Newbie Question, what exactly is a "Bushcraft" knife?

[Craig88]

There's a saying that I picked up somewhere I can't remember where but it goes: "the more tasks you want a knife to do the less well it can do those tasks". A basic bushcraft all rounder should be carbon steel, full tang and a good thickness with a 90 degree spine so that you can use ferro rods and the like. I carry 4 knives currently all for different tasks. Try not to look for a knife that does everything but for the tasks you require.

Sent from my GT-I8160

 

[Wayland]

There's also a saying that the best knife is the one you have...

 

[Camel]

There's a saying that I picked up somewhere I can't remember where but it goes: "the more tasks you want a knife to do the less well it can do those tasks". A basic bushcraft all rounder should be carbon steel, full tang and a good thickness with a 90 degree spine so that you can use ferro rods and the like. I carry 4 knives currently all for different tasks. Try not to look for a knife that does everything but for the tasks you require.

Sent from my GT-I8160

That's worth bearing in mind Craig.

Out of interest, why should it be carbon steel?

If I only wipe the blood from my carbon gralloching knife and put it away without cleaning with soap and water later the edge will dull in a day or two from micro-corrosion at the very edge.

 

[Camel]

There's also a saying that the best knife is the one you have...

I intend to manage this truism with artful shopping!

 

[lannyman8]

That's worth bearing in mind Craig.

Out of interest, why should it be carbon steel?

If I only wipe the blood from my carbon gralloching knife and put it away without cleaning with soap and water later the edge will dull in a day or two from micro-corrosion at the very edge.

ref a bushcraft knife, it is normally carbon steel for 2 reasons 1) it holds an edge better than stainless (on the whole, some exotic steels differ but that effects price) 2) carbon steel can be struck to form a spark for making fire...

the full tang because its stronger and 3-4 mm thick for the same reason, this is to allow for battening wood down to make a fire, a bushcraft knife is often used for this...

a scandi grind normally because it acts as a wedge when spliting wood and is a robust edge rather say than a fully flat grind which can be damaged more easily than a scandi.

however this is not to say a full flat cant be used or a thinner blade, it all depends of what you like to work with, what tasks your going to use it for and how much stick your going to punish it with...

for me a mora clipper is good enough for everything, even battening which it takes in its stride, but i much prefer a thicker blade of 3mm with a flandi grind, O1, not scandi but not full flat, more a place in between, this gives a robust blade but makes it better for carving jobs....

the handle and sheath is totally a personal thing wood is just as good as plastic or resin and does have some advantages and likewise with plastic etc...

basically its what you like to use and what you can afford, the rest is

 

[Aussiepom]

a scandi grind normally because it acts as a wedge when spliting wood and is a robust edge rather say than a fully flat grind which can be damaged more easily than a scandi.

however this is not to say a full flat cant be used or a thinner blade, it all depends of what you like to work with, what tasks your going to use it for and how much stick your going to punish it with...

for me a mora clipper is good enough for everything, even battening which it takes in its stride, but i much prefer a thicker blade of 3mm with a flandi grind, O1, not scandi but not full flat, more a place in between, this gives a robust blade but makes it better for carving jobs....

I'd have to disagree with, (or at least clarify), this - not for the sake of being argumentative, but because it's likely to confuse the OP, or other readers: A typical scandi grind usually has a weak edge, not a robust one. This is because of the relatively low included angle of around 30 deg, (15 per side). The overall blade is strong, because there's a lot of 'meat' left in it, but the actual edge is weak. That's why some scandi grinds actually have a secondary 'micro' bevel added - hard to see unless you look very closely.

When many people talk about a full flat grind, although the word "full" is used, they are actually usually referring to a full flat with a secondary bevel. This secondary bevel, often with an included angle of 40+ deg, will render the actual edge more robust than the typical edge on a scandi grind. Were you referring to this type of grind? If you did actually mean a completely flat grind, with no secondary bevel, then I will concede that this would be a very weak edge - to the point of being useless as a general use blade. I've certainly never seen a blade ground like that, (scalpel maybe?)

For my own information, do you have any more details of this 'flandi' grind that you mention? I've never heard that term before, but it sounds an awful lot like an ages old grind called a sabre grind - like the one displayed in the picture of the OP's Russian knife above: Sides parallel to about half way down the depth of the blade, then tapering towards the edge, with a final secondary bevel. That's been my preferred configuration for many years now, (although I have relatively recently come across another that I'm going to try at some stage.)

 

[Camel]

ref a bushcraft knife, it is normally carbon steel for 2 reasons 1) it holds an edge better than stainless (on the whole, some exotic steels differ but that effects price) 2) carbon steel can be struck to form a spark for making fire...

the full tang because its stronger and 3-4 mm thick for the same reason, this is to allow for battening wood down to make a fire, a bushcraft knife is often used for this...

a scandi grind normally because it acts as a wedge when spliting wood and is a robust edge rather say than a fully flat grind which can be damaged more easily than a scandi.

however this is not to say a full flat cant be used or a thinner blade, it all depends of what you like to work with, what tasks your going to use it for and how much stick your going to punish it with...

for me a mora clipper is good enough for everything, even battening which it takes in its stride, but i much prefer a thicker blade of 3mm with a flandi grind, O1, not scandi but not full flat, more a place in between, this gives a robust blade but makes it better for carving jobs....

the handle and sheath is totally a personal thing wood is just as good as plastic or resin and does have some advantages and likewise with plastic etc...

basically its what you like to use and what you can afford, the rest is

Thank you for linking the design features to the intended use Lannyman.


