Sawbacks on knives

[j williams]

Who here carries a knife with a sawback? I am intrigued having never owned one. I know that they do not perform like a folding saw will. Just wondering everyones thoughts bout em, and if any of you carry one in the rotation.

 

[caine]

I do. I carried a Randall model 18 yesterday hiking. They perform no were near a folding saw though

 

[silenthunterstudios]

I had a Camillus USMC with sawback and CE. Had two of them, tried to saw down a small branch with my user. Did not perform well at all. In retrospect, it was a good knife, looked more cool than anything else at the time. Could have done without the sawback. I've had junkers before that, with the sawback. Carry a folding saw in your bag.

 

[j williams]

I pack either a silky or a gerber saw already. Just wondering if the sawback would perform if thats all you had, or if there were any other uses for them.

 

[udtjim]

I am making one now. I picked up some power Hacksaw blade to make a few Knives. I cut one and shaped it and left the saw side on it. I tried it first on a chunk of wood and it worked pretty well. I will post a picture of it when I get it done. It is going off to Siguy for a new and great convex edge. Still have to put scales on it.

 

[j williams]

That sounds neat Jim. Look forward to pics!

 

[Elen]

I can tell you who doesn't: me. Don't see any point to them.

 

[j williams]

Seems to me that it would add resistance to penetration, and tear the heck out of a baton if you needed to split wood.

 

[Fiddleback]

Sawbacks on knives suck. Carry a sak.

 

[j williams]

Damn Andy. Guess we know how you feel on the subject!!

 

[JK Knives]

I am making one now. I picked up some power Hacksaw blade to make a few Knives. I cut one and shaped it and left the saw side on it. I tried it first on a chunk of wood and it worked pretty well. I will post a picture of it when I get it done. It is going off to Siguy for a new and great convex edge. Still have to put scales on it.

When I get back on Sunday I will find the one I made about 8 years ago from a sawblade, I also left the teeth on the back. I blued it and put an electrical tape wrapped handle on it. Pure class but it cut, and still has no rust on it.

John

 

[Wandering_About]

Sawbacks on knives suck. Carry a sak.

+1, I agree. A knife is a knife and a saw is a saw. Have yet to see them combined in a way that really works.

 

[chewbacca]

The saw backs on a lot of the old survival knives were not made to cut wood, they were made to cut through the exterior of a plane to egress. That is why they "suck".

I have to say the saw back on the gerber machete, which is actually made to cut wood, works pretty well. I have not tried to baton with it, wouldn't be good for either the saw or the baton I would guess.

 

[HornyToad]

I have an Ontario Spec Plus machete with saw back. The machete works good but the saw only grinds up the wood.

 

[sams]

I used the saw back on my Randall model 18 to scale fish. It worked but not that great.

 

[Wildone39]

I just go for a Vic Rucsak. To me thats the best knife saw combo there is.

 

[BarberFobic1992]

on things with thinner blade, like a machete, they would probably saw pretty well but u am not a fan of them on smaller knives.

 

[IH8U]

I have an Ontario Spec Plus machete with saw back. The machete works good but the saw only grinds up the wood.

I have one of those too. I did get some use out of the saw back for squaring up some trap notchings.

 

[jll346]

Growing up I was in love with the "Rambo" type knives but I have to admit that the saw thing is useless. I never had one that was worth anything. One or two would make a nice cut then just clog up and be useless.

 

[cybrok]

I agree with Fiddleback too.

Remember what happened to the Red Scorpion 6 WSK Noss "tested"?

Those dents will concentrate the force from batoning in a point, as opposed to all the spine. In engineering it's called stress concentration and is generally accepted as a bad idea (same reason why the tail and the blade don't have a square angle on a hidden tang knife, but a round chamfer). My comment goes for the sawbacks at the tip like WSKs.

So I would go with a SAK (that has a saw, unlike my old climber).