Sawback knives

dipbait

dipbait

Joined
Feb 9, 2008
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Are there any Sawback knives that are worthwhile? One that will easily saw through limbs and saplings . I own one but the saw wont cut anything but a shallow groove for tying cord to.
 
For the most part I don't like them but over the years one or two have actually worked well and the best of them is the Timberline Custom Shop model with the 7.5 inch blade. The originals are hard to come by, but Vaughn Neely is making a copy and Custom maker Bill Sanders makes his version. Both versions are very close to the original knife, because both men worked at and founded the Timberline Custom Shop. I also have an Imperial non-magnetic UDT/EOD knife which has a specification to be able to cut chain and it will, but it's not that great on wood.

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One of the key things with this type of knife is that the saw teeth can not be tappered toward the point of the teeth. The teeth must be square cross section or cutting things like wood is impossible. Knive like this SOG are about as useful as a brick.

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Watch out for the handle also. The CRK Aviator has the One-Piece round handle, so holding it upside down to saw is the same as holding it rightside up. But some knives are very specific as to the most comfortable orientation.

One way around this would be to get a SOG Revolver. The blade pivots into the handle to pivot out a very useful saw.
 
"Most sawbacks are useless on wood"

Thats been my expierence.

Then what are they good for? They put them on Military knives. What would soldiers use them for?
 
Esav Benyamin said:
Do they put them on actual military knives, or on "military-style" knives?
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In some rare cases, yes. See my picture above of the Navy non-magnetic knife designed contracted for and purchased under exclusive government contract. This knife was never sold to the public it was only issued to UDT / EOD and some SEALS. It will easily cut steel chain.
 
Two perfect examples: the Air Force knife was designed to rip through fuselage and the Navy knife was also a special purpose knife. Neither were made for the ordinary soldier.
 
OK then, Survival knives. The question is ,do any of them do a good job at cutting wood?
 
dipbait said:
OK then, Survival knives. The question is ,do any of them do a good job at cutting wood?
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To cut wood effectively, the teeth need to create a kerf (cut in the wood) that is wider than the rest of the blade so that the blade can follow thru the kerf without binding. Most saw blades have teeth that are "set". The teeth are canted, alternating to one side then the other. Check almost any saw blade (power, hand, band, even hack) and you can see/feel the set. Some blades (ex. carbide tipped) have teeth that are simply wider than the rest of the blade. An insufficient set in a power saw blade is readily noticeable when the wood start to smoke. The kerf is too narrow so the sides of the blade rub the sides of the kerf and create enough friction to char the wood.:grumpy:

I have yet to see a knife with teeth that would be useful for sawing some wood for a campfire, unless you are into aerobic exercise big time.:D
 
Zeasor said:
To cut wood effectively, the teeth need to create a kerf (cut in the wood) that is wider than the rest of the blade so that the blade can follow thru the kerf without binding. Most saw blades have teeth that are "set". The teeth are canted, alternating to one side then the other. Check almost any saw blade (power, hand, band, even hack) and you can see/feel the set. Some blades (ex. carbide tipped) have teeth that are simply wider than the rest of the blade. An insufficient set in a power saw blade is readily noticeable when the wood start to smoke. The kerf is too narrow so the sides of the blade rub the sides of the kerf and create enough friction to char the wood.:grumpy:

I have yet to see a knife with teeth that would be useful for sawing some wood for a campfire, unless you are into aerobic exercise big time.:D
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This is the point I was trying to make earlier. Knives like the SOG I pictured and the ROS arms knife shown earlier and the Randall 18 have teeth that are wide at the base and narrower at the tip. They will not cut wood well at all. Knives like the Timberline Custom and for instance Lile's First Blood have teeth that are wider or at least the same width at the tip as they are at the base and they will cut wood reasonably well. The Victorinox saw blade on their folding knives does a very nice job but is limited due to it's length. A hand folding saw does a better job but if you don't want to carry several different pieces of equipment some of these knives work fairly well. I have used the Timberline Knife in the field to cut branches up to about 3 or 4 inches and it does a decent job. I would rather have a hatchet or a bow saw but if I didn't it would work.
 
The first time I read about the Sabertooth, here on Bladeforums, I thought it waas freaky. Then I read some more, the topic came up again, I checked out his website, and I came to have a bit more respect for it. Still wasn't sure about those teeth, though.

Last knife show I went to, a guy had one on the table and let me handle it, and we talked about it a while. What a great knife! It really feels good, even flipped over to saw. I wouldn't be surprised if I do get one, but I'm not sure I need a saw that bad, so I might get the plain back model.
 
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