Wilderness & Survival Skills Extreme Build Off

[Brian Sargent]

Have you ever been in a tight spot and whatever tool on hand becomes the "Right Tool"?

Do you just like to attack it?

Are you Southern Cross and have hard a$$ wood?

... then call your Doctor within four hours and ask for a W&SS EXTREME BUILD OFF BLADE!

I understand that a lot of the folks around this forum are purist to the ....... 4" thing ......

Slicing fruit IS important!

BUT a lot of the makers around here are dealing with heavier loads.

The last challenge was a necker ... lets tilt the scales on an extreme level and go for it and build some beasts.

Ya know ..... now days putting yourself out in the wilderness isn't as practical as it used to be for some.

I understand that.

I've been light weight backpacking for over 20 years ... but I still love a big blade to destroy stuff.

IMO ... if you've never been in the spot where push comes to shove and you gotta get it done then you just aren't out there.

Passive Thru-Hiking and Day walks are one thing ....... but Survival ........ you might get a link on this forum to your local newspaper on the web!

Your car might break down in the Artic, Desert or .... ehhh Jungle! Extreme stuff!

Let the boys have some fun ....... Challenge em!

 

[AA Forge]

I couldn't agree more!:thumbup:

 

[Joe Calton]

I just finished my last batch of blades, and am about to start a new batch. Are you saying that you would like to see a couple of brutes? some parameters would be nice, lenght, width, weight, thickness. would be fun.

 

[Brian Sargent]

Awesome!

Start throwing out some ideas!

 

[Joe Calton]

ok, are you talking old randall number 7 type? bowie type? or like the last rambo type. are you just chopping wood? just the big blade for big blade stuff, or is this in adition to smaller blade as well

 

[Brian Sargent]

If I personally challenge you and the other extreme makers to an axle bearing blasting, knot busting, trench diggin', ball bustin', tree felling, Zombie dispatching, sheeple scaring ...... tool off .......

That quote is from the Poll thread.

joe444 ... I guess like the last Rambo blade.

Chopper, club, prybar, splitter, digger, intimidator, anchor.

Something like this.

16.6" OAL, 11" blade, .25" thick ..

 

[Riverwarrior]

OHHHH YEAAAAA. Gentlemen, start your grinders...

 

[Joe Calton]

how about forges? these are some that I built awhile ago, the smallest is 14.5" oal and stays strapped to my hunting pack. the biggest is 18.5". my record with the 3rd one down is a 4" poplar limb cleanly cut with one blow. I dont know about cutting an axle in half, but it will do everything else on the list.

 

[Brian Sargent]

joe ... you are more than qualified and welcome!

Nice blades!

Rick had a thread where he needed to remove an axle bearing race and used one of his blades ...... I think yours would handle it!

 

[AA Forge]

Well, I'm in"!!!

Now we just need to put down some ground rules.

 

[Rick Marchand]

We need to brainstorm a list of tasks for these bad boys to take on. I don't want it to include vices, hammers or "shop" related equipment. I can see smashing cinder blocks with a spine or pommel but hacking at it with the edge seems kinda stupid. Lets think of creative extreme survival type scenarios. First test on more delicate common tasks then let it evolve into far out stuff

- harvest grasses
- fire prep
- bowdrill set
- trap making
- open boxes
- cut up cloth sheets
- chop 2x4, 3/4"plywood, drywall.
- open coconuts, chop frozen meat...
- pry apart wood, stumps
- chop through a telephone pole
- entry tool(door, trunk, etc...)
- escape tool (cinderblocks, window glass, chainlink fence, etc...)
- digging
- break a padlock, cut a chain.

This could go on and on. I am not against seeing the blades pushed to destruction as long as there is purpose to the tests(however far fetched it is)

I say let the makers go freestyle on this one.... make what you feel best suits the proposed tasks.

Rick

 

[Joe Calton]

Ok, I did some reading on the rest of this forum, and I guess I have some catching up to do.

