Log-splitter: large blade, light tang

F

fnc

Joined
Nov 13, 2005
Messages
328
Can any of you suggest a large bladed,
general purpose, mass-produced knife?

The hardest use would be log splitting.
Overall weight is important.

I would prefer a light handle/tang to
reduce overall weight. Some large
knives seem over-engineered with too
stong (heavy) a tang. Your comments
on this assumption are welcome.

At the lower blade length, 6" blade,
I notice the Cold Steel SRK at about 9 oz.

frank
 
if you want something that will spli logs.... i dont see the 'over engineered' idea working....
the only company i have relied on for task like that is busse... but they certainly arent light weight and surely arent under engineered.
 
I have had the best of luck with Becker Knife and Tool. Not really light, but the price makes me feel a litte better about lugging some extra heft.
 
Becker Brute is a splitting machine, but the tang is nice and thick.

Becker_Brute_Knife_large.jpg
 
For a log splitting knife, I think I would go with a Cold Steel Bushman. The Bushman has a 7" blade and weighs about 10 oz - very durable and inexpensive.




- Frank
 
If your going to split logs you need a large heavy blade and other than Busse you want find many production knives capable of log splitting and at the Busse price you might as well go custom.
This one here is 18 inches and 4+ pounds and can really split a log.

bb2.jpg


bb1.jpg
 
The Cold Steel SRK is perfect for what you want. It was exactly what I was thinking before I got to the end of your post. I have one and use it for log splitting. It is the lightest knife for that size that I have found, and extremely durable. It has a full length stick tang which reduces weight. The knife is 8 oz, the sheath is 4 oz. Good luck finding a knife that light of equal durablility and function at that price!

Will
 
frank k said:
For a log splitting knife, I think I would go with a Cold Steel Bushman. The Bushman has a 7" blade and weighs about 10 oz - very durable and inexpensive.
Click to expand...

It is 0.25 cm thick, less than 1/8", and 54 HRC, not overly useful unless the wood is easy to split because the blade does not have the necessary rigidity and can bend rather than break the wood apart on knots or twisted grain. This makes you have to do much more work because you have to directly cut the wood apart.

fnc said:
I would prefer a light handle/tang to
reduce overall weight.
Click to expand...

Cold Steel have a number of knives with large blades and small tangs but they have also had reports with breaks at the tang during splitting. Himalayan Imports khukuris have such a design (large blade, light tang) and in general are very solid knives. You also might want to try Justin at Ranger Knives and see if he could taper the tang on a RD series blade.

-Cliff
 
Lotus-
What the hell is that thing in your pictures?? Four pounds?!
What's with the holes in the blade?
 
the possum said:
Lotus-
What the hell is that thing in your pictures?? Four pounds?!
What's with the holes in the blade?
Click to expand...

This monstrosity was created by my brother out of his love for big bowies but hatred of the cheap pakistani/china POS's out there that break the first time you use them. It's 18 inches long and made out of 1095HC at 1/2inch stock. The holes were put in to lighten the weight. I have done some chopping with this and the holes have not affected the blade strength at all but then with 1/2 inch you don't really need to worry to much about spine strength.
My personal opinion is that it's ugly:barf: ( looks like something the Creeper would cary from Jeepers Creepers ) but then I'm not a real big bowie fan and I figure to each his own. It will however kill a log:D . The thing is a bitch to sharpen.
 
Now that is low class. Everyone (even most by brothers) knows you are supposed to use Duck Tape!!! What would Red Green say?


:p :D
 
What about a "stick" tang that's left softer and has radiused corners at the junction with the blade? That should help it stand the gaff, while weighing less than a full width tang model..


(4 pounds! :eek: )
 
Thomas Linton said:
Now that is low class. Everyone (even most by brothers) knows you are supposed to use Duck Tape!!! What would Red Green say?


' I'm a man and I can change. If I have to. I guess '.
Click to expand...
 
why do you want a KNIFE for that purpose? Axes, hatchets etc. are for splitting, chopping, and heavy duty carving. Knives are for light duty carving and cleaning fish and game.
 
Doug,

In large part I agree with you, and when
car camping, I would take many kinds of
cutting implements.

A few people are regularly using knives for
splitting logs. I wanted their opinions and
that of others, regarding lighter weight knives.

I wanted to find out: if a light weight knife
(9-15 ounces) could stand up to this use.
Ultimately, I will experiment on my own, but
I wanted a place to start. Axes are wonderful
tools, I am just trying to explore other alternatives.

frank
 
Dougm said:
why do you want a KNIFE for that purpose? Axes, hatchets etc. are for splitting, chopping, and heavy duty carving. Knives are for light duty carving and cleaning fish and game.
Click to expand...

In a survival situation:

1. you may not have an axe; and

2. multiuse tools save weight.

I was trained on using a knife (issue "Ka-Bar") to split wood in 1963 as part of a survival course. This possible use of a knife is discussed in many books on the subject of wilderness survival, and the technique is used by many experienced outdoorsmen.
 
Dougm said:
Knives are for light duty carving and cleaning fish and game.
Click to expand...

Parangs, goloks, bolos, machetes, khukuris, bowies, daw knives, hack knives, cleavers, sickles, and then the massive amount of modern heavy tactical blades. These are all knives whose scope of work includes, chopping, prying, etc. .

-Cliff
 
It is so easy to keep putting more gear in
a pack. Any single item can seem reasonable
and useful; you can imagine using it, which is
part of the fun. However, the weight of these
individual items adds up to a very heavy pack.

This process has happened to me so many times,
that I must work to eliminate items and find items
that are light weight and multiple use.
Steel tools are the heaviest of all, so I am looking
to cut back on these.

Long ago, I found that many kinds of knives will
field dress a deer; this is an unlikely survival need,
but most knives can do it, easily. It aint that hard.

A critical use, for a survival knife, is cutting wood:
Fire making and shelter making.

Someone unexpectedly spending one night in the
woods happens often. It happens so often that it
rarely appears in the new media.

frank
 
A large (10-12inch blade) knife is a very good tomahawk/kindling axe SUBSTITUTE, however, in my own experience (having carried an khukri for many years until the sheath wore out)a much smaller knife is required as well
(for cleaning and preparing food as well as making fuzzsticks
 
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