Why do you guys chop so much?

Hey Bryan,

Nice hatchet. When I first saw it, I was reminded very strongly of a little hatchet Buck used to make. I say used to, because I went to the Buck website, but a search turned up empty. Anyway, glad you like it, remember, you only have to please yourself (and the missus, of course :rolleyes:)

DPris: I'm 56 years old and I've never batoned in my entire life.
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Boy, it's true, kids say the darnedest things! (I'm 62 and I do baton :D)

Anyway, Denis, nothing personal, just having a little fun with you. :D

Doc
 
No problem, Doc. :D
Takes all kinds to make a fruitcake.
Or, something like that....;)

Denis
 
I guess I should explain a bit. I think the reason I don't find chopping entertaining is that most of my life until I joined the service, I had to chop and saw and carry and split wood almost every day of my life. We cooked with a wood stove and heated the house and used wood for the smoke house. Therefore, every day was chopping day. We did most of the big stuff with a buzz saw hooked up to the tractor but all the splitting and down sizing was done with a double bit ax or splitting wedges. What was fun, was not having to once in a while.;)

Now and then some of the cousins would come out to the farm and stay over night. They thought it was cool to chop wood so I didn't try to stop them.:D
 
Hi all,

Hey DOC thanks I really like this little hatchet that I made. Yea this little guy is like the buck and the busse pauls hatchet and a lee reeves double bit and a nother one that I got at a pawn shop years ago. The busse was just little to short. I like the head size, hated the handles (to rough) the grind just was like most axes and hatchets not worth a darn unless you regrind them. the buck was really the best out of them but still lacking in that the whole head was to big. ( I thought ) The lee reeves was and is nice but i really like only one cutting side not two and the handle was to long. for really getting into tight areas and trying to clear any branches out of the way. The one from the pawn shop had just close the right length in the handle. So I took what I liked from all of them and then made this. I am going to make another with just a little longer cutting edge and then plan on, well I am going to put a curve in the handle for some
what might be some better erganomics LOL well that is the plan as of now I all ready have the little bigger head (cutting side ) cut out and shaped
here is a pic of it.

101_0949.jpg


I thought just a little less in the handle to head part might just work out a little better. I will not know untill I get it done though.

here is the Buck hatchet that I rehandled I just love Orange handled knives and hatchets LOL

101_0846.jpg


LOL yea pleasing myself and the misses is always a good thing LOL

take care all,

Bryan
 
Guyon,
Just never have had any reason to.
Sorta like a three-day weekend with two red-headed hookers in Des Moines, it's one of many experiences I have no particular reason to believe will ever occur....:D

Denis
 
Hey Bryan, that looks like an interesting chopper. Let us know how it works out. You can see why I thought of the Buck.

And, yes, I know you like orange, in fact, you even have me partially convinced. One of these days, I might just order a knife from you with orange G-10 handles.

Doc
 
I chop just because I like it.

My neighbor thinks I'm crazy because I would rather chop to clear trees or take dead wood out rather than use a chainsaw. I think it can be some great workout time and technique improvement.

My son will be 4 and as he gets older my outdoor experiences with him will grow and now I take the opportunity to learn - especially since finding bladeforums.com and W&SS.

I've chopped a 3" diameter standing dead tree with a TAK and I work with my GB and Fiskars axes. I also like to mess with my Busses and chop with them.

Over the summer I used axes and knives to collect wood for the firepit and just to have a reason to be in the woods doing something. Batoning just followed with that for splitting for a small fire.

I find chopping therapeutic and centering.

When we get to go camping and hiking in the future, I'll probably use the most efficient methods of gathering and breaking for fires but it's nice to know you have the skill set to be efficient at chopping when you need it.

I would say my chopping techniques have improved quite a bit in the last 6 months.

It's also nice to know what your equipment will do before you have to rely on it and not know.
 
Those are nice hatchets Bryan!

Well I guess it seems apparent why there is such an axe and big knife love affair. Most people chop and they chop a lot :D :D

I started up this post, more or less on my own experience where I find it rarer and rarer that I do any chopping anymore. I do so when at my fathers who has 5 acres, mostly treed, and there is a need to take down the dead trees here and there. When I was younger we used to make larger fires and I used an axe. Now as I get a bit older I just make smaller fires and tend to use my knife to support that fire. Now I fully admit, that I enjoy the knife work more than the axe work and that is part of the reason. Two summers ago year, I brought along an axe to all my car camping trips and found that I didn't use it at all.

