Fiddleback Forge Knives “Woodsman “ Passaround

Alrighty folks! I finally got some more time to play with the Woodsman. A lot of folks have already seen the bulk of my thoughts and experiences with this, so I hope it’s not too dull! Let me start by saying I’m really impressed with the overall fit and finish of this blade. There are many pleasant points to discuss, so let’s take ‘em one at a time.

Here’s a basic comparison pic with a billion other bushcraft knives, just for comparison. Left to right is an SWC, Skookum, MM puukko, FB Woodsman, JK Kephart, Shing, and Mora 2000.
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The most striking feature of this blade out of the box is most certainly the handle. A highly contoured handle is something I’ve come to associate with a Fiddleback knife, and this was a fine example of that! Curvy like Marilyn Monroe! It really does melt into your hand and as most know that’s saying a lot from me!! Fiddleback trademark number two is of course the laminated handles! These are very attractive and give a lot of aesthetic complexity to the blade. When this is combined with too many types of pins (mosaic and plain, etc.), then it can be a little ‘much’, but this is a great interplay between richness and subtlety.

I do a lot of carving and whittling with my blades in a ‘bushcrafty’ sense, so I end up using a lot of grips. I found this handle type to be quite versatile in that regard. It was solid thumb up or down, in a chest-lever grip, and especially accommodating to a distal chopping hold. Some basic in-hand shots (forgive the quality):
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Fit and finish were as high as I’ve seen from any custom blade. The laminated wood met perfectly, as did the liners. There were no gaps or glue showing. The pins met the wood evenly. The grinds met perfectly and the convex grind made for some very efficient slicing. The tip, for those interested, is right in line with the midline of the handle. Even the leather was fantastic, four damn layers (I can’t imagine what a pain in the rear it must be) with very clean stitch lines.

Of course by now I was itching to get it outside and beat it up! First, to check edge retention against cinder block chopping……….. Gotcha!!! Some firewood was the first testing ground. It’s a mix of woods, but most are oak and all are quite weathered and hardened. I grabbed a suitable baton and started splitting some wood for kindling, I was in the mood for a hot drink!

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The convex grind really excelled here, there was really no problem getting through the hard stuff. The main comparison was my JK kephart and a scandi blade I had, and the extra bladelength on the Woodsman was much appreciated. I wanted to check the edge after several rounds of this, still shaving!

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Chopping was just fine, though not up to my Gransfors mini hatchet that I was also playing with. It was certainly still enough to section some small limbs for shelter building, or to aid in carving. This is about thirty seconds worth of chopping, using a distal grip:

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Someone else asked how the tip was at drilling. I didn’t snap a pic of this part, but I compared it to my Brian Andrews bushcrafter and my Mora 2000. Much to my surprise, the tip of the Woodsman drilled the best hole. I had thought the sharper edges of the scandi would increase efficiency. All three did just fine, but given 30 seconds each to drill, the FB had the best hole. :thumbup:
 
I had enough kindling, so I got some fuzzies going as tinder. This wasn’t hard by any means, but these are the tasks that a ~4” belt knife is most handy for. It was still controllable, just not as controllable.

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Got me some warm flames (it was a chilly afternoon, very brisk winds and around 35 degrees), and put some water on to boil:

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While I was waiting for it to get to a boil, I decided to attempt a trick I’d seen recently by Ray Mears. He described it as a Lumberjack Candle, something often employed in WWII. It gives a sort of cooking surface and heat source in such a way that the base won’t get hot and melt through snow. You take a log with a flat top and bottom, section it out vertically into four pieces (two perpendicular cuts). Then you place bits of tinder in the gaps to ignite the interior of the log. The ‘pre’ product should look like this:
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Ray Mears used a chainsaw (and now I can see why), as this actually removes material to increase the gap and air flow between the quarters. I used the Woodsman to simply split the material, and placed wedges near the bottom to increase the gaps. The Woodsman held its own just fine, but I failed at my attempt sadly! Another day perhaps.

The next day I wanted to see how the Woodsman would do in the kitchen, the design and the way it handles just screams ‘food prep’ to me. First was to section out and core a pear. It was right at home with that. Then some cheddar cheese slices! These came out alright, but the thickness was just too much for this. Normally I’d jump to suggesting a thinner blade, but that would obviously detract from its chopping ability.

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Hollowdweller hit the nail on the head, in my opinion, when he called this a perfect camp knife. I agree completely! It’s not quite a belt knife and not quite a main chopper. But it does many different tasks pretty well, so it makes a good blade to keep around camp! It’ll handle any job from prepping kindling from even the hardest wood, to prepping meat and veggies for a stew, to building a quick shelter. A very solid field blade, overall!

