Optimal Bushcrafter Advice

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dcgisme

Joined
Feb 3, 2009
Messages
46
Hello all. I'm new to the overall knife world (and this forum) but learning fast.

I'm musing the notion of getting a new bushcraft knife that will be used for backpacking, camping, bushcraft skills enhancement, possible hunting, etc and I have some design options available to me. I've already determined the grind will be convex. Realizing opinions tend to vary a bit, a few questions to those a bit more experienced them myself, if I may?

What, in your estimate, is the optimal blade length for a bushcraft/hiking/camping knife? I'm floating somewhere between 3.5 and 4.25 --give or take. I've used knives in the past with a cutting edge of only about 2.5 inches and I found it a hair short short for some tasks (batoning, for one). On the flip, anything beyond 4.5 inches, to me, would be massive overkill for most of what I do. Still, got a thought?

In that regard, how about blade width? Meaning how wide, not thick. Does a wider blade feather better, etc? Is 1 inch a good balance or should I bump to 1.25 or larger?

What is the best overall shape? I'm leaning towards a Kephart/spear point or slight derivative of that format. Is "drilling" holes all that common in bushcraft and I can get away with a more obtuse point? Ideas? Experiences?

What is a suitable handle material? Synthetic or natural? Micarta or some nice wood species? Had any good or bad experiences with one or the other? Some already seem to recommend hi-viz colors while others are more traditional. Got an opinion?

A lot of questions, I know. And folks are busy these days --so my sincere thanks in advance for any insight you may be willing to offer.
 
Whatever works for you is what is best.

Your ideas on the size of the blade sound good to me.

IMO a LOT of the knives will be good for it. Probably the hardest thing to find is a good handle.
 
Hey amigo

In my opinion the smaller end of your scale is ideal if you are going for bushcraft because of the control it affords you. Much of the stuff I see done under the rubric of bushcraft involves push cutting so the extra blade length would be idle anyway. I also happen to believe small is to be preferred in most hunting knives. Meat processing at a later stage can be done with larger tools. That said, once you expand from just bushracft and consider camping I'd be leaning toward something at the larger end of your scale because of the utility value. A bit of extra blade length certainly comes into its own for slicing. Similarly, if you intend to do proper food preparation as opposed to just scoff stuff from packets a bit of blade length is an advantage too.

On the width thing, I think a narrow blade probably works better for Scandis. It's not like it's going to have a bearing on the geometry. In fact, there is often a portion of a Scandi blade that seems pointless to me as it is pretty much doing nothing. Further, a narrow dedicated woodworking blade can be turned more easily in a cut. Going full convex though and how narrow the blade is will impact upon the geometry. Further, a wider blade makes food preparation easier to a point.

I will always prefer synthetics but I'm massively outnumbered here by others who prefer a more retro appeal.


2cents.
 
Howdy, and welcome to BF!

I think the answer to most of your questions is entirely personal preference/experience.

The best blade length from my experience is about 4". I like it even a bit shorter, but then it doesn't provide as large an area to baton. Much more is just getting cumbersome.

For blade width, I seem to prefer a wider blade. However, the drawback is that it won't 'turn' as well when you're doing carving. The more narrow blade (like a Mora) will really excel at that. I think the width range you wrote is just fine.

Shape- I like a slight drop point or spearpoint. Both drill fine in my experience. Either work.

Material- Again, pick your poison! Anything really will be reliable, if it's been put on properly. I like micarta just for the feel, and how it works when wet.

PS- Check out this as a primo option:
http://offthemapoutfitters.com/product.sc?categoryId=28&productId=106
1232818827866285454115.jpg
 
baldtaco-II:On the width thing, I think a narrow blade probably works better for Scandis. It's not like it's going to have a bearing on the geometry. In fact, there is often a portion of a Scandi blade that seems pointless to me as it is pretty much doing nothing. Further, a narrow dedicated woodworking blade can be turned more easily in a cut.
Click to expand...
This blade has a somewhat narrow blade and it cuts really well.

skifa1.jpg
 
Excellent example of where I'm coming from amigo. I can't envisage any real advantage to having a wider blade than that on that kind of design – too much kennel for the amount of dog.

Pretty example that. I think I recall that one being the one that got rubbed up on a dirty buffer. Looks neat there.
 
This is what Ive been mostly using for the past 10 years... the blade is almost exactly 4 inches, and the blade shape is, IMHO, perfect:

kauhavan_rauta.jpg


dcgisme said:
What is a suitable handle material? Synthetic or natural? Micarta or some nice wood species? Had any good or bad experiences with one or the other? Some already seem to recommend hi-viz colors while others are more traditional. Got an opinion?
Click to expand...

