sharpen an edge tells me that those materials have a very strong effect on the mettle of the blade so i dont use it on those things.

[hunter63]

*GASP* im calling the knife abuse hot-line!

LOL,
And this is from the one that beats the carp out of a knife with a stick, trying to do an axes work?

Knives are made to use, and I have broken the points off several supposedly good knives, spliting the pelvic bone, and generally abused most every knife I own.

[rebel]

*GASP* im calling the knife abuse hot-line!

LOL,
And this is from the one that beats the carp out of a knife with a stick, trying to do an axes work?

This might be entertaining...

[Rick]

Guy Vs. Gal - When reality just isn't real enough! Join us in March as we pit an admitted knife abuser against his arch nemesis.

"I'm gonna slam this knife into this rock!"
"You do and I'll murderize ya!"

But she has a closely guarded secret. She knows the Hunter has a tendency to set himself on fire. Will she help him along or just wait and see how badly he injures himself? And what's the best survival knife anyway?

Guy Vs. Gal - Coming in March.

[Ole WV Coot]

you can do what you like with you knives but no matter how good or tough a knife is, for me, touching blade edge to mettle, stone, or sand is against my religion (unless im sharpening). i believe in fully using knives other then that. the fact that stone and mettle has such a strong ability to sharpen an edge tells me that those materials have a very strong effect on the mettle of the blade so i dont use it on those things.

You wouldn't believe what some of us older gentlemen did with that knife in the '60s 'cause when you dug in you did it with anything you could and you didn't want your rear end in the air. Ain't nothin' like a shot or two to make you burrow in the ground and WWII rations didn't come in a ziplock bag. Beer cans were steel and you needed a church key to open one. Wasn't handed one either. This kind, knowledgeable, gentle, older person does believe that using said blade as a digging instrument kept his then unwrinkled hide intact thus enabling him to bring pleasure to many young ladies. If I used this instrument only to cut I would have been shot, starved, stayed sober and disappointed many ladies. I consider it a fair trade.

[rebel]

You wouldn't believe what some of us older gentlemen did with that knife in the '60s 'cause when you dug in you did it with anything you could and you didn't want your rear end in the air. Ain't nothin' like a shot or two to make you burrow in the ground and WWII rations didn't come in a ziplock bag. Beer cans were steel and you needed a church key to open one. Wasn't handed one either. This kind, knowledgeable, gentle, older person does believe that using said blade as a digging instrument kept his then unwrinkled hide intact thus enabling him to bring pleasure to many young ladies. If I used this instrument only to cut I would have been shot, starved, stayed sober and disappointed many ladies. I consider it a fair trade.

Posts # 17 and 33 said that too. Reckon this makes it O.K.? You and Hunter63 stand over there and wait.

[owl_girl]

OWC
i realize your situation called for such use. i was thinking of less extreme situations. in a survival situation you use what you have to.