Bushcraft Grind?

R

Redford Lyle

Joined
Apr 8, 2012
Messages
17
Do you think a bushcraft knife should have a specific grind on it or is anything okay? I prefer a Scandi grind and will only buy a bushcraft knife with one. What do you think? And what is your Bushcraft or "Woods" knife?
 
I think any Bushcraft knife needs an edge that's easy to maintain, holds a good level of sharpness for a long time, and has a thin edge. I use a reground san mai CS Master Hunter which works fairly well. I don't think a Bushcraft knife has to be scandi or die, but scandi grinds are very useful when done right.
 
I have loads of knives with what have become known as Scandi grinds, and they work great as bushcraft knives, but I prefer a full flat grind. There are a great many good practical knives being made today that will serve well in the woods, and its been good to see fashions change for the better. However, the now classic scandi-ground bushcraft design by Alan Woods and Ray Mears is only one answer, and while it's a good down-to-earth practical knife, produced at a time when there were too many people running around the woods playing at Rambo, I don't understand why it is just shamelessly copied on such a scale, and often badly. Fashion again I guess.
 
I like a good convex grind for my bushcraft knives (BRK Aurora for example). I dont have enough experience with scandi grinds to know one way or the other... I have a few coming in the next few months to put in some real dirt time with a few scandi ground blades.
 
I find a good convex grind holds the edge really well and can be easily maintained in the field with a loaded strop.
 
I like convex grinds too, but more for choppers.
 
Redford Lyle said:
Do you think a bushcraft knife should have a specific grind on it or is anything okay? I prefer a Scandi grind and will only buy a bushcraft knife with one. What do you think? And what is your Bushcraft or "Woods" knife?
Click to expand...

The "Scandi" grind is the same as saber-grind with no secondary (micro) edge-bevel. This leaves a thick stock that increases the strength of the knife and assures a thicker apex-angle for edge-durability. However, weight is reduced and cutting performance is drastically improved by reducing the bevel angle into a full-flat or hollow grind, even with a secondary micro-bevel, and such an edge is also much quicker/easier to restore. You do lose some of the lateral strength/stiffness of the blade and the durability of a fatter edge, but this may end up being an advantageous trade-off. With better steels and optimal heat-treatment, you can slim-down you blade and narrow your edge for a lighter, faster, sharper, lower maintenance cutting tool. :thumbup:

That said, my woodcraft knife is a Cattaraugus 225Q - THICK stock for heavy prying, a fuller to reduce weight, 6" flat saber-grind to give this pry-bar an edge with reach, spine-swedge for improved penetration, comfortable "grooved" leather handle, hidden-tang, thick hammer-pommel. It's my splitting-wedge, shovel, hammer, prybar, cutting implement - and to me, that multipurpose design is what makes it exceptional as a woodcraft tool. You can keep your bushes, we have trees here. ;)
 
Full flat grind with thin convex edge for me, but I'll take all kinds as long as they're well made.
 
I've tried full flat with flat v-bevel, full convex, convex with convex bevel, convex scandi, and flat scandi. They all work well, assuming the steel is okay, I know how to sharpen them, and I don't do anything stupid. Emphasis should be placed on the latter point.
 
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