Here is another update for a Woodsman that I recently acquired. The Woodsman has been covered before in this thread, but since each hand-made knife is somewhat unique, I figured that more photos and data points are never a bad thing. I encourage you to read the information by mistwalker and xxwjtxx on pages 1 & 2 for comparison of other variations to form your own opinion of what configuration best suits yours needs.
Another good commentary on these models is located here:
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1238135-Beyond-the-BC-Bigger-knives-Part-2
5” Models (Continued):
Woodsman:
Notes:
Earlier this year, I owned and sold two other Woodsman in SFT 5/32” O-1 because they felt more handle heavy to me than I like. After reading many glowing reviews of the Woodsman by mistwalker, thurin, xxwjjtxx, and others, I decided to give this model another chance when I found one in the right configuration. That finally happened with this new tapered tang 5/32” O-1 Woodsman that I purchased from KSF (
www.knivesshipfree.com) After using it for the last week, I have a new respect for this model. It is neck & neck with the Duke for my favorite overall in this size category and for some uses it takes the lead.
FF Lot Info:
fbf_111814_09 KSF
OAL:
10.750"
Blade Length:
5.660"
Handle Length:
5.090"
Steel & Thickness:
5/32" O-1 Tool Steel
Tang Type:
Tapered
Grind:
Convex
Handle Material:
Oreo (black) burlap over black with white pinstripes
Weight (oz.):
7.2 ounces
Blade Height @ Ricasso:
1.440"
Handle Width @ Palmswell:
.775"
Handle Height @ Palmswell:
1.285"
Circumference @ Palmswell:
3.705”
Distance Front of Handle to Palmswell:
2.125”
Balance Point:
.300” Ahead of Front Pins 
Here is my girl “J-Dog” checking out the new knife.
Here are a series of photos of the Woodsman with a Duke. The Duke is the most closely related Fiddleback for comparison.
The Woodsman has more of a fine spear point than the Duke.
The balance of this Woodsman is more neutral than my Duke. The Duke is 3/16” tapered tang O-1 which gives it a slightly blade heavy balance. I like that on this particular knife, but using neutral balance as my standard, I had to give the Duke two smiley faces for balance while I gave the Woodsman three.
The blade on the Woodsman is more of a centered spear point that the Duke. The Woodsman has a more sloping spine and a continuous curve cutting edge of the blade that meet at the fine point of the tip. The Duke has less immediate curve on the spine and a shorter curve on the cutting edge near the front end that yield more belly and a stronger shorter tip in my opinion.
I always assumed that the handles were the same between the Duke and Woodsman. On closer examination, there are differences (at least on my two samples.) The Woodsman has more pronounced curves on the bottom side of the handle. The maximum height of the handle at the palm-swell is taller on the Woodsman but the lowest height of the forward curve is shorter than the Duke. The lowest height of the rearward dip is roughly equivalent on both models. The distance from the front edge of the handles to the center of the palm-swell is a little longer on the Woodsman also. This means that the Woodsman has slightly more noticeable lower handle curves versus the Duke’s more subtle ones. I don’t know if this is representative of each model or just normal variation based upon who profiled the blank. Either way, I thought that it was worth noting.
See the photo below for the referenced measurement points 1, 2, & 3.
The actual measurements are as follows:
* Position# 1 Position# 2 Position# 3
Duke 1.151” 1.221” 1.034”
Woodsman 1.105” 1.285” 1.040”
Here are a few more visual comparisons to show what I am talking about.
In general, I have learned that I strongly prefer tapered tangs on both the Woodsman and the Duke for weight reduction and improved balance.
In terms of weight, here is how this Woodsman compares to some of my other previously reviewed Fiddlebacks in this size range:
Big Sneaky 5/32” O-1 Tapered =
6.9 oz.
Woodsman 5/32” O-1 Tapered =
7.2 oz.
Camp Nessie 5/32” O-1 Tapered =
7.6 oz.
