I am beginning to become a fan of big knives. I first learned about "Bushcraft" from doing research for hatchets. I now have several hatchets that I like. Then, from reading the Bushcraft forums, a found out about the Mora knives. I like them very well for general light duty camp work. My last foray has been into the larger knives. My favorite has been an 18' Khukri that was made in India. The disadvantage of such a big knife is that it is as heavy as my largest hatchet. But I have found the Khukri to be very good for a lot of bushy things.
One thing I like a Khukri for better than a hatchet or smaller knife is for cutting poles and stakes for a shelter. I normally use only dead materials. Shelter sized poles are pretty springy and give a lot when hit by a hatchet. But, with a Khukri, you just swing through the pole. You also don't have to be as precise with your swing with a long knife as you do a hatchet. A short swing with a hatchet may be dangerous to you and an overswing my damage your hatchet handle. I hatchet is a better splitter but the Khukri isn't bad.
I did an experiment last summer. I found a downed tree that was about 12" at the base and 4" at the branching. The tree was about 40' long. I had three hatchets, a Norlund hatchet with a one pound head, a "Trapper's Hatchet with a total weight of about 1 pound, and a BRKT Mini Axe which is another small axe with a total weight of about one pound, and lastly my 18" Khukri. I would completely cut through the trunk with one tool, move down about 16" and cut through with the next and so on, all the way down the truck and branches. The Norlund was clearly the champ for cutting though the trunk. Every chop bit deeply without much work from me. The Trapper's Hatchet bit well and did a surprisingly good job. The BRKT was a big disappointment . It didn't bite nearly as well as the similarly sized Trapper's Hatchet. The Khukri was probably second to the Norlund in chopping but took more work to swing it. When I got to the limbs though, the Khukri was the clear winner. It lopped off springy limbs easily and much more safely than any of the hatchets. I then started splitting up all the trunk sections of the tree. The Norlund was the best splitter. The small hatchets and Khukri were about the same as splitters. One advantage of the Khukri is that part of the blade stuck out past the other side of the trunk and you could baton the knife directly. With the axes, I had to take small limbs and use them with the baton to push the hatchets deeper than flush with the surface.
I also used the different tools to make small kindling, stakes, and other thinks like I would if I were camping. What really impressed me was how much easier it was to do these chores with the Khukri than it was with the hatchets.
I am re-grinding a 12" India made Khukri now. It still had the 1/4" thick backbone but is much lighter than the 18" model. I am grinding the area closest to the handle to a much more fine bevel for "knife work". I am leaving the curved section of the blade at a more axe like bevel, and I am going to thin out the bevel on the end of the blade to see if by choking up on the blade, I could use that portion of the blade for skinning type task. I am hoping that this blade will work out. My hope is that with this Khukri and a multi-tool knife blade, my bushcraft chores will be covered well.
I will have to say that a saw will do a lot of things easier than either an axe or a Khukri.
David Enoch
One thing I like a Khukri for better than a hatchet or smaller knife is for cutting poles and stakes for a shelter. I normally use only dead materials. Shelter sized poles are pretty springy and give a lot when hit by a hatchet. But, with a Khukri, you just swing through the pole. You also don't have to be as precise with your swing with a long knife as you do a hatchet. A short swing with a hatchet may be dangerous to you and an overswing my damage your hatchet handle. I hatchet is a better splitter but the Khukri isn't bad.
I did an experiment last summer. I found a downed tree that was about 12" at the base and 4" at the branching. The tree was about 40' long. I had three hatchets, a Norlund hatchet with a one pound head, a "Trapper's Hatchet with a total weight of about 1 pound, and a BRKT Mini Axe which is another small axe with a total weight of about one pound, and lastly my 18" Khukri. I would completely cut through the trunk with one tool, move down about 16" and cut through with the next and so on, all the way down the truck and branches. The Norlund was clearly the champ for cutting though the trunk. Every chop bit deeply without much work from me. The Trapper's Hatchet bit well and did a surprisingly good job. The BRKT was a big disappointment . It didn't bite nearly as well as the similarly sized Trapper's Hatchet. The Khukri was probably second to the Norlund in chopping but took more work to swing it. When I got to the limbs though, the Khukri was the clear winner. It lopped off springy limbs easily and much more safely than any of the hatchets. I then started splitting up all the trunk sections of the tree. The Norlund was the best splitter. The small hatchets and Khukri were about the same as splitters. One advantage of the Khukri is that part of the blade stuck out past the other side of the trunk and you could baton the knife directly. With the axes, I had to take small limbs and use them with the baton to push the hatchets deeper than flush with the surface.
I also used the different tools to make small kindling, stakes, and other thinks like I would if I were camping. What really impressed me was how much easier it was to do these chores with the Khukri than it was with the hatchets.
I am re-grinding a 12" India made Khukri now. It still had the 1/4" thick backbone but is much lighter than the 18" model. I am grinding the area closest to the handle to a much more fine bevel for "knife work". I am leaving the curved section of the blade at a more axe like bevel, and I am going to thin out the bevel on the end of the blade to see if by choking up on the blade, I could use that portion of the blade for skinning type task. I am hoping that this blade will work out. My hope is that with this Khukri and a multi-tool knife blade, my bushcraft chores will be covered well.
I will have to say that a saw will do a lot of things easier than either an axe or a Khukri.
David Enoch
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