I wanna talk about Puukkos

T

The_Guide

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Feb 1, 2009
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For my next knife, I am looking at a certain Puukko maker, Kainuun Puukko...

They have this model called the Finger Guard Pokara Tommi Puukko (long name amazing results ;))

heres a pic of the one im looking at:

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Regarding the blade, It would seem that it is a knife that would excel in hunting/fishing, but for those familiar, how do they work for general bushcraft tasks?

For those that have/use puukkos in general, what are your thoughts?

:)
 
Well the Puukko is more or less of the original bushcraft knife, used by the Saami (sp?) people of the far north of Scandinavia and Finland. Everything that bushcraft knives are designed to do a good Puukko will have been designed to do and vice versa. That is a fantastic knife I think it will bushcraft very well.
 
As a longtime puuko user I have to say that they excel in general at bushcraft and you cannot much improve on 1000 years of design refinement via hard use. That said this blade is a bit of a departure from the typical "clipper" scandi knife as well as the deeper bellied and larger traditional puuko blades. Now, for the big caveat...Kainuun Puukko makes some of the best hand forged scandi (IMHO) blades available; available as steel blanks or finished with handles. I don't have any experience with their production blades but I did order one of their 125mm puuko, blades, handled it with a hand forged brass ferrule, curly birch, yellow/black spacers and Moose crown and then proceeded to run it through its paces. the 20mm width makes batoning feel extremely solid and whatever the composition on the "silver steel" they use for the blades is such that it keeps a nice edge and sharpens fairly quickly. Anything you can do with an off the shelf mora clipper, you can do with a Kainuun Puukko along with the added bonus of that "feels good" rush of a good knife in hard use. Just my $0.02
 
Kainuun smithy used to be the "go to" one when lead by the Kemppainen brothers, if one wanted a Tommi puukko because they were concidered the best in Finland, they lived in Tommi puukko homeland (Karelia) and were related to the creator of the style, Kalle Keränen.

Now that Kainuun is lead by Veijo Käpylä and after that Kellam entered in business with them it seems like their quality is a bit lower, still remaining high.
Be ready to pay quite a lot of money for their work if you'll end up taking one from them.

The Tommi puukko is exclusively finnish and is deeply tied to Finalnd's history. It was created around midlle 1800 by the already said Kalle Keränen together with english metallurgist Thomas Woodward. From his friend and inspirer Kalle named the knife: Tommi.
This puukko was part of finnish fight for freedom during XIX century with Ostrobotnian puukkojunkkaris and during the Winter War agaist Russia. Yesterday, 6 december, was finnish Indipendence day, in fact. During winter war the Pokara Tommi was used as a leave gift for officers.

Its most famous and particular trademark is the blade section that finns call diamond shaped. Basically the blade has a rather slim spine while the thickest part of the blade is where the bevel start. This gives to the blade an exceptional bite keeping it light and strong at the same time. Just to give an example a diamond shaped blade 100 mm long can have a 2,5-3 mm spine, but been 5-6 mm thick in the widest point.

Silversteel used in Finland is Böhler K510 and it's probably the purest european factory steel around.
http://www.sten.fi/data/attachments/K510DE.pdf

If well forged it gets an extremely fine texture, polish up greatly, holds an edge for a really long time, it's easy sharpenung and, despite its 1,2% C content is well resilient. I've seen a 5'' Tommi batoning a 2 years seasoned 3'' olive log in one go and still shaving after a daily camp. This one was made by smith Pasi Hurttila and he's the one I would suggest if you don't want to spend a load of cash.
http://www.hurttilanpaja.suntuubi.com/?cat=10

He's a smith and certified wilderness guide. Great craftman and person.
 
I picked up a really nice puukko from another forum member at a bargain price. The maker is Seved Hjelm
Have it on loan to a friend but I could get pics up soon. Really nice curly birch handling, click tight leather sheath, AEBL full flat ground. Super light package. He makes a nice knife and I believe the prices are reasonable. He has some nice looking bushcraft designs on his site even some full tangs. Have a look.
http://www.sevedsknivar.se/Knivar/Eng/
The one I have is the "all around knife" if you scan down. Its his take on a puukko, but still very traditional in its handling and subtle curves.
Also really like the look of his "bushking" and "bushqueen" models.
 
