Photos Kepharts...They just Work

[marchone]

My uninformed guess is the Colclesser Bros ignored Kephart's original spec and produced the two sizes they did for market reasons.

 

[22-rimfire]

The Bowie wasn't really designed for hunting.
I love Bowie knives, but not for processing game or as a woods knife.

In my experience, those two have too much of a trailing point for me to use to process large game.
A drop point would make skinning easier.

Many like the drop point for skinning and field chores associated with wild game. With a trailing point, you just have to be more careful gutting the animal, but I always liked the point for actual hide removal and piercing. I think the other aspect to Kephart and his use of knives frequently is that he wanted a more general pattern more suited to all the differing cutting chores associated with camping or tromping around in the woods. That is pretty much where I'm at on knife design.

I have drop points too by the way and the smaller Doziers are my choice for hunting. I have no need for a 5"- 6" knife in this role unless that is just what I happen to have with me.

Been really really tempted to get the Hess knife illustrated above. GEC makes their blanks and they do a great job with 1095. The acquisition of knives never seems to stop, much like always looking for another rifle or handgun. It is mostly because you like them and not out of serious need.

Leghog, that was a great link with about the various versions of Kephart's Camping and Woodcraft relative to knives. I know you're a bit of a traditionalist and history buff.

You will also note that Kephart didn't use his knives for chopping. He had axes and hatchets for this role. I don't think he's wrong about that.

 

[Pilsner]

I must say that I am finding this thread both interesting and educational. It’s a real pleasure finding out more about this fascinating subject.

 

[22-rimfire]

My uninformed guess is the Colclesser Bros ignored Kephart's original spec and produced the two sizes they did for market reasons.

Nothing wrong with that. Market reasons are a very good reason for making choices relative to manufacturing a product. You do want it to sell. That's the whole point I think.

 

[marchone]

Imagine telling that to Steve Jobs.

 

[Bad Ninja]

My uninformed guess is the Colclesser Bros ignored Kephart's original spec and produced the two sizes they did for market reasons.

I feel like that's kinda what happened.

I think the other aspect to Kephart and his use of knives frequently is that he wanted a more general pattern more suited to all the differing cutting chores associated with camping or tromping around in the woods.

You will also note that Kephart didn't use his knives for chopping. He had axes and hatchets for this role. I don't think he's wrong about that.

I agree 100% with this

 

[bikerector]

Yet Kephart's own design had very little belly which is great for game. Perhaps that's one of the reasons he also spoke well of the Marble's Woodcraft ---- belly.

These two, a Hess Hunter and a Kinsfolk TrailMaster, are of the Marble's Woodcraft design.

​

I like that hess hunter. I was trying to get something like the marbles woodcraft and the closest current model I could find and afford was a hess pioneer. I think the only thing they share is a handle and lots of belly. Really cool knife, not nearly as good at woodcraft as a Kephart design but the pioneer also has a clip that the marbles woodcraft design doesn't.

Currently looking at a bark river lil boone which is a bit closer to the woodcraft design. Don't need any of these knives but it's a lot of fun to try out a bunch and form my opinions of what I like and don't like.

So far, still loving the LT bushcraft Mark II with high saber the most, for an all-purpose woods knife. After that, probably a split between FFG LT genesis and BK62.

The pioneer may be one of th better designed slicing knives I've had so it shouldmake a sweet little hunting knife or head to the kitchen.

 

[Mikael W]

I like that hess hunter. I was trying to get something like the marbles woodcraft and the closest current model I could find and afford was a hess pioneer. I think the only thing they share is a handle and lots of belly. Really cool knife, not nearly as good at woodcraft as a Kephart design but the pioneer also has a clip that the marbles woodcraft design doesn't.

Currently looking at a bark river lil boone which is a bit closer to the woodcraft design. Don't need any of these knives but it's a lot of fun to try out a bunch and form my opinions of what I like and don't like.

So far, still loving the LT bushcraft Mark II with high saber the most, for an all-purpose woods knife. After that, probably a split between FFG LT genesis and BK62.

The pioneer may be one of th better designed slicing knives I've had so it shouldmake a sweet little hunting knife or head to the kitchen.

