Anyone know about bushcraft knives?

[AccelR8]

I've made skinners, I've made tacticals, I've made folders. Seems like bushcraft knives are all the rage now.

My good friend's wife wants me to make a bushcraft knife as a birthday present for him. One question I have; how thick? I've been trying to research it. I've read, they are usually an eight-inch to three sixteenths, I've read they are mostly a quarter-inch or more...it's hard to tell looking at pictures and it seems spec.'s for length and steel type are easy to find but nobody specifies a thickness.

It seems to me, judging by looks, those with a so-called Scandi grind would have to be relatively thin, other wise the edge angle would be like a cold chisel.

Of course intended use is a big factor. I think she wants an all-purpose knife for him. Food prep, wood work (kindling etc.) General cutting around the camp. Belt sheath. Advice? I'm not up on the current trends.

 

[NateHaler]

I like the ESEE 6 for an all-around camp knife. See it (and specs) here: https://www.eseeknives.com/product/esee-6

It's 3/16" thickness.

 

[HTSmith]

No help to you, but I don’t get splitting wood with a knife. That is what an ax is for. Carry on

 

[Richard Jones]

1/8" is plenty. O1, A2, 52100, M390, AEB-L, etc. Unless you are a doofus at sharpening, I'd skip the scandi, it's just not needed. Convex is a great all-around grind. Better than scandi at slicing, carving and it does just fine at batoning. My second choice would be saber grind.

>>>>>>>> Lots o' bushcraft knife info here....

 

[OLeveraction]

My Camp knife made from a Unckle Henry 17.5 inch Bull Nose Butcher Knife.
This the Second like this I made the first for my youngest \. But I Serrated the back edge w the Breaker edge,

 

[CharlieNC]

Yes the true bushcraft knife users tend to like 3/16-1/4in thickness to facilitate chopping and other heavy duty work with the one knife for everything mentality. For me those blades are just too long and heavy to realistically suit my needs, which isn't hacking trees. But it all depends on what your buddy wants to use it for. Look at Condor and Self Reliance for useful design ideas. 1095 rules!.

 

[Fast14riot]

For me, a hunter pattern that's 3" blade and under i like .125" max. For edges up to about 5" i like .150"-.187". Over 5" is where I feel .200"+ can work well. But, it also depends on blade height. 154CM and D2 are great for stainless, 1095, S7, 1084, O1, W2 are some of my favorite carbon steels.

 

[Richard Jones]

^^^ My experience does not match this as far as thickness. I have somewhere around 40-ish bushcraft knives and none of them are 1/4" thick. Very few even make it to 3/16". Most are 1/8"-5/32". I have beat on them without mercy and have never broken one.

And, respectfully, I would disagree about the 1095. It's an OK steel for sure, especially easy to work, but even O1 trumps it at just about every point.

To @AccelR8 check out L. T. Wright or Gray Wolf Knives. I believe the thickness is listed for them all. A bushcraft knife is not the same as a 'camp' knife.

 

[AccelR8]

Thanks for all the replies. Still looking and learning.
Most of my knives have been O1 and ATS34 (back in the day). I've made a few of D2. Almost all have been hollow ground.

 

[Trevor60]

Cheers to his wife that is a nice suggestion.

Bushcraft Basics Ep11: Bushcraft Knives

this guy's videos do a solid job of describing the features of a proper bushcraft knife. in the ep11 he describes the features and dimensions in imperical and metric.

For a high dollar commercial knife look at Ray Mear's his spec sheet

• Blade length: 110 mm
• Overall length: 220 mm
• Blade thickness: 4 mm
• Steel: 01 High Carbon Tool Steel
• Hardness: 59 hRc

Please share photos of your finished product

Trevor

 

[NateHaler]

A bushcraft knife is not the same as a 'camp' knife.

What if you use your camp knife for bushcraft? Or, heaven forbid, use your bushcraft knife in camp?

In California, they don't allow knives in KOA and state-run campgrounds, but you are permitted to use these: https://images.app.goo.gl/6AgQ5wDWZVWsW2ej8

 

[Richard Jones]

^^ A 'camp' knife, in this respect, is bigger, longer, etc. Not something I would normally carry on my belt, altho' I'm sure some do. Just a name.

I am relieved that California is looking after my well being in such a positive way. Next thing is no more handloading at matches, all ammo to be pre-loaded, and wood to be pre-split at campgrounds...................

Also, it is said that Ray Mears championed the scandi grind for 'his' knife because his students could sharpen it easier, not that it was the best grind. I don't know if that's true or not.

 

[tcmikey]

Virtual camping is next.

 

[Hammer0419]

The true bushcraft knife with a scandi grind is superior doing chores with wood. A saber grind would be more all around better for everything. Obviously not that a scandi grind can't cut your food and such. I originally could not stand scandi grinds. But the more and more I use them to make feather sticks and shelters and such. I grew to really like them. I have made more than a dozen myself. A lot of 1/8 in. Thickest I like to go is 5/32. One of my favorite ESEE knives is the RB3. It is a true bushcraft knife. It's a stout little knife with a thickness of 0.13. The most definitely wouldn't want anything of that size any thicker.

 

[AccelR8]

Thanks for all the replies. I got some .190 O1, doing a sabre grind. In my spare time...

 

[tcmikey]

I'm searching for a fixed blade and the RB3 is always near the top of my list.

 

[martin22250]

I've made skinners, I've made tacticals, I've made folders. Seems like bushcraft knives are all the rage now.

My good friend's wife wants me to make a bushcraft knife as a birthday present for him. One question I have; how thick? I've been trying to research it. I've read, they are usually an eight-inch to three sixteenths, I've read they are mostly a quarter-inch or more...it's hard to tell looking at pictures and it seems spec.'s for length and steel type are easy to find but nobody specifies a thickness.

It seems to me, judging by looks, those with a so-called Scandi grind would have to be relatively thin, other wise the edge angle would be like a cold chisel.

Of course intended use is a big factor. I think she wants an all-purpose knife for him. Food prep, wood work (kindling etc.) General cutting around the camp. Belt sheath. Advice? I'm not up on the current trends.

I made this, nitro v stainless steel, just 3/32 thick. Did a sabre grind instead of the scandi, for a good friend of mine. I don't like a thick blade

 

[holstil]

I like em thick to thin, long to short, fixed and folded.
The gourmet powder and other metals are nice but I always come back to 52100 at about 62rc for a fine edge and retention that doesn’t take long to sharpen for edc.

Knives are tools. I like tools, patina or stainless. The right steel, shape and grind with a “proper heat treat” will serve you well for the task at hand. Some cross over well, others, not so much.

I have a bushcraft craft knife now that’s .170 that I like.