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Kinda funny, I'm writing a research paper at this very moment on Saami Bear Cult. Their knives are definitely as much an art as the materials crafted with them, and that knife is no exception. Just based on the photo it is easy to tell this knife sacrifices belly in favor of a pronounced tip, which makes me think it was designed for lighter bushcrafting tasks with an emphasis on processing fish and small trapped game, and less on caribou skinning, wood processing and butchering large game. What is the steel type and blade thickness of that particular model? I'd expect with a tip like that, detailed carving would be a cinch, though I wouldn't be doing much bolting of heavy wood processing with that knife, just based on the profile it appears to be too thin, the point too vulnerable. Based on that sole picture it appears to be more of a 'bird and trout' equivalent or a light EDC cutter than an allaround bushcrafter. It's kind of interesting, most puukos I see sacrifice any kind of tip for major belly. This one is solidly on the other side of the spectrum, more akin to some of the northern Russian designs you see coming out of Zlatloust and the upper tundra regions, which spent alot of the year living off of Burbot, a bottom feeding freshwater whitefish variant. The fish is sinfully ugly though very good eating, rich in nutrients, and catchable via various netting and fishtrap techniques for much of the year, including the periods between caribou runs. This makes Burbot an important part of Saami and Siberian diet. Definitely on the lighter, more detailed side of bushcraft tasks and I'd probably use it as a specialty knife versus my main bushcrafting blade, or at the very least in conjunction with a good Leuku.
 
I posted the link to the datasheet of the steel in my previous post. That blade should be about 150x23x4,5 mm. Probably with tapered spine.
 
Well,your certainly getting one of the best money can buy!I bought an OK Tommi Moose Puukko 10 years ago.Never really knew what Silversteel was until Frederick chimed in.All I can say about it is that it gets(and came)breathtakingly sharp.I don't use it for much,it's too beautiful.:o
 
Grim, you have a Tommi made by Olavi Kemppainen. We need pics of it :) He was concidered the best of the three Kemppainen brothers, I think, but here I need the help of some finnish mates member.

By the way, Tommi puukkos are first of all wood workers (haven't find a better blade shape for it), then hunters and fishers knives. For carving and fishing it's better a pointed shape, for hunting a more bellied one. It would be good to discuss a bit with the smith that will make it.

Guide, I would also say that you could get a knife in the same style for about 200-220 CAD. Not a copy, but same style with obvious differences and influences from the own style of the maker. This isn't a strange price as it's enough to find one of the many not so famous smith Finland has to offer.
 
In my opinion, you really can't go wrong with a puukko for bushcraft. They work great! The scandinavian flat-grind is great, gets very sharp, and is durable. If you're concerned about corrosion, you can get a laminated blade with softer steel on the outside to lend strength and corrosion-resistance.
In addition, there are many types of handle shapes, even within the traditional guidelines.
Pick one that suits your taste, and go for it!
 
Actually, part of the reason the one Im getting is so pricey is because Im getting it with silver accents and a damascus blade. I have plenty of knives for now, so Im in no rush (aka prices dont matter so much, a bigger price just means more time saving for it)

Im still a bit off, as I want to get a few more Carters first, but sholuld have it by the end of 2012. (if we dont all die :rolleyes:)
 
Giude, I was wondering if that blade size would be a good choice for a bushcraft knife, for two reasons.

Long Tommis (longer than 5'') were used more as weapons than tools as their geometry allowed them to be almost short sabers. The Tommis used as hunting/"bushcraft"/crafs knives were the short ones (<95 mm) and the mediom ones (from 95 to 120 mm).

I'm not completely sure that the diamond section would stand a raw bushcraft use, if applied on a slim and long blade like the one showed. 23 mm near the handle and tapering towards the point could be a bit too less... The 5'' Tommi I mentioned earlier in this thread (post #4) has a 120x26x6 mm blade.
If you want a 6'' blade for general use I would rather go for a short leuku instead.

Sorry, just read your post. I suppose you won't use very hard a knife with silver fittings and damascus blade...
 
