The best Bushcraft Knife UK vs US. Pictures please!

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Quixoticgeek

Full Member
Aug 4, 2013
2,483
23
Europe
Post some pictures! I would love to see them.

It feels a bit of an insult to the crafsmen who have made the other knives in this thread, but as you did request it:

knives02_sm.jpg


The Mora has become a gardening knife, abused and not looked after, it's in desperate need of some TLC.

The Peasant is my EDC, it lives in my pocket all the time, apart from the week it spent in the garden after it fell out of my pocket. It's never been quite the same colour since. The rust itself seems to have gone, but it's left behind a certain patina. I tell myself it's just adding character to her, but I still feel guilty for letting it happen. I have some ash sat on the living room table to give her a new set of scales. I am studying Arboriculture at college, and the decline of the Ash tree's in the local area due to Chalara Fraxinea has been most upsetting, I wanted to make a pair of knife scales for her in memory of the majestic Ash trees...

Julia
 

GGTBod

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Mar 28, 2014
3,209
26
1
Same here not sure my lovely old Mora blades belong next to these works of art shown previously in the thread but i do love them

A Krang Johan Eriksson which i got a few months back which needs a bit of work on it and an Erik Frosts which is a joy to use

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fancy myself one of those Mark Hill blades though after reading all the high praise
 

santaman2000

M.A.B (Mad About Bushcraft)
Jan 15, 2011
16,909
1,114
67
Florida
Why do I not see any bow drill sockets in the knife handles? Is that not a British thing?

There are none in any of my knives either. TBH, I'd never heard of it until this post.



That's a dangerous thing that what it is! Really I think it's an accident waiting to happen and personally I think it looks pretty ugly too- but that's just me.

Got to agree with Cameron.... using a knife for a bearing block is a BAD idea. How many times, when trying to get an ember with Bow drill has the drill pinged away from hearth and bearing block? All to often. Having a sharp edge not under control in such away is a recipe for bad damage to yourself.

+1 what Cameron and Mark said. Really, in a survival situation that's surely a beyond stupid move......M

For two minutes work you'll risk slicing your hand open ?.....M

Honestly I see no risk. The knife can also be left in the sheath.


Bingo. If you want one (although I don't know why you would) there's an easy way to eliminate any risk: just leave the sheath on the blade.
 
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ozzy1977

Full Member
Jan 10, 2006
8,558
3
46
Henley
Leaving the sheath on would be a pain in the bum having to take it off my belt every tome i wanted to start a fire.
 

Clouston98

Woodsman & Beekeeper
Aug 19, 2013
4,364
2
26
Cumbria
That would also depend on the sheath. Some sheaths have a deep draw and only leave about an inch exposed - so it wouldn't be possible still. Even if you could, sheath or no sheath - pigs will fly before you catch me doing it, just don't get it. The satisfaction I got the first time I made fire by friction and the subsequent times after I think I wouldn't have felt as satisfied had I used a ready made bearing block. I like the antler ones with the bearing inset and I can see them useful for folk who demonstrate it a lot but in knives I think it's no good. Another thing is when the hole shoulders out you are left with a whopping great charred black whole in your knife handle- again just my 2p :).
 

John Fenna

Lifetime Member & Maker
Oct 7, 2006
23,133
2,871
66
Pembrokeshire
That would also depend on the sheath. Some sheaths have a deep draw and only leave about an inch exposed - so it wouldn't be possible still. Even if you could, sheath or no sheath - pigs will fly before you catch me doing it, just don't get it. The satisfaction I got the first time I made fire by friction and the subsequent times after I think I wouldn't have felt as satisfied had I used a ready made bearing block. I like the antler ones with the bearing inset and I can see them useful for folk who demonstrate it a lot but in knives I think it's no good. Another thing is when the hole shoulders out you are left with a whopping great charred black whole in your knife handle- again just my 2p :).

I tend to agree with this - and I love using my nice, comfortably shaped wooden block with its limpet insert ... almost friction free!
 

Ruud

Full Member
Jun 29, 2012
670
176
Belgium
www.rudecheers.wordpress.com
Some lanyard holes prove themselves to be perfect bearing blocks. Made a video of the F1 being used as one.
[video=youtube;5czqDEGApeQ]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5czqDEGApeQ&list=UUMQewx7Ry609esblJN1oy9g[/video]

My fav survival knife is this one
foto-3-4.jpg
 

tylerjwhite

Tenderfoot
Aug 11, 2013
83
0
USA
It feels a bit of an insult to the crafsmen who have made the other knives in this thread, but as you did request it:

The Mora has become a gardening knife, abused and not looked after, it's in desperate need of some TLC.


