Bushcrafting with the Bushcrafters.

[Bmurray]

https://www.everydaycommentary.com/...6/06/fiddleback-forge-bushcrafter-review.html

http://www.woodsmonkey.com/fiddleback-forge-bushcrafter-review

 

[Bmurray]

I gotta agree with you on the Bushcrafter. The design isn't as flashy as some, so I think it gets overlooked a bit. Great thread idea.

it’s one of the more we’ll rounded models available

 

[Bmurray]

I’d like to see more pics of other Bushcrafters.

 

[cbach8tw]

I think you are right how the Bushcrafter gets over looked, it did not catch my eye, but a good blade is more about what it can do and the user who finds it a good tool.

 

[Bmurray]

This knife feels really good while doing detail work. Im really liking the amount of belly this model has.

 

[LostViking]

 

[VANCE]

on top of that (swedish torch??) with a cast iron pan w/ some grub in it would make a fine way to cook supper

 

[PatrickKnight]

Thanks for starting this thread LostViking . You got a very handsome example there with the bolstered burlap. 3/32” A2 is the ideal choice for this model in my opinion. The Forge doesn’t make many of those for some reason.

The Bushcrafter has been the centerpiece of my Fiddleback user group since I got my first one at the beginning of 2014. I have owned a number of them since then.

Finding a model with a handle profile that is comfortable in your hand is very important. Profile is only half the equation though. The Bushcrafter is the model that taught me the importance of finding the right handle thickness, in addition to profile, to get the best fit for my hand size.

Here are a couple of old photos to illustrate the point. Going from left to right the handles range from; extra thick, thick, standard, and thin.





The one that remains from that group is my first one. It is the Emerald burlap knife in 1/8" SFT O1 that Andy described as “thick in the grip” in the Fiddleback Friday ad. No other Fiddleback before or since feels more perfect in my hand than this one.

Aside from only the Gaucho I use regularly in the kitchen, the Bushcrafter and “Sneaky Puukko” (i.e. the nickname for my modified Sneaky Pete) are my two most used Fiddlebacks.



I am not afraid to personalize my knives within reason to better suit my needs. I removed the little guard on my Bushcrafter a while back to make it easier to use and sharpen the back end of the blade.



I use this knife for a wide range of tasks. Yesterday it was gathering some purple flowers from the garden for my mother-in-law. Cutting stalks of Lily of the Nile and Society Garlic blooms don’t present any challenge for a blade like this. Even so, just using a knife I love for any reason gives me a sense of joy. Truth be told, the majority of my knife related uses are more mundane “urbancrafter” than heavy-duty bushcrafter applications. Such is the reality of living in a Southern California suburb.



Another thing that makes this knife special to me is that my good friend M4Super90 custom made a very nice sheath for it as a gift to me.





After five years of trying and cycling through 125 or so Fiddlebacks and sampling many others, I have pared my collection down to six knives plus a 12” machete. Please don’t read that as an indictment of Fiddleback knives in general at all. On the contrary, it is a statement of the highest regard I hold for the remaining knives. About two years ago, I accepted the fact that I always reached for the same half dozen favorite users to the exclusion of the others. That got me started on the slow downsizing process that got me where I am today.

After years of trial and error and comparison, I am very happy the smaller group of user knives that remain. If I decide to shrink my collection any further, I can assure you that the Bushcrafter will not be one that ever goes away.

It ain’t exactly pretty by fancy burl wood standards, but I love this knife nonetheless!



Phil

Removing that gaurd does complete wonders for the looks of that knife.

 

[M4Super90]

 

[Comprehensivist]

^^ Some of the best of the best Bushcrafters ever made in that group. The ultimate collection of BC’s I have ever seen.

Thanks for sharing the photo again!

Phil

 

[M4Super90]

^^ Some of the best of the best Bushcrafters ever made in that group. The ultimate collection of BC’s I have ever seen.

Thanks for sharing the photo again!

Phil

Many of the wood BCs have moved on, and been replaced by synthetic. Many are not shown in that pic. However I still have over 30. I'm trying to get down to my dozen favorites.

 

[M4Super90]

^^ Some of the best of the best Bushcrafters ever made in that group. The ultimate collection of BC’s I have ever seen.

Thanks for sharing the photo again!

Phil

Just 'cause I know how your brain works - here's the same pic with notes: Red X=gone, Green dot=keep, nothing=moving at some point. So you can see (as long as you're not color blind), there must be several I don't have in the group.

Oddly, I don't even think I have pics of a few of the keepers. But here are some:

 

[Florider 6]

You might have a problem that I’d like to have

Fantastic!

Whoa

 

[Fiddleback]

What a collection that was! Some real memories. That sunburst that Ken made from Osage is one of my favorites of all time. There is also an old school one before I started using the bullseye tube in every knife. I like the ones you've decided to keep also. Good eye.

 

[rpdur]

New-to-me Bushcrafter with Osage Orange over Walnut scales and black micarta liners, all the way from 2010, with matching firesteel.

Original sales page pic:

Today, with well aged Osage:

 

[swonut]

New-to-me Bushcrafter with Osage Orange over Walnut scales and black micarta liners, all the way from 2010, with matching firesteel (original to the knife?).

Original sales page pic:
View attachment 1370448
Today, with well aged Osage:
View attachment 1370439

That's old school. Enjoy the fat handle! It seems that as things get up in age they acquire a more rotund disposition.

 

[Fiddleback]

The Bushcrafter was the 2nd knife I ever designed. I updated it once. Since then there have been no changes. It's solid.

 

[Bmurray]

I just wish this one would become a Pro-Bushcrafter. BTW here's another look at my user.

 

[LostViking]

Bmurray

How do you like that Solo Stove Fire Pit??

Sorry for the derail.
But since I'm now living in civilization,
I'm being forced to reform my heathen ways!

on top of that (swedish torch??) with a cast iron pan w/ some grub in it would make a fine way to cook supper

Vance,

You're a man after my own heart.

Not dinner, But breakfast.

Be sure and warm you plate, Yum,

For the safety and environmentally conscious,
The stump was not in the ground. it was from a long tipped over tree not far from camp.
The wood went for fires, the stump was dragged back to camp and use above.

 

[LostViking]

This was the stump the night before,

I ripped most of the night,

This is what I had in the morning,

I leveled the tops of the legs off with an Opinel #12 saw.
Then tossed some kindling in to generate some additional heat, and off we went.

Here is the big picture,

I managed to ring an awful lot of fun out of that dead tree!