Recently Bark River made the Marbles Woodcraft for Blue Ridge Knives, but maybe You already know this.

Regards
Mikael

 

[Pilsner]

Inspired by this thread, I’ve now started reading Our Southern Highlanders by Kephart. It really is an interesting and absorbing book. Sitting thousands of miles away, across an ocean, I am transported a hundred years back in time and into west NC. Recommended to anyone who hasn’t read it. (I’m probably the only one who hasn’t!)

 

[22-rimfire]

The book certainly gives you a feel for the way things were around 1900 in Western NC and the Smoky Mt/Blue Ridge area in general. Remote is the best way to describe it. A different harder breed of people lived and survived there.

Everything changed when the big logging companies moved in and started clear cutting the timber. The Smoky Mt NP story is a good one.

 

[marchone]

A bit further north but The Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park is one of the most beautiful places I have ever camped.

 

[leghog]

I like that hess hunter. I was trying to get something like the marbles woodcraft and the closest current model I could find and afford was a hess pioneer. I think the only thing they share is a handle and lots of belly. Really cool knife, not nearly as good at woodcraft as a Kephart design but the pioneer also has a clip that the marbles woodcraft design doesn't.

The Hess Hunter is closer in design to the Marble's Woodcraft than is the Hess Poineer.

 

[Pilsner]

The book certainly gives you a feel for the way things were around 1900 in Western NC and the Smoky Mt/Blue Ridge area in general. Remote is the best way to describe it. A different harder breed of people lived and survived there.

Everything changed when the big logging companies moved in and started clear cutting the timber. The Smoky Mt NP story is a good one.

Has the forest recovered at all from logging? Or is it now a distant memory, or commercially forested?

 

[leghog]

A bit further north but The Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park is one of the most beautiful places I have ever camped.

I can get to Shenandoah National Park for a day trip or for extended stays. We are there often. So much so I buy an Annual NPS Pass each year.

 

[lambertiana]

The quote I posted above, from Horace Kephart’s own book, talked about a 4.5” blade. What’s your point exactly?

My point is exactly what you stated. I was also referring to Kephart's book, where he states a 4.5" blade length, and the illustration shows a Marbles Woodcraft. I brought that up because the question was raised regarding blade length, since the Colclesser came in 4" and 5" lengths, not 4.5".

 

[Lapedog]

I noticed that the real Kephart that Ethan Becker has an edge where the blade is abit taller by the tip end and abit narrower by the ricasso end. This makes the edge have a very slight forward angle to it rather than being completely straight.

On the other hand some modern takes on the Kephart design seem to have a perfectly straight edge.

Just wondering if there is any noticeable difference in having that slighly angled edge as seen on the original. Does it maybe distribute weight forward abit for better chopping? Does it do nothing?

Either way I have always been a fan of the Kephart design. Looks extremely practical.

 

[22-rimfire]

Logging stopped inside the Park boundaries around 1940. I believe there was one logging company (Col Townsend's) that was active and the agreement with the Park was that they could continue their operations for a period of time. With WWII and economics in general, I believe it became unprofitable to log much due to the steep terrain. The Park has recovered since those days. It has been 80 to 100 years generally speaking. It really is a wonderful place. Quite rugged. They used to have a sight seeing train into the park on their rail system starting from Knoxville I believe. Until the automobile became more available to regular people, the train was the dominant form of transportation for folks to say... head to the city for shopping or whatever.

The timber companies did good things too. They built dams to produce electricity to run their saw mills and provided electricity to the camp houses. There wasn't electricity in most rural areas then.

 

[Pilsner]

My point is exactly what you stated. I was also referring to Kephart's book, where he states a 4.5" blade length, and the illustration shows a Marbles Woodcraft. I brought that up because the question was raised regarding blade length, since the Colclesser came in 4" and 5" lengths, not 4.5".

Thanks for the clarification. I have definitely been schooled in this thread!

Logging stopped inside the Park boundaries around 1940. I believe there was one logging company (Col Townsend's) that was active and the agreement with the Park was that they could continue their operations for a period of time. With WWII and economics in general, I believe it became unprofitable to log much due to the steep terrain. The Park has recovered since those days. It has been 80 to 100 years generally speaking. It really is a wonderful place. Quite rugged. They used to have a sight seeing train into the park on their rail system starting from Knoxville I believe. Until the automobile became more available to regular people, the train was the dominant form of transportation for folks to say... head to the city for shopping or whatever.

