Tips on using Scandinavian knives

K

kidwholaughs

Joined
Jan 17, 2004
Messages
1,189
Hey Guys,

I have a classic wooden KJ Erikkson knife. It one of my favorite knives. When there is a chance for outdoor work, I grab it first. However, this knife has absolutely no guard. I always have a concern about running my hand up the knife and opening up my fingers by accident.

Now, this knife design has been around for a VERY long time in Scandinavia. Do they face this dilemma every day as well? How does a person keep their fingers safe when using this kind of knife?

Perhaps one of our in house experts could chime in on this one.

God Bless
 
Kid, I have a lot of Mora and Scandinavian knives in my collection. I think it's all about taking your time and "indexing" the handle so that you instinctively know its attitude in your hand.

I actually prefer guardless (or very minimalist guards on) small to mid sized fixed blades generally.
 
As long as your not stabbing there is little chance of being cut with these knives. If you need to stab with a puuko then curl your little finger behind the pommel of the knife, this will prevent your hand sliding forward onto the blade.

However in most normal use such measures are completely unneccessary.

Great knives for bushcraft work.
 
hey kid,

Think about all the knives you use every day that have no guard. Kitchen knives, pocket knives, Stanley utility knives. The old mountain men had no guards on thier green River knives. Professional butchers and meat cutters don't have them.

I've been using an old mora number 1 for years with no problems. Durring the winter war 1939-40, the Finns inflicted a million casulties on the Soviet army while taking 250 thousand of thier own. They had a nasty habit of sneaking into soviet camps at night and slitting a few throats to screw up soviet morale. This night butchering was done with puuko's.

You'll be fine with no guard once you get used to the style of knife.

Enjoy.:thumbup:
 
That's a pretty cool story Jackknife. Interestingly enough I was watching a video of people in the taiga of Siberia. They use a Mora like knife as well. Amazing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbR_kRaG9Fs

I am not really worried about it when I am alert. But you guys might well know that this knife does tolerate careless mistakes. For example, 8 or 9 hours of hard work may make a person careless. That when I am a little concerned.

God Bless
 
Kid, I'm sure you know that when you're tired and getting sloppy it's time to take it down a notch or quit for a while.
 
I have heard that most cuts during knife use of any kind usually occur on the opposite hand from the one holding the knife....think about it. :) I think them there Scandinavians hands get pretty darn cold. If anyone would be cutting their knife holding hand, they would. :p
 
Guys,

Come to think of it, Kerry is right. However, I would think that people in the far north may be wearing gloves alot. That would tolerate nicks and accidents a bit more.

One thing I realized it that. these knives were developed for people who are not in a rush. Weather it's people in Scandinavia carving wood or natives in Siberia making baskets, they were on nature's time table. They thought about what they were doing and did it carefully. If they did thing in a New York minute, the guard would have been their best friend. I think I am going to pay attention to this aspect and slow down and think when I use my Mora.

God Bless
 
I don't think our Nordic friends rely on their gloves to protect them from their knives. :p

Think about it. This knife has been around in one incarnation or another for centuries amongst a people living close to nature who (amongst other things) had to hunt, trap, herd reindeer, build fires, whittle, clean fish, etc.

The guard isn't what protects you when using the knife. It's what's between your ears and experience that guards you when putting the knife to use.

Anyway, we're all on the same page it seems. :cool:
 
Reference the above, I am reminded of the Fallkniven blurb regarding their H1 model (a knife I have owned and loved for several years):

This is our first true hunting knife, built upon centuries of the knife-making art in our part of the world. This strong, straight and very handy knife dates its origin from the ancient times of North-Scandinavian knife-making. Due to this heritage, it lacks a standard finger guard,...With a handle this shape, you should be an experienced hunter or outdoorsman to ensure you can safely handle such a classic yet advanced design as the H1 Hunting Knife.
 
The only time my Mora cut me is when I was just loosely holding it ajusting something or other. It slipped through my grip. I have a bad habbit of loosely holding a knife in a sort of pinch grip instead of setting it down when ajusting or working on stuff.
 
I read somewhere (maybe here) that the only true Scandinavian knives with guards are intended for children. I'll have to say, though, that I prefer a small guard.
 
I love guard-less Scandi knives, I've used them a lot for leather working and around the farm, as well as for playing in the woods. The handles swell a bit in the center, and that helps keep the hand safe, but you can always get one of the plastic handled ones with a small guard, I use one of those from time to time.
 
In the arctic it's hideously cold....sunken tang knives with wood or leather bound handles makes sense,you do not want to grip steel in the cold even with gloves...then there's the possibility of steel fracture.. There's also an ergonomic reason why a puukko does not need a guard, they generally have a bulge or bulbous part in the middle of the handle this naturally fills your palm and gives an intense grip around the fingers, no slip! The end is wider as in a pommel and this enhances grip too.It also means you can stab with it VERY efficiently when needed. It slices,chops enough and can do intricate work or filleting where called for.

Just now I've got a common Marttiini carbon puukko in my hand,wet or dry it does not slip because of this bulbous mid part of the handle. Also means it fits tight in the pouch sheath (try up-ending your favourite belt-knife and shaking it to see if it stays in that sheath!Probably has a cross strap to keep the guard in place) Yet the puukko draws fast and with no danger, to the user...This is a Traditional knife par excellence, people here in Finland have been using it for over a thousand years. Guards may be needed on many full tang knives or for decoration but not really on this simple,effective and elegant knife.
 
As a Norwegian knifenut, i know a bit about different traditions of handling a knife.
One of the main reasons, as i see it, for not having a guard, is that it allows you to work more easily on wood. A scandinavian knife isn`t really made for being stabbed into things. It can be stabbed into things, but then it`s best to either hold it like an ice-pick, with the thumb over the butt-end of the handle, or cupping it in your hand, sorta like pushing a door open.

I was told an amusing story once, of how the old people in my area used to fight with knives. They`d hold the knife in a regular grip, but instead of holding only the handle, they`d move their grip upwards onto the blade. If they were fighting in a joking manner, they`d only reveal the pointy tips of the blade, and just nick eachother. And the less friendly the two people were, the more of the blade would be used.

I guess it`s all about what you`re taught, your own preference, and how you do different things.
If you go around stabbing stuff, i`d probably suggest a knife with a guard.
If you go around cutting stuff, i`d suggest a guardless knife, merely on the grounds that the guard wouldn`t be in the way.

As for gloves protecting your hand if the knife slips... No.
I cut myself once, when i was younger, while wearing gloves, in the winter, when my hand slipped from the handle onto the blade of a rather dull knife. I was stabbing it into a piece of wood. Still got the scar to remind me, not to stab knives into stuff.

Just my opinion anyway.
 
aarya said:
I was told an amusing story once, of how the old people in my area used to fight with knives. They`d hold the knife in a regular grip, but instead of holding only the handle, they`d move their grip upwards onto the blade. If they were fighting in a joking manner, they`d only reveal the pointy tips of the blade, and just nick eachother. And the less friendly the two people were, the more of the blade would be used.
Click to expand...

Now that's as manly a game as it gets. Well, as manly a game can get with knives and without inflicting so much damage that the wounds would lead to a major infection.
 
aarya said:
I was told an amusing story once, of how the old people in my area used to fight with knives. They`d hold the knife in a regular grip, but instead of holding only the handle, they`d move their grip upwards onto the blade. If they were fighting in a joking manner, they`d only reveal the pointy tips of the blade, and just nick eachother. And the less friendly the two people were, the more of the blade would be used.
Click to expand...

That's really cool. But wouldn't you cut your hand if you held the knife by the blade?
 
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