The perfect Bushcraft knife!

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Hoodoo

Full Member
Nov 17, 2003
5,302
13
Michigan, USA
Well, here's some handles with varying degrees of sculpting to think about. #6 is a WS Woodlore.

bushcraft_handles1d.jpg
 

British Red

M.A.B (Mad About Bushcraft)
Dec 30, 2005
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Hoodoo,

Any chance you could repeat that photo with a side photo (keeping the knives in the same order)?

That would be a great help to people in describing handle design to sal!

Cheers - Red
 

Andy

Native
Dec 31, 2003
1,867
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I'm thinking of a 4 and 6 cross. I like the top profile from 4 and the side profile of 6 (which looks similar to a F1)

threads on this knife are now running on here, BB, bladeforums and the spyderco forum. This one seems to be the most active at the moment. The spyderco forum had a chat about the pro's /cons of a laminated stainless blade people on here seem to talk more about the handle then other places and less about blade steel
 

Hoodoo

Full Member
Nov 17, 2003
5,302
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Michigan, USA
Andy said:
I'm thinking of a 4 and 6 cross. I like the top profile from 4 and the side profile of 6 (which looks similar to a F1)

#6 is a WS Woodlore. #4 and #5 are OSF knives.

I've never cared for the beak on the WS Woodlore pommel. It does a nice job of digging into your hand in the tip up position.

woodlore_beak1c.jpg


In contrast, here's an OSF knife. It has one of the most comfortable handles for hard use of any knife I own.

osf_pommel1c.jpg


I also don't like sharp rounding at the spine. A little flatness or gentle rounding there goes a long way in distributing pressure across the hand for hard use. Just my personal prejudices. ;) #2, for instance, appears narrower than the others but it has a nice, relatively flat spot across the top that makes it quite comfortable for hard use.

Lots of ways to skin a cat, eh? ;)
 

British Red

M.A.B (Mad About Bushcraft)
Dec 30, 2005
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Very interesting and useful mate. Now a couple of questions:

1. Who are OSF? Have you a link or summat (new one on me)
2. On the top view, the handle profile of no. 4 (Wood OSF?) looks slimmer than no. 5 (Micarta OSF?) Is that just me or is it really like that - I have to say the slightly slimmer profile looks more comfortable

Red

Edit

Suplementary question - doesn't your later post actually show an Alan Wood Woodlore rather than the Wilky one? If so, how many black Micarta Woodlores does one bloke need :D

Red
 

happy camper

Nomad
May 28, 2005
291
2
Scotland
The side profile of no.5 (the osf knife?) looks good combined with the profile of no.6 (the woodlore) when viewed from above, i think overall the woodlore is good, if anything its handle could do with just a little more meat in all directions for me, i like the narrowing towards the front (as viewed from above) and the narrowing at the back before swelling out again to a fishtail feels nice and comfortable and secure to me, although i'd agree with hoodoo about rounding off the beak on the pommel.

Hoodoo, have you got any more details about the osf knife? it looks interesting :D
 

Hoodoo

Full Member
Nov 17, 2003
5,302
13
Michigan, USA
British Red said:
Very interesting and useful mate. Now a couple of questions:

1. Who are OSF? Have you a link or summat (new one on me)
2. On the top view, the handle profile of no. 4 (Wood OSF?) looks slimmer than no. 5 (Micarta OSF?) Is that just me or is it really like that - I have to say the slightly slimmer profile looks more comfortable

Red

Edit

Suplementary question - doesn't your later post actually show an Alan Wood Woodlore rather than the Wilky one? If so, how many black Micarta Woodlores does one bloke need :D

Red

OSF refers to the Outdoor Survival Forum at Knifeforums. Some years ago, a group of guys that hung out there who wanted a full tang woodlore-style knife came together and designed the knife. Nick Wheeler ground the blades, and they were sold as bare blades. Some were forged, some were stock removal. Mine (as were many) had scales put on by Blademan, who was the person that actually got the ball rolling in the first place. The blades were made of different thicknesses, different grinds, and different steel, all depending on what you wanted. It was really an incredible undertaking. I have 3 OSF knives, none of which cost over $100 completed, so it was an incredible deal at the time, especially considering Nick tapered the tangs. But we were lucky as Nick was just becoming recognized for the outstanding maker that he is, and we got him "cheap" at the time. :D

#4 is slimmer than #5. #4 has desert ironwood scales, 1/8" O1 stock. #5 is 5/32", O1 stock.