Still, I have to admit, I have an eye to get a GB small forest model...Even if I need one of these things like I need another 4" knife :D
 
kgd said:
Still, I have to admit, I have an eye to get a GB small forest model...Even if I need one of these things like I need another 4" knife :D
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Good choice. I'd like to pick up a Gransfors Bruks Scandinavian Forest Axe.

And I need another one like I need another big chopping knife. :p

Axes2.jpg
 
Hi all

DOC yea you can see some of the buck and the Jerry Busses little hatchet called the pauls hatchet that he made for his dad I think. I use to have one of them. any ways yea the orange is a neat coloer to LOL I sent you a PM. to

kgd Thanks I so far really like this little hatchet.

yea when you really think about it if you got lost or what ever. Unless you really carry bigger cutting tools. you can find smaller wood to get a fire going if need be and burn bigger logs in two and stuff like that. with a 4" or
5" long knife I would not attack wood bigger than really wrist thickness.
Even after a rain for several days You can still make up a a fuzz sticks with thumb size wood and yes the outer layer is still damp but the inner slices that you make will be dry and able to get your fire going. then put on bigger peaces that I can break over a rock or inbetween two trees stuff like that.
You know when I am out for a walk with kelly girl I normally do not chop all the way through even the smaller wood I chop or cut half way through and then smack that log over a rock or another bigger log. Why waste the time cutting through all of it. Like my mom still says it must be a boy thing becasue then you can still wack that log that you cut into half way and over somthing else and use brute force to break it in two LOL
I can see your point if you do not really need to then why do it. I also think that most people here on the forums live in an area where that would not be a good thing to do state and national parks stuff like that. Just like carrying big knives or even axe/hatchet on some trails or at some parks it really would be out of place there.
Oh and you can always use another 4" or so knife LOL
anyways chat with you all later,

Bryan
 
BarberFobic1992 said:
i do alot of chopping. not at all because it is necisary...
...alot of my chopping is also to test knives, as i like to do reviews...
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Good point, :thumbup:

…when testing any knife over 5” I generally test it out doing some chopping.

tp30qn7.jpg


I think chopping is one of the most demanding tasks any knife is likely to face,

…even more so then batoning. :rolleyes:


Chopping is about as stressful a chore as any knife will encounter,

…short of out-and-a out abuse. :(




"If you're not living on the edge, …you're taking up too much space."

Big Mike
 
Big Mike said:
Yes and No. :rolleyes:

The blanks for those where purchased at auction, I do believe they where destined to be Trailmasters.
Big Mike[/I][/COLOR][/B]
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The trail master is bigger but it could be a recon scout blank. I think it is a Fisk bowie blank from the Camillus factory.
 
To the OP.

I have never had to take anything larger than 5", and only that was for testing purposes. Shelters, fire and everthing else can be done with 4" polls and under, and any knife can handle that, there are technuiqs for using rat tang knives, and even for using full tang knives.

I would take an axe on an overnighter and when camping with others, I've gone with just my Girlfriend and only taken a Folding saw and a stout fixed blade.
I would generally take a 4"-7" fixed with a folding saw and a folder. If need be an axe can come along.
 
sdt11670 said:
The trail master is bigger but it could be a recon scout blank. I think it is a Fisk bowie blank from the Camillus factory.
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The 50-100B steel that Mike Stewart has been using is some of his recent custom runs did come from the Camillus aution.


The Recon Scout does look like a pretty good fit when you consider blade size and thickness.




"If you're not living on the edge, …you're taking up too much space."

Big Mike
 
[IMG said:
http://img522.imageshack.us/img522/4677/tp30qn7.jpg[/IMG]

QUOTE]

Theres that beautiful Osage knife again. Im gonna get an Osage Bushcraft knife some day.
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We do a fair amount of chopping (and batoning) on SAR trainings and missions.

My experience leads me to believe in the versatility and value of a large fixed blade
knife as a multi-purpose tool.

People, particularly fall victims, often wind up in rather brushy circumstances and we
need to access them with some haste. Chopping our way quickly through to them has
proven effective. Clearly in close proximity, we'll switch to saws for safety.

Quickly clearing a path for a stokes litter is another time when chopping has
considerable proven value...

Those who post about their bush-craft abilities with small knives have my respect
and admiration; fire-craft and shelter building without chopping and batoning would
slow me down significantly :o ...!

Just my $.02.

Best,
8
 
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