Is My Knife Sharp Enough?

[fatduck89]

I am about to embark on my first lone bushcraft week with a new knife. I have sharpened it following several guides ranging from this forum to Mr Mears. I will bring my knife sharpening kit with me incase it needs more sharpening.

How sharp does my knife need to be? I know that may seem like a silly question that may trigger such answers as, How long is a peice of string etc etc. But I have sharpened my knife to the point where I caught it on my finger for a second and made quite a deep cut, enough for the blood to ooze out of 3 plasters! I went out into my garden and sliced quite a chunk of an old apple tree with little to no effort, any tests or requirements a knife needs to meet to be a successful bushcraft knife?

Thanks.

 

[Tadpole]

I am about to embark on my first lone bushcraft week with a new knife. I have sharpened it following several guides ranging from this forum to Mr Mears. I will bring my knife sharpening kit with me incase it needs more sharpening.

How sharp does my knife need to be? I know that may seem like a silly question that may trigger such answers as, How long is a peice of string etc etc. But I have sharpened my knife to the point where I caught it on my finger for a second and made quite a deep cut, enough for the blood to ooze out of 3 plasters! I went out into my garden and sliced quite a chunk of an old apple tree with little to no effort, any tests or requirements a knife needs to meet to be a successful bushcraft knife?

Thanks.

I think the standard to which most hold to is
1, Will your knife shave the hairs from your arm, ie fairly pop them off with no shaving rash?
2. Will your knife cut from one corner to the other an A4 piece of paper loosely held betwixt thumb and forefinger? (Al la Ray Mears and his Axe)
If you can answer yes to both, then for a general purpose Bushcraft knife, ou knife should be ok
Cutting bit's (skin) off of one's body is not normally a test to which people aim for.

One other thing, before you attempt any cutting or other things with a bladed knife or axe. take out your First Aid kit and open it, they can be a real pig to open one handed

 

[John Fenna]

Will it shave your arm? - a common test with bushcrafters......
Will it slice loosly held newspaper?
Will it cut the wind into two separate breezes?

 

[Tadpole]

Will it shave your arm? - a common test with bushcrafters......

it's how you recognise each other in the street, or know you have met a bushcrafter/knifemaker, when you see one.

 

[fatduck89]

Thanks guys!

My left arm is officially bald.... lol!

 

[British Red]

The acid test of course is to slice tissue paper in half - as the tissue paper is in freefall

And yes - its been done. Trutfully its an exercise in sharpening vanity. If you can cut really good tiny feather stick curls with 4 o 5 full circles in them, its as sharp as you will need. Too silly sharp and the edge becomes fragile - like a plane blade

Red

 

[Matt Weir]

The acid test of course is to slice tissue paper in half - as the tissue paper is in freefall

And yes - its been done. Trutfully its an exercise in sharpening vanity. If you can cut really good tiny feather stick curls with 4 o 5 full circles in them, its as sharp as you will need. Too silly sharp and the edge becomes fragile - like a plane blade

Red

Indeed, 'solid sharp' is what I want which is a sharp edge that holds for a long time and that is achieved with a long time spent on a rigid strop with cutting paste