Thanks much for letting me take part, I hope the pics were enjoyable and help folks decide whether this is a blade for them. :thumbup:
 
Wonderful pics and review Spooky. Great job!

By the way, Ray mears used pine as it is less dense and burns easier than harder woods like oak. Maybe that will help with your next attempt at that trick.
 
tonym said:
Wonderful pics and review Spooky. Great job!

By the way, Ray mears used pine as it is less dense and burns easier than harder woods like oak. Maybe that will help with your next attempt at that trick.
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That is a big help! I didn't pay attention to which wood it was. I even tried loading this thing with some commercial liquid firestarting goo, no luck. I'm hoping between using a saw (versus batoning) and now pine next time, that it'll work out!
 
Thats a fantastic review Spooky. I'm so glad you liked it. Was the handle big enough for your big paws?? I'm adding a half inch on the run. I had planned for the handle to be 5" on the original drawing, but I measured my pattern and it was 4.5.
 
Fiddleback said:
Thats a fantastic review Spooky. I'm so glad you liked it. Was the handle big enough for your big paws?? I'm adding a half inch on the run. I had planned for the handle to be 5" on the original drawing, but I measured my pattern and it was 4.5.
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Oh yes, the handle was really fantastic. It fit great. I've found that handle circumference is as, if not more, important than handle height. The only change I might make to it would be a teensy bit taller section where the pinky wraps around, but that's it and I'm not even positive about that. If you add any length, just don't pull the swell rearward! It works perfectly where it is because it keeps your hand as close as possible to the blade. :thumbup: Lots of control when carving/doing fine work.

Right now I think it would be wicked to have this handle on a 4.25" blade. Ooh, or an 8" blade. :D

But I would most definitely not feel at all undergunned with this as my only field blade if I were out and about.
 
Great review Spooky. You have a fun way of describing what you're doing with the knife and it translates well to words on a screen. Thanks!
 
great review and pics Spooky...:thumbup: i always dig reading your stuff man.. it's always very thorough...:)

even though it's a little bigger than i prefer, i am loving this knife more and more, each time i see it..:o looks super comfortable...
 
Great review Will. I enjoyed it alot.

Hey, I wanna buy that Mora 2000 off ya from your comparison pic for 30.00 if your down. ;)
 
Man, I though Id try!!!:D:thumbup:


I know, its on my list if I like the charlieridge scandi I have coming. I have yet to own a scandi other then the Koster I owned for like a week.:o
 
Great review there, fella! the size comparison with the other blades was definetly an added bonus:thumbup:

BTW, who makes that MM puukko? never seen that one before.
 
BootmasterGeneral said:
Great review there, fella! the size comparison with the other blades was definetly an added bonus:thumbup:

BTW, who makes that MM puukko? never seen that one before.
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Thanks, very glad you enjoyed it!

MM = Muskrat Man. He doesn't hang out here much, I believe he has his own subforum at KF though. The puukko was a 'custom', it's not one of his usual models.
 
I have been a little “out of the loop” lately and have to catch up reading the reviews. Here’s what I have.

Today, the weather was perfect – plenty of snow, wind, temperatures in the mid to high twenties, but even more snow on the way. If I were stuck out there, under those conditions, and at the time of day I was outside, I would have been looking for firewood and a place to hole up in. The conditions were pretty much perfect for trying out a new knife that I would want to know is going to meet my expectations in fire-building and shelter-making.

Last night, Fiddleback’s pass-around Woodsman arrived. It came just in time for the weekend, for appropriate weather and just as was able to start using my right hand more. Out of the box, this is one of the most attractive knives I have handled. From previously posted photos, I got a sense that it would handle differently than other “big” knives I have used and I was intrigued. “Big” is relative – I know. For the sake of reference, understand that I personally prefer a knife that is 4” or under, with emphasis on “under.” I have tried a number of larger knives, to include a special project knife I am working on, but have not warmed up to the longer blades.

The dry spec’s on this tool are as follows:
8.4 oz. without the sheath, 13.1 oz., “with.”
5 1/2” Blade, 10 3/16” overall
Just over 1 5/16” tall at the tallest point
3/16” (actually, .1877” at the thickest part I could get a micrometer on.)
The handle’s widest point, in the middle, is about 15/16” wide and 1 1/16” tall.
O1 Tool Steel.
Osage Orange/Quarter Sawn Goncalo Alves with red liners, aluminum pin/lanyard ferrule.