A couple of observations if I may, stainless steel tends to keep a better edge than a non-tool carbon steel of the same carbon content. The Chromium carbides in stainless are harder than the Iron carbides in the plain steel.

Are the carbon bushcraft blades usually passivated or coated against corrosion?

The second is that I can strike sparks with my stainless blades above, the spines are quite square so that may help.

 

[Camel]

I'd have to disagree with, (or at least clarify), this - not for the sake of being argumentative, but because it's likely to confuse the OP, or other readers: A typical scandi grind usually has a weak edge, not a robust one. This is because of the relatively low included angle of around 30 deg, (15 per side). The overall blade is strong, because there's a lot of 'meat' left in it, but the actual edge is weak. That's why some scandi grinds actually have a secondary 'micro' bevel added - hard to see unless you look very closely.

When many people talk about a full flat grind, although the word "full" is used, they are actually usually referring to a full flat with a secondary bevel. This secondary bevel, often with an included angle of 40+ deg, will render the actual edge more robust than the typical edge on a scandi grind. Were you referring to this type of grind? If you did actually mean a completely flat grind, with no secondary bevel, then I will concede that this would be a very weak edge - to the point of being useless as a general use blade. I've certainly never seen a blade ground like that, (scalpel maybe?)

For my own information, do you have any more details of this 'flandi' grind that you mention? I've never heard that term before, but it sounds an awful lot like an ages old grind called a sabre grind - like the one displayed in the picture of the OP's Russian knife above: Sides parallel to about half way down the depth of the blade, then tapering towards the edge, with a final secondary bevel. That's been my preferred configuration for many years now, (although I have relatively recently come across another that I'm going to try at some stage.)

Interesting observations, thank you for your post.

I have found the very toughest edge to be a medium convex. It's difficult to describe in terms of angle but if you take the micro-bevel off a Fallkniven H1 using the sandpaper method, that's the angle I'm talking about!

Makes fine cuts and doesn't blunt too fast for skinning but can cope with cartilage.

 

[Retired Member southey]

I believe lanny Ment you can strike sparks like a flit and steel, using your knife spine to provide the metal.

 

[Camel]

I believe lanny Ment you can strike sparks like a flit and steel, using your knife spine to provide the metal.

Ah, I see.

So it appears I am missing at least one more knife in my meagre ( See post by Jiffi above ) collection!

 

[durhammaker]

Well as i make knives and collect knives, and over the years of camping and hunting ive used most types and abused most types of knife, the Mears bushcraft knife was designed to be "a knife for non knife users" and that was his origional brief to Alan Wood, i suppose the "scandi" grind everyone has on a bushcraft knife is fashion now ,just as green and muted forest colours have become a uniform for a "shrafter", but i think you dont need a bushcraft knife in your collection to be honest as you manage quite wel with what you have.

 

[Aussiepom]

Interesting observations, thank you for your post.

I have found the very toughest edge to be a medium convex. It's difficult to describe in terms of angle but if you take the micro-bevel off a Fallkniven H1 using the sandpaper method, that's the angle I'm talking about!

Makes fine cuts and doesn't blunt too fast for skinning but can cope with cartridge.

I don't know the Fallkniven H1, but the concept sounds similar to to my next intended trial which I referred to: 'full' flat, with a small convex secondary bevel. It's been recommended to me by a maker, so I'd be daft not to at least try it.

 

[Camel]

Well as i make knives and collect knives, and over the years of camping and hunting ive used most types and abused most types of knife, the Mears bushcraft knife was designed to be "a knife for non knife users" and that was his origional brief to Alan Wood, i suppose the "scandi" grind everyone has on a bushcraft knife is fashion now ,just as green and muted forest colours have become a uniform for a "shrafter", but i think you dont need a bushcraft knife in your collection to be honest as you manage quite wel with what you have.

Thanks 'maker.

I think I'll just have to baton, feather, carve and generally molest pieces of wood with my existing knives to see how it goes.

From the descriptions given here I could pick up one of those 3mm thick Moras and have a play with that for not much more money.

It's carbon steel so I can strike sparks off it with a piece of flint, you see. B) B)

 

[Camel]

I don't know the Fallkniven H1, but the concept sounds similar to to my next intended trial which I referred to: 'full' flat, with a small convex secondary bevel. It's been recommended to me by a maker, so I'd be daft not to at least try it.

Great hunting, and probably everything else, knife the H1.

I had a H1 with the ordinary VG10 steel that I miss sorely...

It had a convex sabre grind with a tiny conventional microbevel at the edge. I took it down to full convex with the sandpaper method. Took bleddy ages but was sharp enough to shave with and tough as anything. The tang was a full 5mm thick for some sense of scale.

 

[The Big Lebowski]

I've just had a Bravo-1 back from Ian (Longstider) and asked for the convex to be ground less acute to improve slicing and carving/feathering.

I guess its a high saber to shallow convex. Not had the chance to use it, but putting through the paces over the weekend. Which I'm looking forwards to.
Looks very right for what I wanted, did a superb job

Thanks for the heads up.

That Silky saw in particular looks good; the pivot looks like it's fully metal and I like the bright handle.

You're welcome. Its a great saw, been uising it for two years.