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I have other knives that get used hard. This knife is just going to be a general purpose outdoor knife, mainly for fish and light camp chores. When I am in a situation that I need a more rugged blade, I carry my Fehrmans. My tool kit usually consists of my Fehrman Hoodhunter, Silky Zubat saw (a saw is the most undercarried piece of gear imo... makes wood prep so much easier) a small 20" BRKT modified wetterlings and a couple smaller blades. I always bring my Fehrman Peacemaker, and then I bring a few other blades just to play with/test. This knife is going to fall in the play with/test category. If I like it, it may become my main carry.. who knows. I like carrying knives and blades and such, I dont actually mind the weight. I pack light anyway so I can get away with a few blades in my pack. Though if I want to travel really light, i only carry my Hoodhunter and peacemaker.

If you ever happen upon a Hoodhunter, I STRONGLY recommend you buy one. There were only like 37 made i think (dont quote me on that, im not 100% certain, as there was an 8" model as well). Combined with a saw, wood prep is a breeze. Its not a hefty chopper (it is still awesome, but that's why I often carry an axe) but it splits and limbs like nobodies business. It is also an excellent "snicking" blade... ie cutting small branches/saplings off in a quick "snick". Also got some amazing leather sheaths custom made by Luke Swenson, with some meaningful (to me) Japanese characters tooled in...But I digress...

The Puukko above that I am looking hat has a blade of 150mm... so its not overly huge, but it is still substantial. I like long slender blades like that. I actually see this knife being more of a food prep knife than anything too hard. But you never know, I like my knives to be able to cover all the bases.

Do you think a Puukko is substantial enough to baton with?

Also, do you mind elaborating a bit on what exactly a Leuku is? I will google it, as i have never heard of it before, but I want to hear your thoughts on them.

Thanks guys!

:cool::thumbup:
 
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Puukkos weren't born for baton, but for carving and skinning. Anyway a well made puukko will stand batoning without a problem. As said earlier I've seen a 5'' Tommi baton a 3'' olive log, 2 years seasoned, in one go and mantaining a shaving edge after a day of camp duty.
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I too have some 4'' puukkos, with both flat and diamond shaped blades and I've never had problems with 2,5''-3'' log. After that you should have a bigger knife or an axe or a saw, as you said. No reason to risk your knife for inappropriated tasks for its size.


Leuku knives were born during early Middle Age, basically a tool counterpart to seaxes. They are the main knife of Saami reindeer henders that use it for basic camp stuffs (light-medium chopping, batoning, butchering games etc) while for finer works they too carry a small 3''-4'' knife.

The two trademarks of leukus are the rather long blades (7''-10'') and the big knob in the end of the handle. This is used for grabbing the knife with a back 3-fingers grip during light chopping that is processed with only a wrist action. Bit heavier chopping is done with arm action.

They are usually not extremely thick (3-4 mm), but could be even 7 mm thick. Commonly, thinner leukus are flat grinded while thicker are convex.

I've just received this one, just for letting the pics speak better than words. It's close to a factory made one for comparison.
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That is a beautiful set of knives! I love that rough forged look. Now i've got some more knives to check out. I am quite fond of time honoured designs, as they just seem to work better.
 
Cool, thanks man!

Are there any other styles you think would be worth my time to check out?

I also find that I'm getting more and more attracted to blade styles with a history. ie Bowies, Puukos, katanas, etc...
 
Among scandinavian knives the big division is "big knives" and "small knives".

Leukus and huggares are the big ones and can variate a bit from country to country but the main features remain untouched. You can find both names used butthe style is one.

Puukkos and bruksknivs are in similar styles, but "real" puukkos are only finnish. The purists can say also that the only real puukko is the Tommi.
A simple and usually quite sure way to roughly identify the country of origin of a small scandinavian knife is the bevel height. If the bevel is about 1/3 of the complete heigh than is banish or swedish or norse, if about 1/2 or higher is finnish. In addition, scandinavian blades are rather often laminated, while finnish are usually single layered.
Remember that the real Scandinavian coutry are Denmark, Sweden and Norway; Finland had different hisrory and heritage.

Than there are the national and regional variation. Norse knives are usually the more decorated, swedish ones the more essential, finnish ones are on they own (load of variations), Saami styled are identified by massive use of antler and by the half wood or half antler sheath.

This isn't really a discussion that could be completed is a simple forum thread: you have to search, find scandinavian guys to talk with and after a while you'll get the real soul of these knives yourself.
 
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