These objective data do absolutely nothing to define this knife. They would turn me away normally, however, the narrow “Willow Leaf-like” blade and the artistically contoured handle set this one apart from others of the same general specifications. In-hand, the Woodsman does not feel heavy, long or thick. It has a natural feel in my hand, balances well and does not try to slide either way in a relaxed grip, which is especially important in managing tasks other than chopping and batoning. The balance-point and contoured handle prevent the Woodsman from having a mind of its own and trying to go where you don’t want it to. Many knives I have handled look cool but handled like a full shopping cart (“buggy”) with a bad wheel on a mud road. This contrast alone really sets the Woodsman apart and gives me a different perspective on “larger” knives.

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The following photos are simply “glam-shots” to show some detail and Andy’s workmanship. One thing I always notice first is the face of the front of the scales and how they are finished. If you care enough to do this right, you really care about your work and will likely carry that level of attention to detail through the piece.

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To give a sense of the relative size of the Woodsman, I compared it to my Fiddleback Bushcraft Junior. The BC Jr. has become one of my most-used knives, in spite of the fact that it too had some “objective specs” which would normally turn me off. Since Andy managed to poke some holes in some of my ideas about what I like, I was very anxious to see what holes he could poke in my aversion to blades over four inches in length. I reworked the edge on my BC Jr. to remove the secondary bevel and feather the convex from the spine to the edge, removing the vestigial “shoulder” inherent to a secondary bevel. The result was something that cut more like my “cordless” woodworking tools and I was pleased to see the Woodsman sporting a similar geometry treatment. An edge so-shaped (and polished) can cut extremely well for a long time after the initial “hair-shaving” status has diminished and can be “brought back” with a few swipes on a properly treated strop, which makes it an especially “field-worthy” tool.

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OK, bear with me. I know I “do a fire” every time I do a review, but not for a deficiency in creativity, rather that this is the primary of many criteria I need to satisfy to decide if I want to carry this knife. I could probably start a fire with NO knife, but, if I am carrying one, especially one that weighs over half a pound, it’s going to have to bring something to the table in terms of making fire-making fall comfortably into the “quicker and easier” class. If it doesn’t stand up to this first, basic task, no sense in going any further with it.

I tromped around in the snow and kicked up some dead wood that had fallen not so long ago. I got lucky and found a stick of pine which I knew would light easily so I used that for my primary tinder. I stuffed my shirt pockets with “dry” grass and foxtail as I came across it so it would dry out before I started trying to light a fire. I banged the snow off the branches and drug them out of the wind.

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I cross-cut a foot-long chunk of the pine from the branch. Batoning the Woodsman was a unique treat for me since there was a lot more blade to target with the baton and the handle was very comfortable in a firm grip. The convexed blade cut well across the grain as I notched around the stick. Note that, when I “baton,” I am usually working in a manner more like using a mallet and chisel for the sake of control over blunt force.

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continued....
 
Splitting the dead pine was obviously something I could have done with a shorter, thinner knife – a folder if it were absolutely necessary, and was certainly no test of the Woodsman’s ability, but it handled this and other tasks like a smaller, lighter knife, which is the important thing to remember. It’s big enough and tough enough for bigger chores, but not at the cost of being unwieldy and clumsy for lighter tasks. Pay attention to the blade shape here, The long, gradual curves along the spine and edge create a rather long “point” which alleviates the blade-heavy feel of many “five-plus-inchers.” The thickness, which would normally not appeal to me, adds strength to that slender point, so I get a well-balanced, pointy blade with a strong tip. The height factor kicks in and allows there to be a discernable curve along the edge, which I find particularly useful in almost all cutting tasks and tend to prefer over any length of “straight” edge.

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Further “refinement” of my primary kindling was a snap.

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Again, “handling” was the notable feature in making fizz-sticks. I generally make two kinds; the longer, bigger ones (a coarser level of kindling”) to stack in the “structure” to which I will set fire, and smaller ones I use to bridge the gap between tinder and kindling. The smaller ones are made using a sort-of “scissor cut” with the thumb of my off hand on the spine to help control the blade while cutting as fine a shaving as I possibly can. Sharpness and geometry are important but the overall handling qualities of he knife are equally important here. I managed some very fine shavings as the Woodsman was very comfortable in this action – even as it is a “large” knife in my perspective.

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The handling properties of the Woodsman let me make the most of the geometry and the fine edge to create shavings thin enough that I never even had to get my dried grass and foxtail out of my pockets. I had the choice of making the char cloth into two pieces, in case I needed “second chance” at starting the fire, or using it as one big piece which would give the first attempt a greater probability of being successful. The choice is yours, but in this case, “one big piece” was the way to go. With little effort, I blew the fine curls into flame and quickly added a piece of fatwood to create a giant “match” with which I lit dead pine needles an other secondary and tertiary tinders with ease. At this point I become mesmerized and start obsessively feeding the new fire and warming myself only to lose track of time – and daylight – at least “enough” daylight for decent natural-light/hand-held photography.

