Archery Knife

[weekend_warrior]

Advice required please...

I need a new knife for archery - I want a production one, to be used for digging out piles, scratching for lost arrows but also for a bit of carving and camp work. Needs to be a good size/length to reach those difficult spots my arrows head for...

Any suggestions?

 

[rapidboy]

S1 should be long enough for raking through the grass, tough enough for chopping and prying and still (just) be small enough to manage more delicate tasks.

 

[weekend_warrior]

S1 should be long enough for raking through the grass, tough enough for chopping and prying and still (just) be small enough to manage more delicate tasks.

I was eyeing up the S1... Thinking about the bare blade and handling it myself in something wood like... but my F1 experiences have put me off a bit, I find the F1 convex grind a bit heavy.

 

[rapidboy]

I just made a sheath for one that was made from a blade blank.
The owner made a nice job and certainly a lot nicer and more comfortable than the standard thermolium version.

Problem is that a big tough knife with a heavy convex grind is never going to be a good knife for fine work.
The F1 gets slated a lot because of the grind but it was designed as a tough survival knife not a fine wood worker.
I'd go with 2 knives , a smaller knife for fine stuff, (maybe just a Mora, no weight and can be kept razor sharp) and a big rough chopper for finding arrowes and digging them out of tree's.

 

[weekend_warrior]

I just made a sheath for one that was made from a blade blank.
The owner made a nice job and certainly a lot nicer and more comfortable than the standard thermolium version.

Problem is that a big tough knife with a heavy convex grind is never going to be a good knife for fine work.
The F1 gets slated a lot because of the grind but it was designed as a tough survival knife not a fine wood worker.
I'd go with 2 knives , a smaller knife for fine stuff, (maybe just a Mora, no weight and can be kept razor sharp) and a big rough chopper for finding arrowes and digging them out of tree's.

I think you're right - that's a lovely looking knife and great looking sheath! Thanks for the advice.

 

[Dave Budd]

just replied to this over at BB, but why not repeat

I was planning to launch a couple of field archery knives this month, but heven't got them finished in time (yet )

This is the prototype for the larger knife (proportions went screwy so keeping it myself and will rework sometime)

This has a 6" blade the smaller version a 3".
What makes this good for field archery?

-Very strudy blade and solid construction so will take the stress form being stuck in a tree repeatedly
-strong tip (thickened behind it too)
- flattened butt to allow for wacking with the palm of hand
- rounded spine and tip to prevent marring arrows
- Dangly sheath that won't get caught up in the brush
- wide blade that can be used as a foot shelf (I've seen it done a few times on slippy slopes )
- the blade sharpened to allow it to chop small (read 1") branches out of the way as well as trimming whipping etc.
- Sheath and handles can be chosen to compliment your kit!

a couple of field archery knives designed and made by somebody who has been using them for that purpose for nearly a decade

still don't have a finished one yet. Just waiting for somebody to comission one

 

[Ogri the trog]

Hi Weekend Warrior,
Now I'm confused, I shot longbow for a few years and never felt the need for a knife for anything other than show. Piles were pushed through a straw boss with a pile-pusher, lost arrows searched for with an archers rake. My field captain would have had me charged for setting about a boss with a knife and I wouldn't want to risk cutting into a wooden shaft, and having that shaft shatter on the next release.
So if you're having to dig piles out of trees etc, then a few more hours practice might be better than having to retrieve themfrom anywhere other than the target, and if the piles are coming loose, better pile cement
I don't want to stop you buying another shiney thing but I'm not convinced that blades and archery equipment go too well together (other than Robin Hood field dressing the deer he's just shot )

ATB

Ogri the trog

 

[weekend_warrior]

Hi Weekend Warrior,
Now I'm confused, I shot longbow for a few years and never felt the need for a knife for anything other than show. Piles were pushed through a straw boss with a pile-pusher, lost arrows searched for with an archers rake. My field captain would have had me charged for setting about a boss with a knife and I wouldn't want to risk cutting into a wooden shaft, and having that shaft shatter on the next release.
So if you're having to dig piles out of trees etc, then a few more hours practice might be better than having to retrieve themfrom anywhere other than the target, and if the piles are coming loose, better pile cement
I don't want to stop you buying another shiney thing but I'm not convinced that blades and archery equipment go too well together (other than Robin Hood field dressing the deer he's just shot )

ATB

Ogri the trog

Come and shoot at a Cloth of Gold shoot - I'd recommend the Master Hunter later this year - and you'll see why I need to dig piles out of things! CoG are well know for difficult/interesting shoots...

