The bushcraft Knife
The knife is probably the most important piece of equipment in our armoury. With a knife, and accompanied by knowledge of bushcraft skills and the environment, there is little that can’t be accomplished. Building shelters, creating fire, sterilising water are all tasks that are made a simpler with aid of a knife.
There are so many knives out there, some of which ‘look cool’; designed to grab our attention, others sit quietly in the shadows, look very plain, and yet tick all the boxes.
The Anatomy of a Knife
Despite its looks, a knife is a complex piece of kit with many variations in design. These variations require careful consideration.
Key Elements of a Good Bushcraft Knife
Type of metal
There are many different metal technologies applied to knife construction. However two most common steels used in blade making are:
· high carbon steel
· stainless steel
Both have advantages and disadvantages.
Stainless steel
Stainless steel blades contain chromium which aid the blade in resistance to corrosion (hence ‘stainless’).
If you were fishing by the sea or worked in damp conditions a stainless blade may be a good choice as your tools would be more resistant to rust.
Stainless steel blades can be slightly harder to sharpen and depending on the metal type the edge retention may not last as long as high carbon steels (this applies more to older stainless technologies as chromium softens the blade).
The latest stainless blades e.g. RWL 34 can be exceptional and in some cases outperform high carbon blades.
High carbon steel
The steel considered ideal for a bushcraft blade is 1095 carbon steel meaning that it contains 0.95% carbon.
The higher the carbon content of a blade, the harder and tougher the blade will be, making the edge retention much greater.
The disadvantage of high carbon steel is that it can be brittle and susceptible to corrosion. Such blades are often coated to stop corrosion and require a regular coating of oil or lubrication to stop rust.
This shouldn’t put you off as maintenance of gear is a routine discipline in the field.
Fixed or Folding
There are some good folding knives on the market today. Perhaps the most useful for our purposes is the multi tool - a pair of pliers plus multiple blades can be very useful.
However our knife is going to be used for some fairly heavy duty tasks and folding knives are generally not tough enough to cope.
Fixed blade knives are generally preferred. However not all fixed blades are equal .....!
Tang
The tang is the part of the knife that extends behind the blade and inserts or connects with the handle via a spike or tongue
There are a number of different knife tangs, their purpose being to form the part of the knife to which the handle is attached.
There are a range of different tang designs however for the purposes of our understanding we can concentrate on two groups:
· Full tang
· Hidden tang(s)
Full Tang blades are by far the toughest, simply because the knife and handle form a solid piece. The handle is constructed from two pads, known as scales, which are bolted (sometimes glued) to the blade much like the grips
on a pistol.
The full tang has stood the test of time and is the preferred design for bushcraft knives.
In contrast, the hidden tang is buried within the handle. For reasons we will explore later this is less suitable to our needs.
Length of Blade
Blade length and style are important aspects of a bushcraft knife. Our knife is a multi functional tool that will be expected to undertake a variety of tasks:
· Splitting logs and processing wood
· Intricate carving
· Skinning game
· Cutting cordage
· Striking a spark from a ferrocerium rod
With such a diverse range of tasks there is no perfect blade. A 7 inch blade may be an excellent wood splitter but overkill when trying to carve a spoon. Conversely a 3 inch blade makes all those intricate jobs (e.g. skinning and carving) easier but struggles to split logs.
One option is to carry two knives – for example a 3 inch ‘neck knife’ for the intricate work and a 6 inch blade for the heavy duty stuff.
Alternatively choose a good quality knife with a 4 inch blade as a ‘jack of all trades’ that will cope with all tasks adequately.
(If you are just starting out choose a 3 - 4 inch blade as it will do almost all jobs satisfactorily and you will find controlling the blade far easier. Blade control is important for safety).
Bevel, Edge and Grind
Serrated edge
Serrations on a knife blade provide a sawing function which can be useful. However with most designs the serrated edge takes up too much of the primary part of the knife.
A serrated edge on the spine of the blade is unsuitable as we use this part of the blade as the striking point when ‘battening’ (see cutting techniques).
Additionally serrated edges are harder to sharpen in the field. The perceived advantage of the serrated edge of easier cutting is matched by a well maintained ‘straight ‘edge which should be kept sharp and therefore just as capable at cutting.
Straight edge
A straight edge is preferred for a bush craft knife as it can be kept razor sharp (see sharpening) and is the most functional edge for most jobs in the field.
