Essential Gear For The New Bushcrafter Part 2 - Cutting Tools

Essential Gear For The New Bushcrafter
Part 2 - Cutting Tools

Some examples of knifes that I use outdoors.

Cutting tools

For bushcraft use cutting tools are most often a fixed blade knife (maybe a secondary knife like a smaller fixed blade knife, a folder or a multi tool containing a blade), an axe or hatchet and a saw of some type. It is at least at a bare minimum a knife.

The Knife

A cutting tool is a knife for most of us and few tools can accomplish so much in the outdoors. I recommend getting a fixed blade where the blade is about 10 cm (4 inch:ish) long with a Scandinavian grind (also called a "V" grind which is a variation on a sabre grind, have a look here for an explanation on basic grind types). This type of grind is good for general tasks as for example woodworking and is, in my opinion, a bit easier to sharpen.

One manufacturer that most can recommend is Morakniv  which has several models which are suitable. In my opinion the entry level knifes in the construction/trade craft knife section offers a great bang for the euro (or the currency of your choice) and I'd like to recommend either the high carbon steel Pro C or the stainless steel Pro S. The type of steel you choose is mostly depending on the type of your environment. If it is high moisture, like coastal areas, or rains a lot and your not likely to take care of your blade go with stainless otherwise take the carbon steel. The carbon steel is slightly easier to sharpen, holds an edge longer and the edge a bit less prone to chip. It does however require more maintenance like wiping of the blade after use and and a applying light coat of oil before storing it.

A second blade, like another fixed blade, pocket knife or a multi tool is good to have but as a beginner learn to use the primary blade first. This may lead to that you later on decides to get some thing more specialized like a dedicated carving knife or such. I recommend that you hold of buying another blade until you nailed down what you require out of your knife.

If possible it's always good to do some research at a local outdoor store or tool shop and try them out. At least try out how the handle feels in your hand. I've been surprised with how some knifes that  looked good turned out to not be comfortable in hand. One simple test is simply while holding the knife squeeze as hard as you can for a couple of seconds. The goal is to try to feel how the handle would feel while carving or doing feather sticks without actually being used.  If the handle digs in into your hand or otherwise feel uncomfortable (sometimes known as hotspots) then the knife might not be the one for you or at least it might not be unless you customize the handle. As that might not be possible it could very well be so that you are better of looking for a better choice.

The Saw

There are several types of saws but it comes down to for bushcraft application basically, in my opinion, portability (length, height ,weight and volume), type of saw (bare blade or frame) and price. These can further be divided into non foldable or foldable ones and how they work as cutting in pull or push and pull stroke. Generally the longer the saw blade is the better the cutting performance will be.

A buck saw, generally cutting in both directions, in the 21 - 24 inch range does get the job done, is fairly cheap and there are spare blades available that doesn't cost you an arm and a leg. The downside is that the frame of the buck saw is rather bulky hence a bit on the large size fitting it to a pack. It can be done but I prefer to just carry it in my hand. Another downside is that the frame of the saw on a bow saw limits the depth of the cut. There are several commercial folding buck saws available but I have no experience with those. I went another route and DIY:ed my own after doing some research on the Internet and YouTube specifically. Depending on the type of wood there are several types of saw blades: green wood, dry wood and specialised blades for hunting purposes mainly dealing with bone. If you choose to go with a buck saw I'd recommend a blade for dry wood as you're most likely going to use it for processing fire wood and it is more versatile. I've used the Bahco Ergo Bow Saw in either 21 or 24 inch and own an older model with a 30 inch blade and can recommend any of these.

A wood saw used traditionally in European and North America woodworking, which generally cuts on both the pull and push stroke, can be used. However these have the same drawbacks as the buck saw when it comes to portability and as well some additional ones that you can't simply replace the blade when it becomes dull and it probably can't be resharpened. Some saws can be resharpened but it require the know how and for example some special types of metal files and other tools.

The foldable push-pull Bahco Laplander saw have for some time been the de facto standard Bushcraft portable small folding saw. Personally I have one but I haven't used it once since I tend to use my DIY:ed folding bucksaw instead. The design is proven, spare blades can be bought and is readily available. However it seems that more and more people tend to go with some sort of Japanese folding saws these days as they are more efficient.