Hunter 5/32” O-1 SFT =
8.0 oz.
Duke 3/16” O-1 Tapered =
9.1 oz.
This tapered 5/32” O-1c configuration of the Woodsman is relatively light in comparison even though it is tied with the Duke for the most cutting edge length of this group.
In Fiddleback terms, the Woodsman is a “guardless” design because the back end of the blade is even with the unsharpened area at the bottom edge of the ricasso. For comparison, my Duke has a guard that extends below the cutting edge. I believe that the Duke is primarily made with a guard, but some are guardless. In practical terms, the primary downward curve of the steel behind the ricasso serves as a guard either way.
I prefer the guardless designs because they work better for me on a cutting board at home or in camp. The Woodsman is my favorite model for food prep (at least until a stainless Padre makes it way into my collection.) I do more food prep activity around camp than I do wood carving or kindling splitting. I appreciate the Woodsman because it excels at my primary use, while still being a very appropriate choice for my secondary uses.
Here is the Woodsman doing some kitchen duty at home.
Archive Data on Previously Owned Knives:
I hope the current owners don’t mind me posting this info. Since I had the data in my draft file, I figured why not include it since this model has not been covered before in this thread.
Toothpik:
Notes:
The Toothpik is the longer version of the Woodsman. This model is not too common. I have owned two of these. The first was the Python micarta one detailed below. It was (and is) a beautiful knife that must be held to fully appreciate. The neutral balance was amazing for a knife this size. I traded this knife shortly after I got it in a multi-knife deal where I got my Camp Nessie. The second one that I bought was from part of the 2014 Blade Show batch that went to a dealer. This one was SFT 3/16” O-1 also with equally great balance. Coffeebag burlap over black with blue pinstripes made an attractive combination. I donated this one to the SuperBen fund during a slow period for his fundraising. I find it ironic that both of these knives ended up with new owners in Texas where knives this long are not legal to carry in public.
FF Lot Info:
2014 0418 19
OAL:
11.875”
Blade Length:
6.625”
Handle Length:
5.250”
Steel & Thickness:
3/16”" O-1 Tool Steel
Tang Type:
SFT (“skeletonized full tang”
Grind:
Convex[/B
Handle Material: “Python” Micarta over black g10 with a white pinstripe
Weight (oz.): 11.2
Blade Height @ Ricasso: 1.440”
Handle Width @ Palmswell: .835”
Handle Height @ Palmswell: 1.275”
Balance Point: .250” Ahead of Front Pins
Here is the Toothpik next to a Duke for comparison. (The specs for this Duke are listed in my post on Page 3 of the thread if you are interested. Note: This Duke is guardless as referenced above.)
Here is the 2nd Toothpik I owned. This one was SFT 3/16” O-1 and it had fabulous balance also at .130” ahead of the front pins. This is one model that I would be inclined to choose an SFT over tapered tang based on my experience with these two samples.
Even though two nice ones have passed through my hands, I will be on the lookout for another Toothpik in brighter colored burlap. This model is just too nice to ignore, both as a user and scarcer collectible.
Closing Thoughts:
All three of the models shown here are very well thought out designs. They handle and balance like a dream for me. This is not a common occurrence on 5” to 7” blades from other manufacturers (and/or makers) that look nice until you pick them up and discover that they feel clumsy or imbalanced.
My experience so far with the 5” models has shown that this is where tapered tangs really pay dividends both in lower weight and a more neutral balance. From what I have learned, tapered 5/32” O-1 steel would be my first choice in a Woodsman or Duke. In 3/16” O-1, I prefer a tapered tang if the blade has a full height grind or SFT with a standard 2/3 to 3/4 height grind. Those are my default choices, but they may not be yours, which is perfectly OK.
I will continue post more updates when I acquire new models. I hope that you find something useful here to help refine and focus your wish list.
Thanks for looking!
Phil
