Hudson Bay Camp Knife

R

R.C.Reichert

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Jul 26, 2008
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Just wanted to show you guys my version of a Hudson Bay camp knife. Built for a heavy camp chores such as chopping fire wood and processing large game animals, the HBC knives were meant to be used as a lighter, more versatile tool in lieu of an axe or a hatchet. I can picture a fur trapper cutting kindling, chopping wood and skinning a bison on the same day with a knife such as this. It has an 8" long blade of 1080 steel, 13" overall with a 3/16" thick spine and a razor sharp edge.

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R.C.Reichert said:
I don't care if anyone says batoning with a knife or using a knife for chopping wood instead of an axe is stupid. These large, thick knives were designed to do both of those chores and much, much more..
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So, just to sure I understand what you're saying, you're saying that the design parameters of the original Hudson Bay knife included batonning?

Ps-that's a beautiful knife.
 
19-3ben said:
So, just to sure I understand what you're saying, you're saying that the design parameters of the original Hudson Bay knife included batonning?

Ps-that's a beautiful knife.
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Thanks. I don't know if batoning wood was even a "thing" back then like it is now, but the design parameters of the HBC knife...the originals...certainly allowed for them to be used in that and other various imaginable ways for processing wood. I'll edit my original post to clarify.
 
R.C.Reichert said:
Just wanted to show you guys my version of a Hudson Bay camp knife. Built for a heavy camp chores such as chopping fire wood and processing large game animals, the HBC knives were meant to be used as a lighter, more versatile tool in lieu of an axe or a hatchet. I can picture a fur trapper cutting kindling, chopping wood and skinning a bison on the same day with a knife such as this. It has an 8" long blade of 1080 steel, 13" overall with a 3/16" thick spine and a razor sharp edge.
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Nice work. :thumbsup: Classic, very practical design that has been around for ages. Though I doubt fur trappers trapped bison.
 
Marci, of course they did. They would build a cage (the OPs knife would be perfect for that) and hang a drawing -not many photos yet-of a nude bisoness inside and just wait. :p By the way, very nice knife, even if you don't baton. ;)
 
marcinek said:
Nice work. :thumbsup: Classic, very practical design that has been around for ages. Though I doubt fur trappers trapped bison.
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Ah the voyageur of Hudson Bay always trap the willy bison after some of the batoning. They showed us filmstrips of it in the school.
 
That is one cool knife you built .Looks like it can handle everything you noted and more.
I'm curious,have you made a lot of knives?
 
Bison trapping, lol. No, but plenty of bison would have been around at the time as a source of food for the fur trappers and natives of the time who used knives such as this. Come to think of it...I suppose corralling large herds into fenced areas or off of a cliff could be seen as a form of "trap".
 
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