So I see plenty of posts (daily, it seems) about Bushcraft knives: what is the best to buy, look what I did with mine, which is best for.....
So here's the question: What is better about a 'bushcraft' knife, and other quality knives of similar sizes. I can do all that I have read so far about bushcraft knives with a $25 Bucklite Max med size or $10 MORA 1 fixed blades. Before I get attacked by those who scream 'custom vs production', I will never compare the workmanship differences, merely the capabilities. Custom knives that do not fall into the 'bushcraft' genre are also capable of the same, but with much more artistic style.
So my point: isn't owning a bushcraft knife merely a name to say you use it in the woods, much as a tactical blade suggests that one uses the blade for real tactical purposes?
Let the conversation (and, I'm sure, the inevitable beatings, which I expect to be done with clubs hand cut and fashioned only by bushcraft knives
) begin.
Jim,
I would have to agree with what I detect is your hypothesis; that "bushcraft" is just another term for what knives have been used for before the human race had written language and probably not long after working out the details of controlling fire.
As applied currently, it's a marketing blurb used to help sell more units with a certain sector of the knifebuying public during a period of global economic crisis and attendant slump in consumer purchasing habbits. Whatever sells product is ultimately what keeps the lights on and pays the bills at both custom and production shops, beyond that, it's largely rubbish.
What has become "favored" among the bushcraft scene appears to be equal parts practical and traditional. Many of the knife designs I've seen that are said to be "bushcrafter" knives could easily have been in common use more than a hundred years ago.
Whether your interest is in Far Eastern, Middle Eastern, African, North/Central/South American traditional knife forms, anything not explicitly designed to be weapon (daggers, etc) could be applied. Almost any relatively simple knife pattern; nothing too ornate or highly stylized, could be a very serviceable "bushcraft" knife. The "bushcraft knife" term does not directly correlate to any specific blade pattern or design.
I'd prefer my Khukuri or a very large Leuku with no further information regarding terrain or vegetation, but I'd preserve the right to choose again provided a bit more information.
What is the best "bushcraft knife"? Whatever works best for you and is comfortable enough to slog through the brush all day and use for practically everything. If you have access to a grinding wheel or know of someone who does, get some old files and try your hand at it. After a few tries, you could send off your "bushcraft knife" ideal to be heat treated for less than you might think. The W1 and W2 used in files makes a great knife and virtually all shops know how to work with it, just ask to have the blade a bit below HRC 60, less for longer blades, well tempered and all should be well. Wait a few weeks and when you get the naked blade back, obtain some handle scales in your chosen wood or synthetic material and shape that until it feels just right in your hands. All easily performed with rasps and sand paper. Apply some epoxy and/or rivets to hold it all together and give the haft a final rough texture (80 grit seems about right, your mileage may vary) for grip.
If you live further out from the city, you might even have a nearby saddlery shops. All saddlery shops have the tools to do the job, if they have the time and inclination. Saddlers often advertise their holster and sheath products if they have diversified their business as most have. You can send your knife or make a pattern and have them make a sheath to suit. There are many sheath shops online, several with excellent reputations. You could have them stitch you up a traditional sheath to your liking. If you have the right tools, you can give it a go yourself.
The knife and sheath you design for yourself (on the cheap, or relatively so) will probably cost you less than $100 and will probably be the best knife you've ever owned, whether your goal is "bushcrafting" or not. The simple forms favored by the "bushy" crowd are probably the best suited for a DIY effort.
Good luck and Happy 4th!