No, I'm not the greatest shot - I'm getting better though. Getting them out of the target is not an issue, but the bosses we use are stacked rubber surrounded by a wooden frame and frames get regularly hit, often going in deeply.

 

[Singeblister]

This one could do the trick , was going to post on bb but it went down ,,,, agian just as I was typing.

 

[CanRanger]

I just made a sheath for one that was made from a blade blank.
The owner made a nice job and certainly a lot nicer and more comfortable than the standard thermolium version.

Problem is that a big tough knife with a heavy convex grind is never going to be a good knife for fine work.
The F1 gets slated a lot because of the grind but it was designed as a tough survival knife not a fine wood worker.
I'd go with 2 knives , a smaller knife for fine stuff, (maybe just a Mora, no weight and can be kept razor sharp) and a big rough chopper for finding arrowes and digging them out of tree's.

Wow that is a hot looking S1

Abe

 

[weekend_warrior]

Wow that is a hot looking S1

Abe

Abe,
I'm liking the look of your walkabout knife - does it have a strong tip for digging about in wood? If so, I'd be interested in the price..

 

[john van polanen]

Nobody looked at the WILDSTEER knife?

Dropforged from what I believe to be 12C26 Sandvik?!

Check their website: www.wildsteer.com

Knives made by archers for archers!

 

[waylander]

My dad carries a one he made years ago thats about as thick as an axe which comes in handy for hacking off pieces of the stands when they get inbeded in them deeply and I carry a £3 cheap fairburn copy from ebay which comes in handy for pushing into the splits in the stands if there not to deep and opening it enough to loosen the arrow. It seems top work well for us and if my knife breaks wll it really doesnt matter, I know you wanted something to carve with but the cheap fairburn has came in really usefull a number of times due to its thin pointed ness.

 

[spamel]

A crochet needle would be good for digging out piles, but I prefer Anusol!

 

[Heathenpeddler]

Wasn't the bollock knife the traditional archers knife?

 

[Dave Budd]

yes it was, but that was when the archer needed a weapon once his arrows were spent, not to dig arrows out of thing

getting arrows stuck and having to dig em out was what started me off in knifemaking. I got sick of breaking knives and thought "if I'm going to bend or break 'em, I'll be Bu**eree if I'm going to pay for 'em! " I guess I never stopped thinking like that!

 

[Aliwren]

Nobody looked at the WILDSTEER knife?

Dropforged from what I believe to be 12C26 Sandvik?!

Check their website: www.wildsteer.com

Knives made by archers for archers!

These look interesting never seen them before. Does anyone have one or know if they are any good. They dont seem to have a uk supplier.

 

[Dr Onion]

Nobody looked at the WILDSTEER knife?

Dropforged from what I believe to be 12C26 Sandvik?!

Check their website: www.wildsteer.com

Knives made by archers for archers!

That is genius! Need to look into that one now!

Cheers

Dr O

 

[andy_bell]

Whats wrong with just using a wood chisel and an arrow rake?

The wood chisel is ideal for extracting piles on those close but not close enough shots, and the arrow rake is just the job for those not so close shots. If you need to cut into the boss or the boss supports more than a chisle will allow then you either need to improve your accuracy or drop your bow poundage

you could even rehandle the chisel in a suitably rustic antler or wood, make it a nice sheath and call it a feild archers knife

of course if you want to clean and skin your prey than you will need something a lot more substantial, those 3d's are tough beasties!!