Chop with a 4" blade

SuzukiGS750EZ said:
I was going to get a hollow pin but figured i'd never use one so i opted for all solid pins. Wish i went with hollow, solid, hollow.
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That looks like a quality knife that'll serve you for many years. I think it's worth the expense to send it back to the maker to add a lanyard hole. They should be able to cut slots into the pin, unscrew it and replace with hollow rivet. I personally don't think a bush knife is functional without a lanyard.
 
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The blade on my BK-2 is only an inch longer and I chop with it all the time. :D

Not sure the one you show is heavy enough to do much chopping but if you put a lanyard on it and hold it by the last few inches of the handle, you can at least get some usable leverage.

You need one of these... :D
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I had to do some chopping (green limbs of no more than 3/4" diameter) with my Manix 2, just because no other tool was available. I kept two fingers on the very end of the handle and the other two wrapped around the paracord lanyard I put on it, as though it were an extension of the handle, then swung. It's extremely stupid and, given any other option, I would not have done it, so don't do what Donny Don't does! Buy a machete or a hatchet or something if you intend to do some chopping.
 
I wonder if theres a way to attach a landyard to it without the lanyard hole. Like, maybe around the handle or by the beginning of the tang or something?
 
I find my BK-7 marginal at best for chopping, though great for batoning. For chopping my BK-9 is able to do the job in a fraction of the time of my BK-7 - so my experience says that you want around 9" of blade for a knife to make a good chopper. My KA-BAR Kukri Machete is also a pretty decent chopper with its 11.5" blade. My HI Ganga Ram is even better.

For chopping there are many good choices, the 4" knife just isn't one of them. In a knife the likes of the BK-9 or the ESEE Junglas would be fine for chopping. Then there are Kukris & Machetes - many many good options to look at there. There are also hatchets & axes as well as saws.

If it were me I would probably just buy an ESSE Lite Machete - I'm pretty sure it would handle the job pretty well.
 
ok, first off to all the wise guys.. lets place this 4" knife in a survival situation and that's all you have, are you gonna chop with it now??

of course you are, the OP was just asking for sound advice and not for a bunch of snide remarks which turns this thread into pages long.. :o

I'd rather contribute some sound advice every chance I get to help someone rather then critic them, case and point.. you bring your 'tool' of choice with you in the bush and it breaks in half (to the size of lets say, a 4" knife) if you don't have the knowledge you need in a survival situation YOU'RE lost.. (I always have at least 3 knives with me if I'm away from civilization.)

Sorry for the rant, its just a simple question, with a simple answer, that's all...

now back to the original broadcast....

OP, that's one sweet blade you have there btw...
 
SuzukiGS750EZ said:
Any specific way you guys do it? When i try, i feel like its an extension of my arm more so than a chopping instrument. Is there a certain way you do it to get the most bite into a sapling or something or do you just give it one hard whack and then snap the tree? Here's the blade in question:

-4" blade(3/16" 01), 5" handle (Maple burl w/ blue liners)

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I occasionally/incidentally chop branches of 3/8-1/2" (max) diameter with a 3-3.5" folder. Main swing from the elbow with some wrist snap + a little bit of drawing cut at the end.

When I set out to chop things, I either take a chopping blade or saw. Chopping with my little knife takes effort, unlike using the correct tool for the job.
 
TheLastDaze said:
ok, first off to all the wise guys.. lets place this 4" knife in a survival situation and that's all you have, are you gonna chop with it now??

of course you are, the OP was just asking for sound advice and not for a bunch of snide remarks which turns this thread into pages long.. :o

I'd rather contribute some sound advice every chance I get to help someone rather then critic them, case and point.. you bring your 'tool' of choice with you in the bush and it breaks in half (to the size of lets say, a 4" knife) if you don't have the knowledge you need in a survival situation YOU'RE lost.. (I always have at least 3 knives with me if I'm away from civilization.)

Sorry for the rant, its just a simple question, with a simple answer, that's all...

now back to the original broadcast....

OP, that's one sweet blade you have there btw...
Click to expand...

Lol, thanks. I just let it roll off my back. If someone feels like they want to say something rude or snide, i just move on to the next post. Yes, i know this knife probably isn't the best at cutting but heres my reasoning for asking. This knife is the only quality fixed blade i have. I would have no problem going out and buying a blade, if i had the play money to do so. So i'm stuck with what i have. That knife comes everywhere with me that has anything to do with the woods. Sometimes i can carry my machete, and when i do, i'm happy. But when I can't, that's what i bring. Sometimes i'll want to make someone a walking stick they can keep and clean up for future use (i have 3 birch walking sticks i cleaned up that look awesome). Or, sometimes, carrying a blade thats pretty much out of the sight of people, like on hiking trails is a must. I will not carry a machete in public, it's unneeded and brings too much attention. If im fishing, my backpack is usually crammed full of food, my pole and a plano box thats a decent size, and a whole bunch of other crap. Needless to say, i can't fit the machete or a hatchet, let alone another water bottle even! So, that's why i came here with this question. And that knife is one of the few i trust. The handles on my machete that i refurbished are coming loose, so i may strip them and make new handles, but i had to make a sheath from cardboard and duct tape :-), so, i cant put it on my belt. Anyways, thats why for those of you who were looking at me like i was asking if a trout rod was good for marlin fishing.
 
JohnQTaxpayer said:
I occasionally/incidentally chop branches of 3/8-1/2" (max) diameter with a 3-3.5" folder. Main swing from the elbow with some wrist snap + a little bit of drawing cut at the end.

When I set out to chop things, I either take a chopping blade or saw. Chopping with my little knife takes effort, unlike using the correct tool for the job.
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Thats the thing though. if i set out for it, i bring the tool for the job. I'm spontaneous so sometimes i may go in with the intent of chopping (in which case i ligthen the load but also stay out for less time), or if im going fishing and on the way back want to make a teepee or something and dont have enough materials, i'll have to use my fixed blade.
 
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