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Out of the bushes, I still had enough light to attempt a shot at my carry mode for the Woodsman. It rode well and felt no more a “load” than some 4” knives I own. If this were my knife, I would make a new Baldric for it which would be more complementary to the supplied leather. The workmanship on the sheath was excellent. It’s not a fancy piece of artwork. It’s a basic and functional sheath which exhibits a high level of skill, care and attention to detail – exactly what I would want.

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Phase II/Day II: I got out again today with the intention of doing some detail work with the Woodsman – some notching, maybe a spoon..... I know it will take to these tasks well just from handling the knife and I know it will handle well enough that these tasks won’t be a pain in the neck to do. However, it’s cold and I have been slogging about in the snow filling bird feeders, taking care of the trash, garbage, compost, shoveling more snow, etc. and am cooling down. The perspiration is chilling me and my Wife’s new mantra – “you sweat, you die,” taken from Les Stroud’s book (I have to remember to start putting these things away) rung a bell when I saw these two dead Arbor Vitaes. The are not long dead, so there is still moisture in the trunks, but the dead, dry foliage is the berries for a big, hot, fast fire. I could not resist.

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With some judicious batoning, the Arbor’ became a shelter pole and a bunch of superb secondary tinder. The length of the Woodsman made cutting this tree very convenient with a baton. I am not a “baton-nut,” in fact, I usually pick small, light and somewhat soft woods for this and use the method for kindling and in making utensils. Since the Arbors are soft, I felt no squeamishness in using someone else’s knife for this.

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Ready to harvest my shelter pole and tinder, but I will be dragging it back to where I made my fire yesterday – out of the wind.

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Here it is – pole (background) and tinder. The Woodsman is not a chopper. The desirable balance and the narrower tip that I like so much does not put a lot of mass out there to maintain momentum and the exquisitely designed handle does not provide a knob at the butt to keep it from sliding from your grip. However, back to the baton, light “mallet-like” work, as if you were carving with a bench chisel, and the branches come off efficiently and much more safely. Remember, I still have a bandage and some weak digits impairing my grip, and the shock from chopping or heavy batoning would not feel good but the controlled cuts which are possible in this method are more accurate, take less energy and are safer than hacking away at it. I see no compromise in the handle for losing the “machete-like” character of a larger knife because the handle is so well-suited to all the other work I would be doing and I would not want to give that up.

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So, now, with more snow coming down, I could not resist taking care of the “first priority.” I still had grass and foxtail in my pocket from yesterday; only about enough to make a golf-ball-sized nest, but it was plenty. Since I have to get this thing cleaned up, sharpened and shipped off to the next “lucky contestant,” I will wrap it up with that. So, while I dried my gloves and pant legs at the fire I handled the Woodsman some more, admired its good looks and felt genuine appreciation for a knife over four inches. It was a “natural” in handling and I was never tempted to reach for a different knife.

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I was anxious to do some detail work and did start a spoon from a piece of Butternut salvaged from a barn beam that intrigued me for years as a kid because it was different from the other indigenous timbers. When the barn finally gave way to the wind this year, the skeleton became firewood. As I split pieces of this old structure I remember each piece as it was when it was a barn. I spotted this one and saved some of the wood to make “souvenirs” for the women. The Woodsman handled excellently in the initial shaping and “planing,” not clumsily, but very naturally and nimbly in comparison to other “big” knives I have handled. I did this in the garage last night when I was supposed to be getting firewood (I am easily distracted by knives and wood) and the photos were awful.

The Fiddleback Woodsman is overall a handy knife of more than sufficient proportions to handle any camp or Bushcraft task I could think of. While not a “skinner,” it would certainly suffice for field-dressing larger game and could be used for skinning without terrible difficulties. In the context of the “survival” knife, it would do just fine and would be more than adequate for small game, trap-making, tool-building, etc. I like it and enjoyed having the privilege of using it for a few days. Thanks again to Andy and the rest who helped facilitate and are participating in passing this one around.

Incidentally, gauze bandages apparently WILL “catch a spark.” As the edges get teased into a “fluff,” in the course of donning and removing gloves, they become a possible source of tinder, although (very fortunately) the flame is short-lived. Just make certain you’re not wearing the bandage at the time.

Thanks for watchin'
 
Man, Jeff. You do really great reviews bro. I'm so glad we did this passaround. There has been a lot of cutting done with this one now...
 
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