The timber companies did good things too. They built dams to produce electricity to run their saw mills and provided electricity to the camp houses. There wasn't electricity in most rural areas then.

Thanks, man. What is the area like outside the park? Is it barren or still forested? Sorry for all the questions, I’m just a curious limey!

 

[22-rimfire]

Very mountainous. Things haven't changed much. The entire area is National Forest now with the government controlling the timber harvesting. In the Southeast, clear cutting is the way to go overall, but to limit the acreage in any given year. The forest naturally re-seeds itself and any trees that are planted by the logging companies quickly get squeezed out by underbrush until the regular trees take over. I spent a lot of time in Southeast KY and visited with the Forester quite a bit. That was all private land, coal mining land with some huge acreages. Things are changing there as well as the mining is petering out or has petered out for the most part.

Take a look at Google Maps and take a look at the area yourself. It is VERY green, mountainous, and still pretty remote by today's standards.

There were copper and limited gold operations near the Smoky Mt NP. These petered out. The one copper operation was located on Hazel Creek where Kephart lived for a while. TVA built the Fontana dam quickly as a result of power demands by Alcoa (aluminum) and the secret nuclear research and operations in Oak Ridge TN. Alcoa actually built a dam or two themselves for power generation back in the day as well. Things were a lot different back in the early 1900's.

There was one significant copper mining and smelting operation in Copperhill TN southwest of the Park. IF you look at the old topos, you will see the entire area was deforested around the smelting operations (sulfuric acid vapors). That operation pretty much shut down around 1970-1975. During the civil war, it was the largest copper producing operation in the US. I suspect this is one of the reasons that the Cherokee Indians were pushed out of East Tennessee and North Georgia.... land and mineral resources.... greed....

I really enjoy the history of the general region and looking back at some of the old USGS publications that have pictures. The very first USGS 1:24,000 scale topographic maps were prepared in and around the Smoky Mt National Park in order to map private properties and the acquisition of those within the park boundaries.

People still talk the way Kephart describes in the book, sort of. In my opinion, it was exaggerated for the sake of book sales. Same goes with regards to moonshine and stills although I view that as a rather colorful aspect of the region's history. The latest thing has been growing pot out in the woods... cash crop so to speak.

 

[Pilsner]

Very mountainous. Things haven't changed much. The entire area is National Forest now with the government controlling the timber harvesting. In the Southeast, clear cutting is the way to go overall, but to limit the acreage in any given year. The forest naturally re-seeds itself and any trees that are planted by the logging companies quickly get squeezed out by underbrush until the regular trees take over. I spent a lot of time in South East KY and visited with the Forester quite a bit. That was all private land, mining land in some huge acreages. Things are changing there as well as the mining is petering out or has petered out for the most part.

There were copper and limited gold operations near the Smoky Mt NP. These petered out. The one copper operation was located on Hazel Creek where Kephart lived for a while. TVA built the Fontana dam quickly as a result of power demands by Alcoa (aluminum) and the secret nuclear research and operations in Oak Ridge TN. Alcoa actually built a dam or two themselves for power generation back in the day as well. Things were a lot different back in the early 1900's.

There was one significant copper mining and smelting operation in Copperhill TN southwest of the Park. IF you look at the old topos, you will see the entire area was deforested around the smelting operations (sulfuric acid vapors). That operation pretty much shut down around 1970-1975. During the civil war, it was the largest copper producing operation in the US. I suspect this is one of the reasons that the Cherokee Indians were pushed out of East Tennessee and North Georgia.... land and mineral resources.... greed....

Thank you so very much for this informative response. It is very much appreciated. Yet again my education benefits! Thanks for taking the time and effort.

Edited to your edit: That is even more informative! Well, if moonshine was what one’s Grandaddy made then maybe weed would feel like continuing the legacy in some way? And folks have to make money somehow, I guess. And from taking your advice and looking at it on satellite, I can see how wild it is still. I can see why some might choose to live a little wild.