What you want is for some makers to make some big choppers, then send them to you or someone who will do all sorts of testing, in this case kinda rough testing, based on parameters that we decide on here. Then they will critique on fit, finish, feel, function, performance, and whether the blade survived or not and then post the results here so that everyone, and especially the makers can see where they excel, where they need work, and how they rank with one another?

If so, where do I sign up and how much time do I have to build and deliver the blade?

 

[Brian Sargent]

I agree 100% Rick.

This IS NOT intended to be a DumbassNoss type challenge.

Just something to push the tool to the point where it will help you get out of a jam and enjoy the next day ... hopefully.

The tool should be rated on ease of resharpening as the tasks need also.

I also think the sheath/carry system should be an important part because you want the tool to be with you and not a hinderance.

Possibly extra points to the tool have the ability to carry other necessities as well.

 

[Brian Sargent]

Ok, I did some reading on the rest of this forum, and I guess I have some catching up to do.

What you want is for some makers to make some big choppers, then send them to you or someone who will do all sorts of testing, in this case kinda rough testing, based on parameters that we decide on here. Then they will critique on fit, finish, feel, function, performance, and whether the blade survived or not and then post the results here so that everyone, and especially the makers can see where they excel, where they need work, and how they rank with one another?

If so, where do I sign up and how much time do I have to build and deliver the blade?

You got it joe444.

We'll work out the time frame in this thread if that is OK.

Thinking Two months .... or a little more?

 

[ivan51]

off topic but look at this Brian, Mick designed his own blade a cross between a skookum bush tool and Fallkniven H1:thumbup: he calls it the southercross knife
[video=youtube;caPctP20FVI]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=caPctP20FVI[/video]

 

[Joe Calton]

I'm in! 2 months is fine. I think Rick's list is good, and extra storage on carry system. what about max length, thickness, weight?

 

[tknife]

Don't be fooled by all these consarned new fangled "survival this and bushcraft that" knives, a SAK keychain knife is all you could possibly need in the woods, what are you, Rambo? :foot:


But I would like to see some big blades thrown out there. Maybe not he-yooooge lanmower mankey chappers, but 6" plus blades would be cool to see. (any one else remember timmy the tran?!)

 

[Brian Sargent]

Buzzkill .. Yank, anyone else ?!

 

[silverbullets]

This sounds fun, looking forward to seeing the blades

 

[Rick Marchand]

Don't be fooled by all these consarned new fangled "survival this and bushcraft that" knives, a SAK keychain knife is all you could possibly need in the woods....

Boooooo... hisssssssssss..... you are not welcome in our thread, tknife..... Ha!:thumbup: Besides, I beg to differ about the "...all you could possibly need." line. You may have been messing around(hard to tell) but there are many who say that and mean it. That is too absolute for my taste. Just a short example...

Lets say we take IAwoodsman(just because he is someone I think is adept with whatever tools he has) and give him the task of building a complete camp out of natural materials. Open faced lean-to, raised bed, windbreak/reflector, longfire, etc... We present him with a 6" campknife and 10" heavy chopper. He may choose either, depending on his mood and do just fine. Did he need the big blade? Not really... he may not have needed a blade at all.

A week later,(he needs a rest... poor, Terry) we take IAW and give him the same task, only this time we underdress him for the weather(cold and rainy) and don't let him start until 1hr before Sunset. Which tool do you think Terry will grab for if given the choice? We won't know for sure unless IA chimes in but I know which one I would take.:thumbup:

There seems to be a stigma that you are less skilled if you used big blades. I don't understand it. We "get" that you can do just fine without a Junglas:applause:... all we are saying is that we can do all those things, too........ just a bit faster and with less work..... Ha! Oh yeah... it's ON like Donkey Kong.:emot-yarr:

But seriously, there is no excuse not to be able to make due with whatever tool you are given(even none at all) so quit worrying about what the other guy is carrying and have fun!