Woodsman's knife.

Cpl Punishment said:
Things are different these days.

But I do wholeheartedly agree that a person should use what works for them. Might be nice if the threads were more telling what works for someone, and maybe people questioning what they see as weak points, rather than telling each other that their choice sucks because it isn't [pet knife].
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Agreed. As Scott Gossman mentioned we have a much larger selection these days. I think that is a very good thing. However my point was more the false since of security some might have in a knife choice no matter what that might be.

For instance my choices have been for years, a small axe/hatched, 4" belt knife, and a SAK. This combination makes me "feel" secure if I was in a situation that might not be what I had planned. I'm not a survival expert. I love the learning process, and enjoy all the books I have read. Turning that knowledge into piratical use might be something different.

The idea of telling someone else their choice of edged tools "sucks" is not what I was trying to say, I hope I didn't come accost that way. I may not agree with what everyone carries, but I certainly do NOT think anyones choice "sucks".
 
Cpl Punishment said:
No. But I also don't think they spent much time asking "If you could only have one. . ." To my knowledge, they always had several. Might be several of the same type, but several. They also didn't seem to be so afraid to carry a hatchet or axe with them. If you told one "I only carry one knife and don't bother with a hatchet because it's too hard to carry all day." Their reply would probably go something like "Go back home city boy."
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nicely said. there's an old military way of phrasing it a bit more rudely, which is still current.

I agree to some extent- and it's one of my arguments against the idea of a do everything huge thick spined chopper. if you are going to carry the weight of an axe, make it an axe, then add 10 ounces for a knife! ;)
 
tarmix101 said:
You have nothing to be sorry about. I appreciate the correction and info Codger.

No worries.:)
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It's all about truth.


Anyway, don't take this the wrong way, but that sheath on the Puukko is sexier than the knife, to me anyway.

I kept scrolling back up to look at that leather work.
 
BlackPaladin said:
It's all about truth.


Anyway, don't take this the wrong way, but that sheath on the Puukko is sexier than the knife, to me anyway.

I kept scrolling back up to look at that leather work.
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When I was tooling the internet to blatantly steal pics for this thread, I saw that sheath and new in needed to be displayed for all to see. I'm trying to find out who made it. If I do, I'll let you know.
 
I learned the bit of bushcraft I know mainly from a bloke in the Kimberlies , who was a tribesman , who held the responsibility of being doctor and featherfoot .

any kind of knife was luxury and cared for well , kept as a cutting slicing edge only , not abused , its a habbit I tend to follow now even , aside from opening beach almonds :)

I find a knife with a 1/8 spine to be as thick as I like to go , Id prefer thinner just for ease of slicing everyday stuff . My carry is either Opinel 10 or Okapi ringlock , both folders with 4 inch blades , they do all I ask of them .

My grandad did more than me re bushcraft but he only caried a penknife with blades about 1 inch and 1 1/2 inch .

I think the majoity of the bushcraft is in skills and knowhow , understanding and working with the enviroment , not so much the blade in your hand , BUT for folk with no skill , they NEED indestrucable tools simply because they would break anything less .

just my opinion tho , that being said , I like unbreakable knives anyway .
 
It's going to be nigh impossible to find "the one", and thats a good thing. The reason we are on this forum is we love knives, and it's the journey thats worth everything, in this case finding the perfect knife.
Even makers who could easily create what they believe to be the perfect knife would get a new idea or change their minds somewhere down the line.
This is an intriguing thread, though, I wonder if this mindset was around say 50 years ago, when a knife was just a tool and a true woodsman would have used a sharp butter knife if that's all he had, and done well with it.
 
tarmix101 said:
The idea of telling someone else their choice of edged tools "sucks" is not what I was trying to say, I hope I didn't come accost that way. I may not agree with what everyone carries, but I certainly do NOT think anyones choice "sucks".
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No, not at all. I was just speaking of the general conditions of internet forums.
 
