Tom Brown Tracker Knife

Hey everyone, If one was to want this knife in a stainless steel, #1 would that be a wise choice, given the size and function of the knife, and #2 what would be a good choice of stainless steel?

How quickly does the carbon steel these things typically are made of rust if exposed to the elements for extended periods of time. (As ANYTHING I own will surely be!!) Not that I dont take care of my tools, but I have another high carbon steel knife that will rust overnight, if you sleep on the ground and it laying beside you! In the morning you have to resharpen...ARRGG! :rolleyes:

I have a few other carbon steel blades that dont show quite this level of corrosion, but they are all coated--kabar usmc and kukri, and a becker-7, to be honest these have not seen to intense a level of exposure to the elements yet. But from the amount of carry and work theyve done they seem to hold up, well with appropriate maintanence.

HEY!! What about D-2???? :confused: what do yall think?
 
Myakka & Mr Linger,

Great looking knife. I would love to see the final finished product, please post photos. I would also love to hear how it performs.
 
The WSK is a great knife. It works and works well for chopping out shelter and firewood, making traps, weapons and tools. It works well for opening fish and game both large and small. The design is sound. There are very subtle design features in the WSK that make it work well. It is truly the only tool one would need.

One feature that is not apparent in other copy's/versions that I have seen and handled is, the forward cant in the blade.

TOPS tried to do this by just curving the end of the handle. The blade must be at a slight angle or the balance of the knife is way off when chopping and the knife will not function as designed. When you chop with the knife you will find that the knife tends to make contact where the hook portion of the blade is. That's not good. When you try to make contact on the hatchet edge, it feels off balance.

The cant in the blade makes it so the hatchet edge makes contact with the medium being chopped and the hook portion and draw knife portion are protected from heavy blows.

Think Kukuri. The knife will feel off balance with out it.

I think O1 steel is a great choice. Look at what the knifes intended purpose is, "primitive survival". Can you sharpen a D2 or S30V blade effectively with a river stone?

I have a Colin Cox survival knife that is made out of D2 (its in two pieces now, but that's another story) I have to use a diamond hone to get it sharp.
My Strider AR is the same. Needs the extra hard surface to cut away the steel when honing. S30V and D2 are very abrasive resistant steels. It takes something very hard to cut an edge in these steels. That's my own opinion of course. The WSK can be honed on a river rock and stropped on my boot and its good to go.

One other thing that I did to make my Beck slightly better was convex the hatchet edge. It chops somewhat better and is easier to maintain by just stropping.
 
Vermonster,
Thanks for the information on the WSK, I cant wait to get my hands on my Linger version, and give her a workout.
 
Terry,

It is expensive. You can email me if you would like specifics. Others can post dollar figures here but I, as the maker, should not because it might seem as though I am using the forum for conducting buisiness.

RL
 
Myakka and others,

Someday I will add to my thread on the Beck WSK in the general forum. I believe that the Beck WSK is the most incredible wilderness blade ever conceived. It does everything one would need to do in the wilderness and does it very well. The added benefit is, it does all this in a very compact package.

I have tried what seems to be a ton of different survival/camp cutlery out there. Choppers, Bowies, Kukuri, Hollow Handle's, Puukko's, Mora's, and combinations of the above mentioned from an endless list of custom and production makers.

The Beck WSK is what seems to be to me, all the above wrapped in one tool. Hollow Handle's excluded of course.

With the exception of felling large tree's, EVERYTHING can be done with this knife.
 
Vermonster said:
Myakka and others,
I believe that the Beck WSK is the most incredible wilderness blade ever conceived. It does everything one would need to do in the wilderness and does it very well. The added benefit is, it does all this in a very compact package.
QUOTE]

I can rember seeing photos and thinking what an ugly hunk of steel, then I used one and was completely awed...I owned a beck tracker in the '90's. It was I believe his C variant in O1 steel with tan linen micarta handles with one of his small skinning/utility knives on the scout sheath. I really recomend adding the utility/skinner on the sheath,with this combo you could field dress any game animal on this continent

If found this thread looking on the internet to see if Beck was still making knives.

I studied with Wayne Walters (Tom Brown School former instructer) when he was in Austin and was so impressed with his Beck, we coffed up the money and waited the 18 months(I think he quoted 2 years then) to get one. The saw edge makes notching the parts for figure4 traps a breeze!

Somewhere I have the old Beck catalog and photos I took of the knife. After if it got away from me, I used the photo and a digitizer pad to create an autocad drawing. I was going to cut and bevel another one out of O1 on one of CNC mills at work. I need to fire up my old box and see if the file is there

ishisbud
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I'm really glad some people like the performance of the Beck WSK, I cant wait to get my Linger version. Hopefuly Roger will send it out on Monday to get a nice custom leather sheath from Jamie Briggs. Its getting closer. :D
 
Vermonster said:
I believe that the Beck WSK is the most incredible wilderness blade ever conceived. It does everything one would need to do in the wilderness and does it very well. The added benefit is, it does all this in a very compact package. With the exception of felling large tree's, EVERYTHING can be done with this knife.
Click to expand...