Bevel
The bevel is the name given to the tapering of the blade (usually from the centre of the blade) to the edge. The shape of the bevel can vary and these variations are as a consequence of different types of ‘grind’.
Grinds
Concave (or hollow) grind
A concave grind is commonly found on filleting knives.
Convex grind
A convex grind is ideal for chopping. It is typical of an axe blade.
V. (or flat) grind
Preferred for kitchen knives.
Scandinavian grind
This grind is ideal for the bushcraft knife. It is robust, easy to maintain and sharpen in the field.
Point
Clip point
Found on the Bowie knife this kind of point provides good control. Occasionally the top curved section is sharp providing a second cutting surface. The disadvantage of the
clip point blade is that it's relatively sharp and narrow tip has a tendency to be weak and break easily.
Spear point
Found on daggers and fighting knives, this point is not dissimilar to the drop point but often lacks the depth and thickness that the bushcraft blade requires.
Drop point
Provides good control and with a big belly is tough - it is the ideal all rounder. This is recommended for a bushcraft knife
Tanto point
Commonly found on Japanese swords
Knife Handling
Carrying
UK Knife Law
Under UK law it is illegal to:
· sell a knife of any kind (including cutlery and kitchen knives) to anyone under 18
· carry a knife in public without good reason - unless it’s a knife with a folding blade 3 inches long (7.62 cm) or less, e.g. a Swiss Army knife
· carry, buy or sell any type of banned knife
· use any knife in a threatening way (even a legal knife, such as a Swiss Army knife)
The maximum penalty for an adult carrying a knife is 4 years in prison and a fine of £5,000. Acceptable reasons for carrying a knife (Use caution - the police might have a different point of view)Examples of ‘acceptable’ reasons to carry a knife in public can include:
· taking knives you use at work to and from work
· you’re taking knives to a gallery or museum to be exhibited
· the knife is going to be used for theatre, film, television, historical re-enactment or religious purposes (e.g. the kirpan some Sikhs carry)
· fishing
· bushcraft in the woods
However a court will decide if you’ve got a good reason to carry a knife if you’re charged with carrying it illegally. Knives that are illegalThere is a complete ban on some knives – they are too detailed to list here but those typically used for bushcraft are not banned.
Sheaths
A good sheath protects both the knife and the carrier. Get into the habit of always returning the knife to its sheath (even mid-task) rather than laying it on the ground or placing it in a pocket
Passing a knife to someone safely
The safest way to pass a knife to someone is:
· Handle first
· Edge of blade up
· With spine of blade lying along the arm of the giver
Cutting Techniques
· Forehand grip – strongest grip
· Backhand grip – whittling or making cordage
· Chest lever – strong , good control
· Battening – using a mallet or stick to drive the blade into a log to split it – this puts a great deal of stress on a knife hence the preference for a full tang blade.
Slicing action works best. Following grain of the wood is easiest
Safety
· Think about the follow through – take care not to get yourself or others in the way
· When sitting down keep elbows on knees – this keeps a stable working platform
· Stop when tired
· Keep1st aid kit nearby
Care and Maintenance
· Blade needs to kept sharp – a dull blade is ineffective and dangerous
· High carbon steel is prone to rust - keep clean dry and lightly oiled
· Many wood saps stain and rust the blade – clean carefully after every use
Sharpening & Polishing
Sharpening is a skilled process that requires care and practice
· Use a ceramic or Japanese Wet Stone system - 800 to 6000 grades
· Lay blade on stone and tilt until bevel lies flat against the stone
· Working the blade away from you stroke the blade with the bevel flat against the stone
· Once a slight curl to the edge of the blade can be felt with finger or finger nail, reverse the side and repeat. There is no point continuing with the same grade of stone thereafter as you are only grinding away at the blade, rather honing the edge. Either stop at that point or choose a higher grade stone for a finer edge
· Flatten stone off using ‘dressing stone’ or equiv to prevent hollowing out thestone face
Alternatives include:
· Oil stones
· DC3 and DC4 or Spyderco ceramic stones
· Diamond stones
· Wet and Dry stuck onto a piece of wood
· Pebble from beach or river bank
· Gransfor puck
· Birch polypore fungi Piptoporus betulinus (or razor strop) - used when dried out