Types of Knives

Then there is caring for you knives.

You will need to clean them and dry them. So they will be ready the next time you need them. Also same with the sheath. Then sharpening them. I have a section for that to help you.

 

Now, here is some examples of different tasks you would use your knife for. Most of these you could use the same knife. It depends what type of knife you will get or have.

 

Wood craft

This is about using your knife to make a shelter or making your own camp tools. This can be, cutting saplings down or chopping up some twigs and some small logs. Chopping up larger logs and branches is something you will need to have some practice at. Going in guns blazing, trying to chop something bigger, can be dangerous if you do not use the right technique. You don’t want to hurt yourself. So, start with the manageable pieces of wood for now. Also splitting and battening wood using a knife, again, this needs practice.

Then you will have making tools for yourself, like stakes and wedges. Making a campfire crane for your pots over a fire. Then you will have carving spoons and cups. The list is quite long and I will be explaining some more techniques later when I add more information to the site.

When using a knife for your wood working, it is important to have to correct one that you feel comfortable with. It will be in your hand for long periods of time, so a strong edge is best, also with a scandi-grind, so it is easy to sharpen. Don’t forget the shape of the handle, an ergonomic one would be best for you.

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Survival.

Choosing a good bushcraft knife for survival tasks is very similar to choosing a regular survival knife. Choosing a knife that is full-tang is a important factor. This means that the thickness of the blade runs completely through the handle. This is a very strong construction that enables you to split wood. Having a knife that just has a pretty handle and only has the blade set into the handle a inch or so, would fail quite quickly, also quite dangerous, as you could injure yourself when using for certain tasks.

There are some knives for sale that look really impressive, with all the bells and whistles, example being: Bottle openers, extended serrated edges and hollow handles for putting some small gear in.

These are all useless. I will show some good examples below. But again, it is up to you what you buy, I just want to help you make the right choice.

 

 

Preparing food.

When you will be preparing food, a thinner knife would be more practical. Trying to use a knife that you use for cutting wood or battening, for smaller, less intricate tasks, could be a bit overwhelming. Although it can be done of course.

There are pocket knives for fruit and veggies and some longer bladed knives for filleting fish.

A nice clean blade would be best for these tasks, as any with gadgets on the blade or funny looking shapes would get food stuck in and not so easy to clean.

 

Building a fire.

When you use a knife to build your fire, you will need a knife that has a strong construction and a solid spine. Especially if you and going to use it on a fire steel (ferro rod).

A nice solid 90-degree edge without using a serrated edge to strike the fire steel. Would be best if the knife was not coated with plastic or anything that would stop the edge making a spark.

 

Folding Knives.

Using a solid fixed blade is the main preference for nearly all bush crafters, but a folding pocket knife will have its uses, like food prep and wood work. One that locks would be my choice, so it doesn’t fold on to your fingers.