Knife Handling - your tips and lessons learned

See, I never knew that was the safest way to hand over a knife (and thanks for the Mears vid MRpink):o Nor did I even think about the fact that some people don't know the sharp side if they don't know knives. Now I know :thumbup:

I think a common thread here is just general awareness of where your knife/edge is, and where your (and other's) body parts are. I think the other good point is the one raised by James and Andy: that we often get lazy and careless as we feel more confident in our handling. It's a good thing to keep in mind that all it takes is one moment of distraction or carelessness, no matter how experienced you are.
 
I don't know if this will help or not. It's a thread I started asking for advice on teaching my son knife handling skills and at what age.
 
Actually, yes it does Stormstaff, thanks :thumbup: Looks like a couple of videos in that thread might be worth watching.... Some good thoughts and pointers in your thread that apply to both children and adults alike.
 
Great, thanks!

Watching it, just realized it's that same guy that made a video a while back showing some good axe technique. I should watch more of his videos....
 
I subscribed to this guy on youtube. Check out some of his videos, very cool bushcraft tips and watch the way he handles his knife. There's two pages of videos and most of them are good.
 
Yeah, I recently subscribed because I remembered his axe video. Haven't had the time to sit down and watch his others, will do though :thumbup. I think I pretty much use the knife in the same way, but he's a lot more aggressive than I am with cuts towards his body and thumb. I'm still paranoid about cutting myself on those...
 
Pull cuts (vs. push cuts) seem to have more power for small and tight controlled movements, but it is scary when the knife is up near your chest/stomach.
 
I think another good tip is to handle your knife with your opposite hand (left hand if you're right handed), in case you injure your dominant one.

I started a thread about this a while back and got some good responses. There were exercise and warm-up tips on how to get your less dominant hand to be more coordinated. Try to do small everyday stuff with your opposite hand like brushing your teeth.
 
Chopping with a knife - use more controlled, aimed chops rather than high power/swinging chops. Its faster - as aiming the chop chips out wood more effectively and obviously more safer.

Sometimes a lanyard really helps. In the shot below, I have a small lanyard that I can fit my pinky and ring finger into which acts like a guard, preventing my hand from slipping towards the blade. I find this useful when using a drilling action or any kind of stabbing (which I don't do hardly).

DSC_0145-2.jpg


Always be aware of where you free hand is during the cutting. That is the one most likely to be cut.

Hatchets. For safety, sometimes it is a bit better to chop while kneeling down on the ground. This shortens your height and prevents a shin whack. Much like the effect of using a full size axe, where a miss cause the axe to hit the ground before going into your legs.
 
One tip that is the most important to me and has prevented me from be cut (so far) is ALWAYS cut AWAY from yourself unless you have no other choice.
 
a few of these are repeats, but i'll stick them in anyways...

1. cutting towards yourself isn't always bad. as long as you do it safely, it works really well and can give you alot of leverage.

2. using the "chest lever" grip works really well, gives you alot of power. the only real problem with this cut is that you can't take long slices. good for short, heavy cuts.

3. support your work when you can. this eliminates one variable of the equation (movement of object being cut), and makes it much easier to work most of the time. whether this is shaping wood with an axe, making fuzz sticks, or cutting food, some sort of cutting block or cutting board makes life much easier.

4. keep your fleshy bits away from the cutting edge! it seems obvious, but it is easy to forget what you are doing once you get "in the zone"...that's when accidents happen. you just need to be constantly paying attention-look at every cut and imagine what would happen if you went all the way through, missed (like when swinging an axe), or otherwise didn't do what you planned.

hope these help somehow!
 
Yeah, so I guess most of it is in fact common sense, and I can say with confidence I've been doing most, if not all of this, already. The most important thing I've learned is what others have also pointed out, that you should always visualize where your knife (or axe, though I have no experience with it yet) will be if you go through unexpectedly.

I've been getting into whittling with my Mora recently, and I've found that much of it is simply getting to know the tool in your hand. Know what angles work and with how much pressure, know that you must keep your tool sharp, know what happens if you go through, know how to hold objects to ensure you have the most stability and protection while cutting, etc. I guess basically it boils down to tactile experience, and that's something I'll accumulate further over time.
 
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