chad :
There are those who have asserted that a slightly duller edge is fine, even perferable in a "survival" situation. I disagree.
Yes, it simply makes everything harder, which is fine if you want more of a challenge, and is akin to going without food to put yourself in a weakened state. In an actual situation though where you don't have the ability to leave when you want, would it not be best to keep yourself (and your equipment) as close to 100% as possible so that you are maximally prepared to handle any task. Take your rock sharpened machete and one sharpened by R.J. Martin and see if you don't immediately notice a huge difference in cutting ability.
It isn't just as narrow as sharpness either. You can also make due with a blade balance that isn't suitable for the task at hand, a point that is far too narrow or too thick, or a handle that is slippery or very abrasive. You can also make due with blisters on your feet and a heavy sun burn, a multitide of insect bites, leeches, (done all of the above when forced to), however, is it advisible to induce those situations when they can be avoided .
A person concerned with preparedness should carry a means to keep his knife protected and sharp.
Yes, though you should not go so far the other way. As with any viewpoint, the extremes are usually not the best path. You should be prepared to make do without parts or your gear, even all of it. So rock sharpening (or whatever) is a solid skill to have, but simply vastly overhyped. You also can't use a knife in the same manner when it is far below optimal either, for example when chopping you have to come it at more obtuse angles to prevent glancing. So experience with rock edges (or whatever) is obviously useful.
Whether you develop the proper mind set and requisite skills in your backyard or 3000 miles away makes no difference
You can develop the skills anywhere, but the mindset is difficult to turn on in situations where it isn't demanded. For example do you drive with the same care in the dead of winter as you do in the summer. It is a different thing to build a shelter in your backyard where you know if you fail that you can just go inside, rather than out in the cold and rain where if you don't get inside quickly you will be trouble.
How many of us for example, tend to do outside knife work when the weather is close to optimal. This can be lead to problems. For example ,how do you chop with a wooden handled axe in heavy rain. You can't use a normal swing, and are forced to choke up very high on the axe, and/or use much less force. This then forces you to work in much tighter pockets.
There are ways around the last situation, I for example carry some grip tape for working in the rain. It is much the same in the cold, but it is even worse in the extremes as your fingers will start to lose the ability to tightly grasp the axe. Plus working with heavy gloves is very different from bare handed work as well. In any case, it is just a matter of experience.
On experience vs understanding, while it is true that you can know when something works without knowing the how or why, your viewpoint will be severely limited. Without knowing the details you can't make any conclusions about situations that are different.
For example all the axe men around here from one generation ago grew up with steels that were left very soft (~50 RC), because to exceed that left them brittle. However advancements in steel and heat treating mean you can exceed this now without harm. Yet you give these people a 57 RC Gransfors and they will automatically judge it too hard and therefore brittle as it will not file readily. You can't fault their experience, however, without understanding, it is severely limited in application.
Theory without experiment is a flawed path, it can lead you to truth, but also way off track. So can the opposite. In reality, people doing scientific work blend the two, either by themselves, or more commonly with others, as people tend to excell at different things. Often you will find one group just collecting information and then another group trying to figure out how it is all related and the fundamental laws that govern the relationships. And yes, you do get out the lab and look at reality when you can. It is in doing so that you get to see the wonder of science, as it can sometimes be lost in a test tube.
Sergiusz, what is being glossed over in the above, is that if you are suddenly forced to have to rely on a rock, you of course don't want until your knife is excessively dull before you go looking for one. If you find yourself in such a situation, then looking for sharpening tools is very high on your list. And while your knife is still very sharp, you are gathering and refining your sharpening equipment.
-Cliff