I have a RAT3 with micarta handle, and... It's ok otherwise, but really heavy, and when I tried cleaning a fish with said knife, the handle became so slippery I couldnt use it safely. Oiled curly birch is my personal favourite, but there are all sorts of rubbery handles that work really well too.
 
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SpookyPistolero said:
Attej, that's a very handsome blade!! Did you make it, or is a production? The handle looks comfy.
Click to expand...

Thanks Spooky, its production, made by Pentti Kivimäki in Kauhava, Finland. The handle is really comfy, and has a nice shape to it; :)
kauhavan_rauta2.jpg
 
Welcome dcgisme.

All of the points you raised are good attributes to think about and you seem to have common ideas to many of us about your likes and dislikes. Now the real challenge is settling on a knife that really strikes your fancy. I say real challenge, only because there are so many quality knives out there and they can all be pretty much had in any variation you are discussing. In the end, many of us keep questing for that one perfect knife. Then as we embark on this quest, we start changing our minds about what we think is ideal. Pretty soon you end up with a big collection of knives and you have a hard time rationalizing which ones to let go simply because you chose each one with care and thought it would be the perfect one. Well that's what happened to me anyhow :D

For myself, I've decided that I'm just not a scandi lover although I really appreciate their performance on wood carving. They are the best at carving, no contest about it. I like convex blades more for the versatility of them -they can be made very sharp yet are also robust edgewise. Using the old mouspad/sandpaper trick, it takes me about 30 min to convert a v-edge to convex one. So I don't really worry if a knife I like doesn't come already convexed. I prefer full flat, just because I like the feel of it, and couple that with a convex edge.

For blade length, I tend to like 4-5" a bit more. The 3-4" length is also very versatile, just a little less so I think than 4-5". I don't find much control loss using a 5" knife over a 3" one, but maybe I just don't do really delicate things either. I prefer something wider than 1.0" in terms of blade height or width. However, this is totally an aesthetic value not really functional. The only function a wider blade gives you is that it permits greater rigidity of the blade at a thinner thickness which is probably mute in 1/8 or thicker thickness. I think in a 4-5" blade with 1/8" thickness is a great compromise between thin enough to cut well and thick enough to take on heavy chores. In the 3" category I prefer 3/32" to optimize slicing.

This is my JK kephart, which meets most of what I like about a single bushy type knife. 1095 steel, 4.5" blade, 1/8" thick.

DSC_0020-14.jpg


John also makes a bushcrafter model that is a bit thinner and more pointy. I think that model is usually 4" in length.

The other favorite I have is my breeden modified kat knife. Bearthedog designed a wider version of this with a wider blade and handle called the Breeden CUB model. Mine is made of 01 steel, 3.5" blade, 3/32" thick. Here it is sitting next to a mora #1. It is very comfy in the hand, slices nicely and you don't notice it on the belt. When out, I do like to pair it up with something bigger, either a camp knife or a larger chopper.

DSC_0001-19.jpg


DSC_0075-3.jpg


Good luck on your choice, I'm sure this thread will quickly accumulate pictures of everybody's favorite bushcraft knives!
 
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Masteroffajitas said:
Oof, you guys are filling up my Christmas list!!
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Someone has been bitten by the bushcraft bug :D:p.

Don't feel bad MoF, I'm thinking of trading off one of my more tactical/sharpened pry bars for something a bit more bushcrafty as well. I'm paying close attention to this thread. Sounds like a lot of good info.
 
If I could put the handle of my Helle Futura on my Bark River Northstar, I might have my perfect bushcraft knife.
 
I would recomend the Javenpaa Puukko..the blade is 4" and 1/8" thick, Scandi ground..(you might as well just start with this grind..if you are doing bushcrafty things..you are gonna end up there anyhow;)) The price is around $45 and the quality is great..this was the first of many puukkos for me, and I still love it. The steel is carbon, easy to sharpen, and hold a great edge in wood..IMO. I like reccomending these knives as a first, if you want to change your mind, you havnt spent to much, and the "feel" is much improved over the cheaper Mora. Gene
PS..if you really want convex..go with a BRKT Aurora, great blade..more money, but you will like the blade and handle.
 
First thing to understand is whenever you use the word "optimal", the only one who can tell what is optimal is you.

IMO, the proper blade width is related to its thickness. The thicker a knife is, the more width you need to keep the same slicing ability. The wider it is, the less nimble for "turning" operations like drilling or scraping out a notch.

For blade length, the "Kochanski" rule of hand is, the blade should be as long as your hand is wide, +/- an inch. So your length ideas fall right in there.

Since you decided on a convex grind, a BKRT Aurora is great for larger hands (I wear a size 10/11 glove), and the Northstar for smaller hands. Medium size hands can use either. Those would be a good start.
 
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