By: Matt Drake 7/26/2020
Creator of www.wildplantwoodsman.com
Contributing Writer to kyoutdoorstv.com
The Trusty Companion
Every outdoors man and woman is used to carrying a fixed blade knife of some kind, sometimes multiple knives for multiple jobs. Whether its filet knives for fish, skinning blades for big game, or all-purpose knives; we all use one. My knife is always on my side when I am spending time in God’s beautiful creation regardless of what activity I am doing. These days I find myself taking a leatherman, a folding saw, and a full tang bushcraft knife.
What is a Bushcraft Knife?
Several years ago, I learned of the term new to me called bushcraft. For those who may not know, bushcraft is crafting things from nature instead of packing it in while camping. If you need a spoon, you carve one. If you need a chair, you make one. To some folks bushcraft is practicing survival skills before they are necessary and making more to carry less. Camping, bushcraft, hunting, trapping, and fishing are all outdoor activities we love to do and there is a lot of over-lapping for these recreational pass times. They are all related and knowledge from one area can be carried over to be used in another area. There is no perfect knife that can do it all perfectly, but the bushcraft knife can do it all well.
Along with this new term called bushcraft that I learned came skills I never knew you could do with a knife such as using a baton with your knife to split wood and using your knife for scraping. So what makes a knife a bushcraft knife? A bushcraft knife is a full tang fixed blade knife, non-serrated, carbon or stainless steel, with a grind of your choice (most often convex grind, flat grind, or scandi grind) with a 90 degree spine, and a blade length between four to six inches. The thickness of the knife blade is usually between 1/8th and 3/16ths thick. The 90 degree spine is used to strike sparks off of a ferrocerium rod and used for scraping.
The Baton - An essential part of splitting wood with your knife
I know what your thinking…. Why on earth would you use a knife to split wood? They make this thing called an ax dude! You are correct. Learning to baton wood with your knife has it’s merit. A baton is simply a stick of green or seasoned hard wood about the length and size of your arm. It is used to hammer a knife through a piece of wood. It is the first item I make once I get to camp. Learning to split down pieces of kindling is a skill that is worth learning. Splitting down kindling and getting to the dry center of a piece of wood during a rainstorm can come in handy. It is very hard to process kindling in the pouring rain with an ax inside a confined space like a tent or tarp shelter with space limitations. In the woodlands of Kentucky, it is very easy to get by with a large fixed blade knife and a good folding saw.
With these two accouterments you can process all the wood you will need for an overnight camp. Axes are helpful too but are bulkier to carry and are more suited for northern boreal forests. If you want to carry less, then learning this skill is well worth your time. Your already carry a knife to fillet or skin game with, so why not make your knife do even more for you? I also find using a baton to be more easily controlled and possibly even safer than swinging an ax.
Scraping - Getting the most of your knife blade
It is obvious what the cutting edge of a blade can do, but what about the spine of the knife? A good 90 degree spine on your knife can be used for scraping. A skill you did not know you needed perhaps. A ferrocerium rod (a rod made of cerium, magnesium, iron and other soft metals) can be scraped with the spine of a knife to shower sparks onto your tinder bundle for fire starting. You can also use it for scraping barks from trees such as cedar, birch, or fatwood from pine trees into fine shavings for fire making. I have even used the spine on my knife for scraping scales off fish in a pinch. Scraping animal hides is another example. Your gear should be as multi-functional as possible. The more your gear can do for you, the less you will have to carry. Knowledge weighs nothing. The secret to carrying less is learning more skills and picking items that are multi-functional and can do the most for you.
Many to choose from
There are many bushcraft knives on the market today in various different profiles, grinds, steels, and designs as it is ever growing in popularity with inspirations from survival shows like Alone, Dual Survival, and Naked and Afraid ignite the imaginations of people everywhere to learn to survive on their own in the wilderness with little to no gear.
Some popular brands of bushcraft knives come from companies such as Morakniv, Battle Horse Knives, L.T. Wright Handcrafted Knives, Pathfinder Knife Shop, Jeff White Bladesmith, Esee, Becker, Helle, adventure sworn, and so many more.
There are also a lot of independent makers in the bushcraft community that can make you a custom bushcraft knife. The knives used in these pictures were made by LT Wright Hand Crafted Knives, Battle Horse Knives, Morakniv and the one at the top of the page was made custom specifically for me by Muskrat Man Knives from Ohio. (www.muskratmanknives.com)
Until next time, God Bless you and thanks for reading. Subscribe on the main page of the website to never miss another article.
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