Julia

I have two or three Mora knives. Truly from a utilitarian perspective they are hard to beat. I believe everyone should have at least one or two of them. Great knife!
 

tylerjwhite

Tenderfoot
Aug 11, 2013
83
0
USA
Some lanyard holes prove themselves to be perfect bearing blocks. Made a video of the F1 being used as one.
[video=youtube;5czqDEGApeQ]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5czqDEGApeQ&list=UUMQewx7Ry609esblJN1oy9g[/video]

My fav survival knife is this one
foto-3-4.jpg

That is just super smart. I like that idea. I'll be trying that soon!
 

tylerjwhite

Tenderfoot
Aug 11, 2013
83
0
USA
I have an antler. I also have multiple knives with bow sockets in them. Here is a few. I'll post more later.
0aa44512f8b280dd77b62ddf8809d328.jpg
38c37501968d91f953ae64bc9019a281.jpg
c73840b24a9ac5d30d88d4b6ec562d69.jpg
73830fb1b1733d86a6918d8998679b02.jpg
1eed99f24c45078abdd7dcbc60598d15.jpg


The above is how I hood the knife when using it.


A box of knives and hatchets and stuff.
f64439f375253d2479620ee631114151.jpg
 
Sep 11, 2014
418
33
Maidstone, KENT
The Peasant is my EDC, it lives in my pocket all the time, apart from the week it spent in the garden after it fell out of my pocket. It's never been quite the same colour since. The rust itself seems to have gone, but it's left behind a certain patina. I tell myself it's just adding character to her....
Julia

That's a great patina. Character yes, and also protects the steel.
I've had to use vinegar to get similar.....:)
 

santaman2000

M.A.B (Mad About Bushcraft)
Jan 15, 2011
16,909
1,114
67
Florida
Leaving the sheath on would be a pain in the bum having to take it off my belt every tome i wanted to start a fire.

I suppose that's true, if you make a lot of fires. But would it be any more trouble than leaving the sheath on so you can hold the blade when you want to hammer with the handle?

That would also depend on the sheath. Some sheaths have a deep draw and only leave about an inch exposed - so it wouldn't be possible still. Even if you could, sheath or no sheath - pigs will fly before you catch me doing it, just don't get it.....

TBH I don't see the point either, but then again, I really don't do friction fires either.

That all said, the only knife I have with the deep sheaths you reference are my fileting knives with round handles, and I certainly can't imagine using them in this way. As I sit and think about it, it seems to me that the only knives that would work would have reasonably large handles (the type that normally don't have deep sheaths) Icould easily be wrong though? as I said, I don't have any experience with friction fires.
 

Quixoticgeek

Full Member
Aug 4, 2013
2,483
23
Europe
I suppose that's true, if you make a lot of fires. But would it be any more trouble than leaving the sheath on so you can hold the blade when you want to hammer with the handle?

Do what? If you look at the design of the knives linked in this thread, there isn't really a shape to the handle that would make it sensible to use it as a hammer, let alone any reinforcing of the pommel. Why would you hammer with the knife handle?

By chance is this showing an increased influence of the prepper movement in the US, vs the UK?

Julia
 

santaman2000

M.A.B (Mad About Bushcraft)
Jan 15, 2011
16,909
1,114
67
Florida
Do what? If you look at the design of the knives linked in this thread, there isn't really a shape to the handle that would make it sensible to use it as a hammer, let alone any reinforcing of the pommel. Why would you hammer with the knife handle?

By chance is this showing an increased influence of the prepper movement in the US, vs the UK?

Julia

Prepper movement?

No. Different knives? Probably.

Why? Well, because I don't carry a hammer when out and about, nor do I always carry a hatchet. I do however usually carry a heavy knife (not a glorified steak knife) I think you may be misreading just what it is I hammer. Tentpegs come to mind, tapping lids back onto cans, etc; simple, light, non-precision tasks around camp or when doing simple repairs around home or out and about. I have used a Buck 110 as a backing bar to drive small rivets. Laid the knife flat on a table top, placed the work on it (using the brass bolsters under the flush rivets) and dorve the rivets with a hammer from above. Was it ideal? No. Did it work? Yes. Did it mar the bolsters? Yes, so what? It was/is a work knife.
 
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Quixoticgeek

Full Member
Aug 4, 2013
2,483
23
Europe
Prepper movement?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Survivalism

No. Different knives? Probably.

Why? Well, because I don't carry a hammer when out and about, nor do I always carry a hatchet. I do however usually carry a heavy knife (not a glorified steak knife) I think you may be misreading just what it is I hammer. Tentpegs come to mind, tapping lids back onto cans, etc; simple, light, non-precision tasks around camp or when doing simple repairs around home or out and about. I have used a Buck 110 as a backing bar to drive small rivets. Laid the knife flat on a table top, placed the work on it (using the brass bolsters under the flush rivets) and dorve the rivets with a hammer from above. Was it ideal? No. Did it work? Yes. Did it mar the bolsters? Yes, so what? It was/is a work knife.

Well you can see the knife I carry in a previous post. If I am using metal pegs, I push them in with my foot, if I am using wooden pegs, I just pick up a bit of fire wood or a nearby branch. Wouldn't bother using a knife for that.

Julia
 

Toddy

Mod
Mod
Jan 21, 2005
38,972
4,621
S. Lanarkshire
+1 to what Julia said :)

The only things I've ever used the butt end of my knife for was to crack nuts or to bash along the length of stuff like nettles to break out the fibres for cordage.

M
 

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