Who Else Loves Puukkos?

C

Cosmoline

Joined
Sep 5, 2006
Messages
4
I can't get enough of the little stubby Finnish knives. They're perfectly adapated for work in cold climates, but oddly enough I can't find very many good ones in Alaska. I've had to special order my UHC Hunter here:


blades.jpg


Yes, that's a Swedish Mora above and a French Opinel below. My knives are like America itself.
 
The knife that is on my belt more than any other is a Roselli carpenter's knife.
 
I like Scandinavian knives a lot, especially the puukko. I have a Jarvenpaa set, a leuku and puukko in one sheath, that does a lot of kitchen work. I bought them from a man in Alaska. :D

I am really tempted by the Roselli Grandfather's knife, and then I look at the Hunter and can't make up my mind. -- I know, buy them both!
 
I, too, very much like and respect the Scandinavian designs. A "Finn Ranger Puukko M95" I acquired a while back is one of my favorite knives.
 
Ebbtide, did you see Ragnar has the Aito with the bark handle again, in a limited run?
 
I'm looking for a high quality carbon steel puukko; anyone have any suggestions?
 
I have a 10" bladed pukko by Martinni and it is dated during WWII. It is the sharpest blade that I have and I use it always in the woods.
 
I'm a huge fan of the Puukko for alot of reasons that are too numerous to state. In a nutshell they've gotten the Scandinavians by for alot of years in a climate VERY similar to our own here in Alaska. There are also alot of very notable similarities between the Sami, Chukchi, and many of the Alaskan Natives.

I've been collecting them for a few years, and making them for about a year now, and they provide me with a tremendous amount of satisfaction,= in collecting, making, and use. Northern Knives sometimes has some very nice ones. That's where I bought the JAL pictured here (That's the one with the Damascus blade, it's pretty distinctive among my home baked monstrosities) :o :D

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/karieann69/my_photos
 
EB, that's great news for all that missed them the first time around!
The IJ1244 is a honey of a production blade.
Got yours?
:D
 
I don't get the Puukko handle shape. It's roughly conical, getting narrower towards the blade. No guard. It looks like it'd be easy for the hand to slip forward onto the edge. What am I missing?

Moras I like, but only the ones with guards like the Frosts in Ebbtide's pic.
 
sprokker, they are made for draw cuts, not push cuts. Also, the handles are short enough that you can palm them if you do have to push cut. Many have barrel shape handles that do not encourage your hand to slide down to the blade.
 
sprokker said:
I don't get the Puukko handle shape. It's roughly conical, getting narrower towards the blade. No guard. It looks like it'd be easy for the hand to slip forward onto the edge. What am I missing?

Moras I like, but only the ones with guards like the Frosts in Ebbtide's pic.
Click to expand...


They kinda grow on ya'. First thing to keep in mind that a Puukko is distinctly made as a tool, not intended for any weapon like role. Although like a sixteen inch pipe wrench, it would fill the role if necessary.

What you get by losing the guard is usually a much more agile, nimble handling knife that performs tasks and offers a wider selection of grips than most knives out there, and also allows dramatically improved control. In some designs it also improves the blade to handle ratio significantly.

In using knives I find myself most frequently using pull cuts as opposed to push cuts which makes the Puukko as safe as any knife. Even when making push cuts I've never had one slip. I've used 'em in rain, with blood, grease, etc. and never had a slip. (It's worth noting that I don't have a herculean grip either, infact it's frequently weakened by pretty severe tendonitis)

I'm aware that there are alot of well made knives with guards that do very well, and many which make no sacrifice in handling, blade to handle ratio, etc.

I'll also acknowledge that I'm in a small minority in my love for Puukko's. What can I say? I love 'em and they suit me.:D
 
Thx guys, that makes sense. Beautiful knives, I really like the contrast between the high bevel and the unworked part of the blade on the Iisakki pic Ebbtide posted.
 
Some of their other knives are like that also, as are the Roselli knives, made with unfinished flats.
 
I really wish y'all would quit posting pics of that Aito. I've been successfully resisting the purchase of one of those for six months now, but y'all are about to undo my efforts. (It's soooo purty....and not easy to find either......)

(Incidentally, I just bought a BRK Nessy, Settler, and two Helle Tollekniv's a few hours ago, I'm about at the limit where the garage becomes a very real possibility for me!):D :o
 
I've been drawn to the design for some time. If money were more abundant, I'd buy myself a nice puuko or two. As it is, no one wants to trade me one. :P
 
If they weren't any good, we'd be glad to trade them away! :p

Vivi, I don't know if you've seen these, the Swedish Mora knives. http://www.ragweedforge.com/SwedishKnifeCatalog.html They are a simple, extremely inexpensive Scandinavian style knife, very much like the Finnish puukko.

Look about halfway down the page for Modern Mora Knives from Frosts of Sweden, the Clippers. I gave my daughter one of these to use as a paring knife and she was astonished at how sharp it was. This was after I had used it for a couple of years.
 
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