I know I strike a discordant note, but isn't the search for the "do-it-all-well" edged tool the search for the Holy Grail? Longer, more compact, thinner, thicker, serrated, straight, curved, saw-edge -- you can try for as many of these characteristics as you want, but it's all compromises. The more compromises, the less well it does any one thing.

I respectfully suggest the WSK could not replace a machete for clearing brush. In fact, I doubt that the WSK could do that task "well," much less "very well." Too short, I think. Imagine wading into a rose thicket swinging your WSK. Do you clot quickly? :)

It would also not seem to be a good candidate as a fishing spear (or any kind of spear).

I have a collection of survival manuals, civilian and military. The authors have different advice or priorities on many topics, but they are alike in one thing; they have failed to discover the WSK -- or any multi-grind edged tool -- as their ideal. One can conclude that they are badly informed or simply wrong-headed, but multi-grind tools (See "Woodsman's Pal" [knife/ax/brushhook/machete]; Hackman "Survival Knife" [knife/saw/spear]) have been around for decades and never seem to make it into these writings.
 
I don't believe in any "holy grail" knife design or knife for that matter. The Beck is just another tool, albeit a good one...Now, what I do with a knife/tool may
not be or meet the requirements you need or desire. I will only comment on my experience with it.

You know, I have read and owned many knife manuals too and I have never seen the "tracker style" knife being endorsed. Most of the survival manuals I have don't endorse any knife type. That means nothing to me. I have a book saying that the old Gerber LMF is a great survival tool/knife. I thought so too until I broke mine in half pounding it through a piece of wood.

What I have seen is the John Wiseman Parang with different cutting bevels. Never used one so I can't comment on it. I know I have tried out many other styles of knives and still do. Just go through my posts and check the buying, selling, trading forums.

So far I have found what meets my requirements for a backwoods tool, again for me.
I can only relay what my experiences have been with this knife. So far its been very positive.

You mention chopping through a rose thicket...A machete would be a better choice, but if you think about it there are ways around that.

A spear? I wouldn't, I would make one and not use my knife as a spear head.



Without the risk of getting too deep, what does survival mean too you??


A few years ago while on a hunting trip with good buddy of mine. His old team sergeant was with us. I remember him saying;

"if I get lost in these woods I'll set fire and burn this whole $%^@# thing down, they'll find me then".

That's some unconventional thinking with regards to possibly solving a "lost in the woods" scenario
 
Vermonster said:
A few years ago while on a hunting trip with good buddy of mine. His old team sergeant was with us. I remember him saying;

"if I get lost in these woods I'll set fire and burn this whole $%^@# thing down, they'll find me then".

That's some unconventional thinking with regards to possibly solving a "lost in the woods" scenario
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I like that :D

As for a spear, I would never use my most important tool for a spear and risk breaking or losing it. I would just sharpen and fire harden a stick.

Ron
 
Vermonster said:
Without the risk of getting too deep, what does survival mean too you??
Click to expand...

Around this area, "survival" primarily means not dying of hypothermia. That translates into shelter-building and fire-making so I go equipped acordingly with several tools that make me happy for those tasks.

If I had to take just one knife (no axe, saw) I suppose it would be my First Strike in S3 because it cuts well (for a big knife), chops well (for a 7" knife), and I would have a hard time breaking it even when excited and clumsy (more clumsy, actually) with fatigue. (Let me have my folding saw and axe, and choices of "stout" knife are the fodder for a multitude of threads.)

("Spear" Naw; I can't see that either, but Ken Warner designed that into the Hackman, so who am I to dismiss it out-of hand?)

Tom
 
Myakka said:
I like that :D

As for a spear, I would never use my most important tool for a spear and risk breaking or losing it. I would just sharpen and fire harden a stick.

Ron
Click to expand...

Amen to that! I am glad you wrote exactly what I was thinking. Can't imagine using any of my survival knives as a spear :confused: ... Anyway, Ron, I, like many here are jones'en to here how this blade preforms! Let us know all the details when you can....

Thanks,

Anthony (another Bushcraft fan)
 
I have one and the Scout. Unfortunately I have not had a real chance to take it out and really give it a good work out. I will admit that I can get it to where any part of the blade and pop hair off your arm. When I get home, I want to get back into camping and then I can really see what it is made of.

Lee
 
Oh I forgot to mention that the blade that was being made is nice!!!!!!!! I like this style of blade as well. Also Jenseneliteblades.com is a good place to go for something similar, but his are made more for fighting, more or less. I am sure they can be used in the wilderness no problem though. I really want to get one of those knives as well.

lee
 
Lee,

I dont knife fight :eek: , but I know that the EVO can hold it's own in the bush. I have used my EVO's in many outdoor situations and it's performance is fantastic! I have owned all of this style of knife with exception of Myakka and Roger's latest creation. I simply love the design. Some eye candy of the EVO...

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