Joining the Club

rswanson

rswanson

Joined
Jun 10, 2011
Messages
719
Hi FBF Folks,

Time to brag and geek! After time and again drooling over Mr. Roy & Co.'s creations the bug had finally bitten deep enough and now I'm officially a Fiddleback owner.

I had some pretty specific wants for my inagural FB so it took a while to track this one down, specifically a Bush Hermit. Thanks to Choppaman Choppaman for helping a brother out and the FANTASTIC @Lee Tigner at Olde Towne Cutlery, my FBF cherry has been popped.

First, the fit and finish on this knife are better than any I've held. I don't have a massive collection but I've used and owned some very nice fixed blades. This one may be the best. It's even wowed some non knife fanatics I've shown it to- no small feat!

I can't say enough about how the knife feels in hand. It's no embellishment to say that Andy designs one of the more comfortable grips in the knife world today. This thing is an ergonomic masterpiece. I have yet to use it as it was intended to be used but trust me, that is forthcoming. I'll try to remember to come back and post my thoughts after I have some dirt time with it.

Supporting shout out to @Rick Lowe for another fantastic RLO Leather sheath and dangler (which he turned around in record time) to complete the package. It's beautifully crafted, as well.

Deets: Bush Hermit in 5/32 A2, tapered tang, dyed Lacewood with B&W pinstripe liners.

Obligatory glamour snaps:

IMG_4174.JPG

IMG_4175.JPG

~Russell
 
Last edited:
Cool. Welcome aboard! What a great first post. You picked a cherry Fiddleback knife for your first. IMO, my best Bushcrafting knife yet. Can't wait to hear what you think of the performance.

One correction though. That is stabilized and dyed Lacewood. One of my favorites.
 
Thanks everyone! Super jazzed with this one.

Fiddleback said:
Cool. Welcome aboard! What a great first post. You picked a cherry Fiddleback knife for your first. IMO, my best Bushcrafting knife yet. Can't wait to hear what you think of the performance.

One correction though. That is stabilized and dyed Lacewood. One of my favorites.
Click to expand...
Thanks, Andy. You can bet I will update the forum after I poke it into a few sticks.

And thanks for the clarification on the wood...post edited. I was just looking at a lacewood Tasker and Bushie at The Outpost and thinking that looks like the exact same grain. Someone please buy that KEB before I get myself in trouble!

Choppaman said:
rswanson rswanson that looks stellar. Glad it arrived so quick. Fiddleback Fiddleback we’ll have to get after Lee. He had that listed as QSO. Andy, regardless and as usual, beautiful work! :thumbsup:
Click to expand...
Nah, Lee is allowed the slip. He and Melissa were absolutely great to deal with. One of the smoothest online transactions I've had in recent memory. Definitely recommend Olde Towne!
 
rswanson rswanson you are going to love the BH and the handle combo is a stunner! The BH is my favorite Fiddleback and I have a Lacewood Camp Knife that I can stare at for hours and hours. The BW liners look particularly good. Just remember, Fiddlebacks are equally good for using as they are for staring at. Really glad to see the Lacewood on a few models recently. Been a hot minute since I have seen any.
 
Choppaman said:
rswanson rswanson how sweet would that be to have that BT and KEB in matching lacewood handles from Fiddleback Outpost Fiddleback Outpost
What a start to your Fiddleback Fiddleback knives. Just saying. :D
Click to expand...

I had this same though before I read that it was supposed QSO. Now my thinking is justified! There aren't too many things nicer than a matched up set of Fiddlebacks.

Speaking of which... Still waiting on that matching Osage 3/32 Lil Lady... One day.
 
Welcome! That's a sweet first Fiddleback. Would love to see some User pictures.
 
I see what you guys are trying to do with the collecting thing! I'm trying to pace myself ;)

Did someone say user pics? I just now batoned up a few pieces of oak limb and had at it. Coming from the Scandi grind camp, the Hermit requires more finesse than I'm used to. But once I made some adjustments to my grip and pressure and got into a groove, boy does she glide across the wood. This one can feather like a champ!

IMG_4181.JPG

I tried out a few other quick tasks, using a pinky lanyard to wrist flick some saplings and limbs, then cut a few tent stakes. Again, my scandis are more agressive and bite quicker but the convex grind affords more control. It's a trade off but I like it! I especially appreciated how well thought out the handle shape is. When I felt a little fatigue in my hand it was easy to rearrange my grip a bit while still maintaining a proper hold. More to come soon, I hope!
 
rswanson said:
I see what you guys are trying to do with the collecting thing! I'm trying to pace myself ;)

Did someone say user pics? I just now batoned up a few pieces of oak limb and had at it. Coming from the Scandi grind camp, the Hermit requires more finesse than I'm used to. But once I made some adjustments to my grip and pressure and got into a groove, boy does she glide across the wood. This one can feather like a champ!

View attachment 869907

I tried out a few other quick tasks, using a pinky lanyard to wrist flick some saplings and limbs, then cut a few tent stakes. Again, my scandis are more agressive and bite quicker but the convex grind affords more control. It's a trade off but I like it! I especially appreciated how well thought out the handle shape is. When I felt a little fatigue in my hand it was easy to rearrange my grip a bit while still maintaining a proper hold. More to come soon, I hope!
Click to expand...
Awesome pic. Like the lanyard selection too! Thanks for sharing!! :thumbsup:
 
Choppaman said:
Awesome pic. Like the lanyard selection too! Thanks for sharing!! :thumbsup:
Click to expand...
Thanks! I picked up some leather belt scraps off of the Bay for under $10. I added the lanyard primarily for sheath extraction but using in as a pinky lanyard really lets me get some momentum wrist flicking Leuku-style.
 
Today, I wanted to try a simple carving project to test out the versatility of the Bush Hermit's blade and edge retention. While I was sure the blade profile would make a decent carver I have no experience with Fiddleback A2 steel so had no expectations other that what I've read but everyone seems to boast about the heat treat.

I selected a green piece of limb from some recent storm damage and used my Silky to section off a piece.
IMG_4191.JPG
Then, batoned off a flat slab to carve on. The high convex grind really makes it simple to target a particular section.
IMG_4192.JPG
I'm a rookie when it comes to spoon making so I chose the section poorly. The grain isn't straight and I immediately knew this was going to be an odd spoon but let's press on.
IMG_4193.JPG
Again, the grind allows for very thin cuts despite the 5/32 blade stock. Turning out the initial shape was a snap.
IMG_4195.JPG
I was impressed by how simple it was to peel away precise sections of wood.
IMG_4196.JPG
More to come in a bit!
 

Attachments

  • IMG_4197.JPG
    IMG_4197.JPG
    75.8 KB · Views: 2
  • IMG_4198.JPG
    IMG_4198.JPG
    66.5 KB · Views: 2
  • IMG_4194.JPG
    IMG_4194.JPG
    60.9 KB · Views: 3
Loving the user pics. They are my favorite kind! Please remember to post them in the knife reviews and testing forum. That'll get you a 10% discount off your next direct purchase Fiddleback or Cumming Bladeworks USA
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top