Bushcraft question

It's used mainly in the bush? a thicker blade and made for abuse . That's my guess.
 
I have a friend that says it needs to be able to spread peanut butter to be a bushcraft knife, but I think there is more to it:p

I have made 3 knives I would consider Bushcraft knives all roughly the same size, all 3/16" O-1. None of tem are big heavy duty knives but they aren't light weights either

A full flat grind, for the guy that needs to spread his PB
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A convex that I made for myself
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and a Scandi I did a give away with
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Generally speaking the genre is seen as a 4" full tang drop point scandi grind (usually non-stainless), with integral finger guard, rounded pommel of wood or micarta. Sheathed of course in a leather belt sheath. Used to recreate primitive living methods primarily. The peanut butter real bushcrafters use is mashed between the skulls of rabbits caught by their teeth so jars aren't really necessary ;):p
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Be sure to ask over in Wilderness & Survival Skills too, those boys love to discuss, use and compare these little beauties :thumbup: Check youtube as well, there are lots of videos about the style. The name Ray Mears springs to mind especially.
 
A bushcraft knife is one that is advertised as "bushcraft." If I were choosing a knife for the bush, I would have a machete type of knife. But, the common idea of a bush knife is the small safe knife that has been pushed by people such as Ray Mears.

But I'm rambling, here's my point. It depends on the person. Ask 10 knife people what a bushcraft knife is, and you'll have 15 answers.
 
Depends on the person and what they like, different people have different ideas of what "buchcraft" is, it's kind of a buzz word at the moment.

In general the knives tied to "bushcraft" tend to be about 4-5 inch long blades with a drop or spear point and not to much belly. The knives shown above are some good looking examples.

Different people prefer different grinds, but scandi grind is very popular. I think it's because scandi carves through wood very easy and is really easy to sharpen.
 
As long as it performs well in the bush even a butter knife can be a Bushcraft knife, but i think that the users skill is more important than the knife itself
 
The handle should allow for a variety of grips and not cause blisters.
The tip should be acute for tapping trees and fine carving.
The back should be square for striking a fire steel and to avoid chewing up a baton.
The blade geometry should carve wood easily, to make feather sticks, hooks, notches, nocks, bow drill, etc.
The blade should be easily sharpened.
A strong pommel will allow the knife to be driven tip first.
Carbon steel will make a spark with flint (or other rocks)

This is based on Mors Kochanski's book, "Bushcraft."
 
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