I think the woodsmen of old had a better choice of tools than we think. Certainly the Bowei knife was popular in the mid 1800's, but if one looks at the old trading post records and factory shipping record, Russel and I. Wilso shipped 10 plain butcher knives for eavery Bowie. I read someplace years ago in some knife publication that the Bowie knife was popularwith river front and saloon toughs, but the frontiersmen preffered a Green River or I. Wilson skinning knife. Wth the amount of blacksmiths, if a heavy bladed chopper was wanted, certanly it could have been made.

The 1800 hundreds frontiersmen seemed to go for the same choice as the scandinavians- a light knife for cutting, and a 'hawk for more serious heavy use.

With heavy vegitation in tropical regions, the thin bladed machete seems to be king. When I was stationed in Texas and took trips down into Mexico, I saw alot of machete's and cheap lockblades. Even butchering a goat for dinner, the small machete was used.

In 20th century Amerca, at least in the 40's, 50's and 60's, most outdoorsmen seemed to carry one of those Case or Kaybar little finn models. In the 70's the Buck knife took over. Even when I was in the service, I never saw a really big knife, and in spite of what the knife magazines say, I never saw a Randall or any other custom knife.

I think real woodsmen will pick a tool that really works for thier particular needs, be it a thin bladed butcher knife or a light hatchet. I think few real woodsmen read knife magazines, and don't care what is popular in sales.
 
JACKKNIFE - " ...but if one looks at the old trading post records and factory shipping record, RusselL and I. Wilson shipped 10 plain butcher knives for eavery Bowie."

Jackknife, you mean like this one?? ;)
I.jpg



That's an original I. Wilson, from about 1850. Came down through my family.

And you're certainly correct that the "butcher knives" such as those shipped by I. Wilson of Sheffield, England, were shipped here by the thousands and they were carried on the western frontier.

(Sorry about the pix quality.)

L.W.
 
Feather foot is the Kidatcha man , the guy who points the bone . Australian Aboriginal Assassin sorta thing .

Its the flipside of being a healer :)

The feathers on his feet were usually down feathers , usually stuck on with blood was , so he could sneak into camp , do his thing and go and not leave a trace he'd been there other than the bone he left hanging for the victim to find so he'd know he'd been pointed and would get sick and die .
 
As long as it cuts. I once field dressed, and quartered a wild pig with my Swiss army knife. I used the pen blade because it was much sharper. It worked out real good.
 
Myal said:
Feather foot is the Kidatcha man , the guy who points the bone . Australian Aboriginal Assassin sorta thing .

Its the flipside of being a healer :)

The feathers on his feet were usually down feathers , usually stuck on with blood was , so he could sneak into camp , do his thing and go and not leave a trace he'd been there other than the bone he left hanging for the victim to find so he'd know he'd been pointed and would get sick and die .
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Very interesting. Thanks for that, Myal.

Doc
 
"I seriously doubt many experienced people fretted too much over the knife that they carried. If it was an issue, they got something else, and there was no longer a reason to worry."

Yup!
 
hollowdweller said:
Gotta love that Herters. I have one of their old catalogs around somewhere.
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I have looked at a few on Ebay. I just don't trust my knowledge enough to know if it's real, or a fake. I know they are not demanding huge prices (from what I've seen anyway), but I would feel better buying from someone here.

The Herters knife would be a nice one to have. Both the improved bowie, and the Grohmann look alike. :thumbup:
 
I agree with alot of what has been said. I love coming here to learn.

My counter point is we live here in 2007-8, there have been times all through out history when NEW IDEAS flourished or paradigm shifts, think stone age to iron age.

The pioneer guys were damn happy to get any kind of iron. Stone age guys probably sat around campfires and said stuff like..."those new fangled iron tools will ruin man, make them lazy," and "Stone tools keep man more sensitive to his surroundings"

The primary fact is man uses what works better. 3/16ths to a 1/4" thick knives are more effiicient at a number of jobs, they are more versatile.

I appreciate threads like these.

Thanks
 
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