This one is ground from 1/8" ATS 34:

osfstainless1b.jpg


I'm pretty sure that's a Wilkinson Sword woodlore. It's the same one I wrote an article on for Tactical Knives magazine so I don't think I would get it confused with an Alan Wood-lore. :D

BTW, WS sent me two Woodlores. No charge... :p
 

sal.

Member
May 31, 2006
27
0
81
Golden. Colorado, USA
Great pics Hoodoo, thanx much.

Martyn, we ground the first pattern full flat as I needed to do an edge retention run on the CATRA. When we test mules, we grind flat with consistent edge angles so the tests are comparable. We've not tested 52100 yet so this is a good opportunity.

On the modern ("NASA") version, we'll more than likely go full flat as I believe that market will prefer the full flat grind.

On the "traditional" version, we're open. There does seem to be some differences in preference.

I must say that I am a bit confused by the seemingly contradictory statements of "scandi" grind requiring a "flat" flat stone, and the "sharpening on a rock" adaptability.

I do not think that I could sharpen a scandi grind on a rock and do a good job.

Maybe a poll would help?

sal
 

British Red

M.A.B (Mad About Bushcraft)
Dec 30, 2005
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Makes sense - didn't think you would be confused mate - I just saw the AW monogram in the photo so thought it might have been another one...anyway you 'fessed up to having two :)

I do like the Ironwood one though - always was partial to Ironwood and a slimmer "precision" blade - tapered tang too IINM - lovely work! I would say "first refusal if you want to part with it" but sal would probably slap me :D

I'm going to sketck on top of No. 4 in a bit and see if I could "improve on perfection" a bit.

I was thinking of posting a few piccs of my own meagre selection but I suspect they would be embarrassed to be seen in such company ;)

Red
 

British Red

M.A.B (Mad About Bushcraft)
Dec 30, 2005
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Sal,

I do sharpen my scandy's on a flat stone - lay the cheek flat and rock forward onto the bevel and then "push" to sharpen driving the burr off the blade edge (I strop at the very end to remove any residual burr). Theres some piccs I did in the sticky thread called "£5 sharpening kit" that shows what I mean.

That said, I would only sharpen on a rock as a measure of last resort!.

Red

Edit to add

I've added a poll thread on grind
 

British Red

M.A.B (Mad About Bushcraft)
Dec 30, 2005
26,715
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Here the little "tweak" I would look for on a perfect handle
- shown by the red line

osfmod1xh.jpg


Probably a bit tricky to do but a slight anatomical forming of the top of the handle really amkes a lot of difference to me - no unlike the "barrel" handles of some Scandinavian knives

Red
 

happy camper

Nomad
May 28, 2005
291
2
Scotland
I might be completely wrong but i would tend to think the "sharpening on a found rock" scenario might not be what many people actually do, in practice. It sounds like a nice idea but i would only really look for that quality in a survival knife, if atall, and even then only do it as a last option if i wasn't prepared enough to have remembered a decent means to sharpen.
I tend to take alot of care of my tools and imagine most people do, that doesn't mean i don't subject my knives to hard use, i do, i've used some to destruction, but they were very sharp when they fell apart. I like to keep a shaving edge on anything i'm using on wood and wouldn't really fancy using anything that won't comfortably push-cut, so for me at least, a good sharpener to suit the grind is almost as important as the knife itself.
 

sal.

Member
May 31, 2006
27
0
81
Golden. Colorado, USA
Hi Red,

no prpblems sharpening anything on a flat stone (except maybe serrations). It's the "sharpening on a rock" part that I see as being difficult with a scandi grind.

Camper, I tend to agree with you. We'll get into the "ideal portable sharpner" when we decide on the grind to use. ;)

sal
 
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