When are big knives the BEST tool for the job?

[Currawong]

We’re at the Busse forum, so we probably all own a big knife or two. Well, why do we buy them, apart from doing it for fun? Who actually needs a knife that big? If you want to split wood, an axe is the best tool for the job. If you want to cut a branch, its a handsaw. For cutting logs, its a chainsaw. To pry something, use a prybar!

But consider this scenario: You have a job to do. You’re surrounded by every tool known to mankind. And the tool you reach for is that big knife, not for fun, but because in this case it will do the job better than any other tool available. This thread is about those times when a big knife clearly IS the best tool for the job.

Post your scenario about when you need to have a big knife to get the job done!!









^ My dad and I are currently building a wood shed, and we were putting the corner posts in stirrups and trying to get them to sit dead upright. We were using braces - bits of timber at an angle - to hold them straight, and went to peg the bottoms of the braces to the ground to hold everything steady, and ……. we had no pegs!! We looked around and there were none anywhere on the property. We didn’t want to drive into town to buy some. My dad found a bit of timber and got a hand saw and cut an angle off the end, to create a ‘chisel ground’ stake, but it took a long time and wasn’t very sharp and was difficult to pound into the rocky ground.

So I grabbed a bunch of sawmill off-cuts we have for fire wood, and a big knife, and chipped them into stakes. It was fast, easy, and made very sharp and pointy stakes in just a few minutes. For this job, there was no better tool than a big knife. This is the scenario in fact that got me thinking about this thread.







^ There are lots of sticks around my property (it is half forest) and I have two fire places which are the only source of heating in the house. So I go through a lot of firewood including a lot of kindling. You can just break sticks on your knee, or by standing on them, but it is relatively slow, at least if you are going through a hundred sticks or more (and hurts your knees eventually). A big knife makes short work of it. Many of these sticks get cut through with one chop, which takes about two seconds. I’d guess producing a pile of kindling is about three or four times faster using a knife than any other technique I can think of.





^ I also produce kindling by splitting sawmill off-cuts. I normally see people do this kind of thing with an axe. But an axe is awkward, slow, and runs the risk of cutting your fingers off. Don’t do it this way Rob!! Batoning with a big knife is safer, faster and more accurate than anything else. A Busse will hold its edge after weeks and months of doing this.

 

[Currawong]

^ A lot of timber I cut still has the bark on, and it can be difficult to get off. Bark doesn’t burn that well and creates a lot of mess, so I often take it off. It is stuck on pretty good, and so basically has to be chopped and levered off - a large knife is perfect for the job. I used to use an axe, but because a log is round, the axe would often glance off it and was dangerous. A knife doesn’t have this problem, and is also lighter and easier to wield.

^ Sometimes you don’t want to shoot a wild pig, for example when it is being swarmed by dogs, you could easily shoot your own dog. Wild pigs are also pretty pretty tough and can take more than one bullet, or can take a while to die, and also they move around making aiming difficult. Sometimes a knife to the heart and lungs is more accurate and kills much faster than a gun.



^ When hunting of course you use a small knife to process a rabbit. But you also want to cut its head off ! For this you use a cleaver or long, heavy knife. I use the NMFBM as it has a good weight to it.

Last year they released a virus called Myxomatosis to control numbers of feral rabbits in New South Wales, Australia (where I live). Rabbits are at times out of control around here including on my property. Myxo makes rabbits sick and blind, and they can stay in this state for days or maybe weeks before dying. So when it came through my property there were a bunch of blind rabbits hopping clumsily around at night. I would chase them around on foot (they can still run plenty fast, they just bounce off of things and keep going). When I caught them, I’d hold them down on the ground with one hand and chop their heads off with the knife in the other. So I spent weeks walking around the paddocks carrying the NMFBM. Rabbits here often live in wombat burrows, as pictured above, so I used to walk from wombat hole to wombat hole. (Side note: be careful how you hold a live rabbit, their back legs are very strong and their rear nails can scratch quite effectively, I had plenty of deep cuts on my arms to prove it).



^ Somtimes another tool, like an axe, would be the best tool - but you can’t be bothered carrying it around, for example when hiking. In this case a knife is the light weight version of a better tool, but when weight is a more important factor than anything else the big knife suddenly becomes the best tool for the job.

 

[Daniel Halcomb]

Similar to one of your examples, I consistently find a big knife is the best tool for the job when processing down large amounts of small diameter wood/vegetation. Be it cutting long sticks into short ones, splitting down kindling, de-limbing branches, and even doing semi-fine work like cutting rough notches, splitting ends of sticks, and sharpening points which you also mentioned.

Another thing I've found is that large knives can make stripping green bark(and the first fibrous layers of wood) in the longest possible strips off of certain types of wood significantly easier (for use in making natural cordage). This is because you can plant the stick on the ground, hold the knife against it and draw the blade toward you or push it forward as you cut downwards. This lets gravity do some of the work, and utilizes one of the advantages of having a long edge, that smooth sawing motion. Between that and just the inertia (resistance to acceleration, makes it not jump around, deflect on small knots, etc.) of the big knife, this makes for some very smooth and consistent cuts.

