American Scandi Blade Shapes

[guns_and_labs]

With the recent arrival of a Charles May Big Hand Scandi, I am again struck by the different directions US knifemakers are taking with the old school scandi edge.

Top to bottom, they are: Charles May Big Hand Scandi, Adventure Sworn, BCNW, and BHK Boattail Scandi.

Then we have the new Dozier Scandi atop the May.

Clearly, the BCNW and the BHK are designed and optimized for wood work, and close wood work at that. Very ergonomic, designed for shaping, scraping.

The Adventure Sworn and the Dozier, with the drop tip, seem more optimized for "survival", whatever that is. Wood work, but also hunting, fishing, skinning and more precise tip work.

The Charles May has me a little puzzled. A very bold and almost brutal shape... what was it designed for more precisely? Slicing, breaking bones, or maybe skinning with that huge belly... or maybe it's a bowie in scandi drag.

What really fascinates me is that the blade shapes are nothing like "original" scandis.

The only really close comparison is the May with the Finnish skinner.

Somehow I am really drawn to what US makers are doing with the scandi.

 

[PayetteRucker]

The Scandi is such a great grind when finished correctly. Koyote Knives is really leading the way right now as far as the 15N20 heat treat in combination with the Scandinavian grind. Everybody from Entrek to Blind Horse is utilizing modern styles with the scandi grind and I too find it interesting how these scandi grinds will be applied net.

 

[Boats]

The only "Americanized" scandi I own is a Skookum Bush Tool in CPM 3V, which actually has a fairly conventional Scandinavian style grind to it. There is an "American fusion" with the full tang execution of the idea though that makes it tougher than any true puukko or tommi out there.

In fairness to the "traditional style" knives made in Norway, Sweden, and Finland, there are a lot of subtle variations in how those blades and handles are profiled. What hasn't seemed to change, with the lone seeming exception of the "Ranger sissipuukko" toughening up the basic design, is a dedicated interest from any other companies than Helle, EKA, and Eriksson/Frosts of Sweden to part with the traditional build. The traditional profile of the scandi was mostly due to steep price of steel in those countries in the Dark Ages. You only got as much steel as a knife needed to perform its intended tasks.

North Americans don't carry the historical baggage of the basic design. They get to "interpret" it.

 

[PayetteRucker]

The only "Americanized" scandi I own is a Skookum Bush Tool in CM3V, which actually has a fairly conventional Scandinavian style grind to it. There is an "American fusion" with the full tang execution of the idea though that makes it tougher than any true puukko or tommi out there.

In fairness to the "traditional style" knives made in Norway, Sweden, and Finland, there are a lot of subtle variations in how those blades and handles are profiled. What hasn't seemed to change, with the lone seeming exception of the "Ranger sissipuukko" is a dedicated interest from any other companies than Helle, EKA, and Eriksson/Frosts of Sweden to part with the traditional build.

North Americans don't carry the historical baggage of the basic design. They get to "interpret" it.

Very true and valid post... as much as I love seeing the more traditional executions of scandi blades...