How sharp?

[John Boy]

Hi all. Wondering how sharp you guys think a knife needs to be for bushcraft? My AW bushcraft knife still has its original edge which was never hair shaving sharp. Thinking about sharpening it - how do you tell if it needs it? Thanks.

 

[dommyracer]

I generally go by whether it can shave my thumbnail or not.

Once you have a good edge on it, honing and stropping should maintain, unless you get a dink in it.

I'm sure others will go into more details.

 

[fred gordon]

Hi all. Wondering how sharp you guys think a knife needs to be for bushcraft? My AW bushcraft knife still has its original edge which was never hair shaving sharp. Thinking about sharpening it - how do you tell if it needs it? Thanks.

Good question John Boy, I often wonder that. Every time I sharpen I keep thing it could be sharper. Is it just me or is what I've done good enough? OK. Self doubt I imagine!

 

[singteck]

It all depends on what you will be using the knife for. General work in the rough like batoning don't require it to be sharp. But if you are going to use it to carve wood or cut ropes, then it have to be sharp enough to shave hairs.

singteck

 

[Bisamratte]

I have never been able to shave hairs, but it will push cut newspaper.

Maybe its a poor shaving technique or I've just got extra tough arm hairs

If your doing alot of carving then it needs to be as sharp as you can get it and you will notice when it starts to get blunt. (if your not sure try using a part of the blade that you haven't used and if cuts the wood easier then its time for a strop/sharpen)

hope this helps

Andy

 

[woodwalker]

hi there,
I think you will find more than enough info in the following thread, feel free to ask any extra questions though:

£5 Sharpening Kit/ Tutorial

happy reading,

woodwalker

 

[ArkAngel]

My knife is most definately shaving sharp, as the bald spots on the back of my arm will testify

My woodie is kept in shaving condition by stropping using a polishing compound, it rarely needs attention from the waterstones.

I have owned the knife for about 3 years and i think it has only been stone sharpened 2-3 times.

On quality blade like an AW, i would give stropping a go first, see if that improves it and if not consider putting it on the stones.

 

[addyb]

I keep all my knives hair-popping sharp. Seeing as how I use my SAK every single day without fail, at night I give it a quick strop on a leather belt, and occasionally a light steeling. I haven't taken my little SAK to a stone in months, which just goes to show you that with proper maintenance, a knife can remain in a razor sharp state for quite some time.

My Mora? Well, I still have the wicked scar on my left hand index finger to prove how sharp it is. Almost losing a finger seems to be a fantastic wake up call for knife safety. I won't make that mistake again!

Adam

 

[weaver]

Any of my cutting tools will do this.

 

[Backyard Bushcraft]

yea yea saying you dont need to have a knife shaving sharp is all great, but lets face it.....WE'RE MEN its shaving sharp or nothing,shaving your face in the reflection of a lake with a machete and the likes! ha ha i've only just started sharpening my knives properly after getting a lansky system and hoping to get a set of stones off the big red fella!
Jamie

 

[ArkAngel]

Any of my cutting tools will do this.

Likewise
The one on the far left of the picture is an old injury doing something stupid with a very sharp knife.

The more recent one on the right was when i dropped the point of my axe in my hand, severing an artery and glancing off the bone...looks pathetic now but it is a testement to the cleaness of the cut as to how well it has healed.
A+E wouldn't believe it had been done with axe, they thought it was with a craft knife or the like. It too k some convincing that it had been done with an axe!

 

[Longstrider]

If it's not at least sharp enough to shave the hairs off your arm, it's not sharp.

Try a leather strop loaded with a little cutting paste or metal polish such as Flitz or Autosol. For a true Scandi type edge back the leather with something solid like a piece of wood (I glue the leather to a strip of MDF usually) Don't use the skin side of the leather, put the cutting paste on the flesh side (the side that looks more like suede)
If you want a more convexed edge you can use the leather "loose" by pulling it tight against a hook or trap it in a door etc. Wipe the knife spine first (trailing the cutting edge) against the leather firmly and this should polish up the edge to the point where it will shave easily.
If the strop is not enough to get the blade up to standard it might need a touch-up on a fine hone before stropping

If it's not sharp...

 

[John Fenna]

Shaving sharp every time! I have cut myself worse and more often when I have been using dull tools, and having to push harder to make a cut, than when being respectful af sharp ones, which need less effort to work with.
However, the cuts I have had from sharp axes and knives are more dramatic to look at!....but they also heal faster as well......and seem to hurt less...and leave smaller scars.....
Sharp blades rule!

 

[OldJimbo]

I tend to be a sharpness fanatic now, but that's because I find it easier to get a lot of very fine fuzzies needed to start fires in this damp place.
The thing is that once I've spent a couple of hours properly setting up a cheap Mora, after that it just gets a few minutes stropping after a day's work.