All of the above actions were used on this camping trip, to construct a shelter entirely out of found materials, and make a fire, using only a knife:

The backpack contains a steel water bottle, a wool blanket and emergency equipment (first aid, etc). Full disclosure, I did use a firesteel. My friction fire skills need work.

ETA: If anyone is wondering, the knife is a 2nd gen. Steel Heart Ergo, clip point variant.

 

[TheGrownUpKid]

Yea, wood processing for campfires. I use a satin NMFBM for most tasks. If the wood is tough/hard like the almond wood was the last time we camped, I'll bring out the FFFBM. Haven't found a log it won't split. And either will get you down to .5" to 1" diameter sticks like butter. Beyond that I switch to a SAR 4, SOB or AMS LE for making thin stuff and firesticks.

 

[Brummie]

when weight is a more important factor than anything else the big knife suddenly becomes the best tool for the job.

This would be my foremost thought - when you can't carry an axe, handsaw, chainsaw and pry bar, but you might need to do bits of all those tasks, a big knife is what you'd carry. Although rather than take a heavy chopper knife, I tend to find a knife long and sturdy enough for slashing, light limbing and battoning paired with a lightweight saw a more versatile set up.

 

[Robdude]

Once you factor "enjoyment" into the equation, the best tool isn't always the right tool... I use big blades because it makes an otherwise boring task fun..

 

[Robdude]

I'm long past the point on needing a good reason to use a big blade.. removing a splinter with the forsaken mistress, opening mail with the war train or whittling hotdogs sticks with the cleaver..
Rediculous?...maybe... fun?....hell yes!!

 

[Andy the Aussie]

Great pics mate !!! And yes, I too can't underestimate the "fun" factor around chopping and working with a lovely big blade !!!!!

 

[Currawong]

You don't have your forsaken mistress yet? The fun gets even better !!!

 

[RobStanley]

Awesome pics mate. Big knives are a 'go to' tool for me whenever I find an excuse.

 

[bikerector]

I think big knives excel in their versatility. It's kind of like gravel road bikes in my other passion, they aren't super great at anything but they're great at doing a little bit of everything (model depending of course) and that is a specialty of it's own. It's cool if we can have 30 tools with us for everything but if we only want a few on the belt, big knife is go to have.

I've used my ratweiler as a machete, axe, splitter, carver, peg maker, and all-around backup for nearly every cutting tool in the woods except for a big saw or big axe because it's easy to carry and does everything well enough. It's the multi-tool of the cutting edge tools for me.

In the kitchen

As an axe or chopper and a little machete work cleaning up this downed tree

To fill in for a broken machete handle

final path to my log crossing

Hanging out in a tree looking good

Pegs for holding a log pile in place

Taking branches off of a downed tree, while climbing the tree, before sawing off logs

I'm still waiting for the right bigger knife to come through to snag but this has been doing well and probably about as big as I can go for horizontal carry for easily having on the belt while moving through the woods with other stuff also on a belt. Lets me skip the pack, put a machete on one hip and an axe on the other while the rat is in scout carry or carry it at the hip too. I've become a fan of keep all of my normal tools on my riggers belt so it's an easy on off for a weekend's work in the woods gathering wood for fire or other random projects. Should have a log bench finished up before too long, just need to fill in the seating.

 

[Currawong]

^ Good stuff !!

Thanks for posting these pics. I love seeing big knives at work. The ratweiler would be about perfect.

Lets me skip the pack, put a machete on one hip and an axe on the other while the rat is in scout carry or carry it at the hip too.

You must scare people sometimes

 

[Robdude]

Great pics mate !!! And yes, I too can't underestimate the "fun" factor around chopping and working with a lovely big blade !!!!!

Speaking of which.. your Forsaken love on it's way to the down under yet?

 

[bikerector]

^ Good stuff !!

Thanks for posting these pics. I love seeing big knives at work. The ratweiler would be about perfect.



You must scare people sometimes

I try to act like I know what I'm doing and people don't seem to mind too much. I know the big axe gets me a few comments when I bike it and the 28" handsaw in to take care of large downed trees like the one above. Usually there's some comment about a chainsaw somewhere in the conversation and I just mention this is either more fun or I just want the workout. I'm also less of a fan of putting a saw on my back though I know there are some other trail riders that will, especially the small electric saws. I don't like the unbalance feel of the weight.

I really need to get back out and check on the log pile/half-tree feature as I have never used the wood chips as the landing pad before and I'm not sure how those will settle down with some rain and use.

 

[Andy the Aussie]

Speaking of which.. your Forsaken love on it's way to the down under yet?

......not yet.....

 

[Robdude]

What in tarnation....?

 

[littlehoot]

I really want a NMFBM to slice tomatoes and okra with, I think it's just the right size for that.

 

[Hard Knocks]

Big knives for small game

And for splitting kindling!

 

[elof_alv]

When the stupid fern tree fronds get in the way...
When you need to fit packaging from a bunch of Venetian blinds in domestic size recycling bin...
When the neighbor starts acting like you are making too much noise with angle grinder...

BME ticks all the boxes!

 

[Andy the Aussie]

When the neighbor starts acting like you are making too much noise with angle grinder...

BME ticks all the boxes!

....so you use the knife then get back on the grinder as he i no longer concerned...