The so called Japanese types of saws cut on the pull stroke are great once you master how they work since the saw blades are made thinner. They have several pros as being for example more efficient and lighter. The cons are that they are more expensive and more likely being damaged if not handled properly. They are available in both fixed and foldable types.

Gränsfosrs Small Forrest axe - an example of a proven design.

The Axe

The difference between an hatchet or an axe is the size and weight of the axe head and the dimensions of the handle. An axe has generally the same portability issues as a saw. There are several manufacturers ranging for cheap to top of the line stuff. I recommend that you get a cheap one, not expansive that is, to start with that has the same general dimensions as a Gränsfors Small Forest Axe (50cm/~20 inch long and weighs 1kg/2.2lbs). Get a less expansive one because if you haven't used an axe before it will most likely be damaged while you learn how to use it properly.

Also don't buy an axe online rather go to a store and examine the axes available. What is a "good axe" then you may ask? The most important part is the axe head itself as the both the handle and the axe mask are replaceable. It should have no visible cracks, rust, an uniform even grind and edge comparing both sides. The axe head should be fitted properly and be rock solid firmly attached to the handle. The axe head must be aligned straight with the handle. The handle must also be straight, have no chips and be smooth to the touch. The grain orientation on the handle as straight as possible and there should be an axe mask included for carrying and safety reasons. If the handle is varnished I suggest you use some sandpaper and sand it down followed by oiling it several times soaking it good with linseed oil for protecting the handle.

Another route to acquire an axe might be to buy an old one and restore it. Going this route you may find a an axe head without handle or axe mask. This will require you to make, or buy, an axe handle and probably making or ordering an axe mask. It all comes down to if you have the knowledge, tools, material and time to do it. Just properly fitting the handle to the axe head can be a bit tricky but also quite fun.

Sharpening Tools

While taking cutting tools and specifically knifes and axes it is impossible not to mention general maintenance and sharpening. I'd like to divide this into three parts: general cleaning, sharpening/honing and storing.

Cleaning is when we wipe of our tools, either with dry or using some cloth and some water and dish detergent if needed. Cleaning is done to remove gunk and to see if further maintenance is needed like removing tree sap or honing or sharpening. Pine sap/tar by the way is better removed using some solvent like Turpentine.

If there are any nicks in the blade sharpening to re-stablish a cutting edge is needed. If not the knife may only need some honing or stropping - more on that later.

The last step is to prepare the tool for storing using some food safe oil and wipe the blade down. The handle might also require some attention depending on the material used. The knife sheath may also need some care. If it's leather wipe it down with a damp cloth and let it completely dry. If the leather seems dry it may need some leather cream or leather oil. If it is some sort of plastic just wipe it of like previously done with the leather. It is recommended to not store the knife in its sheath until its completely dry since it otherwise might damage the knife.

For a knife, getting a pocket sized combination sharpening stone with both a diamond (for faster material removal) and a ceramic surface (refining the edge or for touch up) is recommended if you haven't some other sharpening device already. If you don't I recommend getting a Fällkniven DC4. It can be used for most types of steels used in both knifes and axes and should last you a very long time. Sharpening is also only needed if the knife has gotten dull or the edge been damaged. Since sharpening tends to remove material it's better to often just strop the knife. This involves making a strop (a flat piece of dried seasoned wood, some glue for wood and leather, a piece of leather that is glued to the wood) either as is or in combination with a stropping compound which is thoroughly worked into the leather. Of course you could by one but it is easy and cheap to DIY. The idea behind stropping is to drag the knife, with the edge away from you, with the edge in contact with the leather toward you with some slight pressure. Simply repeat this in reverse away from you. The key here is not to cut into the leather and damaged it. This will in some part realign the edge and also remove any burr formed on the edge. A search on Internet on stropping will certainly provide you with a couple of video clips demonstrating this.

If stropping doesn't do it your your knife needs to be sharpened. This requires you to maintain the same angle, as the knife edge already have, and trying to "slice" the sharpening stone creating a burr, a wire edge, on the opposite side of the edge along the entire edge. When you have this burr you change the side and start working the that side until you have removed that burr. One tip to find the right angle is to tilt the blade on the sharpening stone gradually until there is no gap between the edge and the sharpening stone. Another tip is to use a marker pen to mark the edge. This will allow you to clearly see where you are removing material. After sharpening you proceed with stropping to further refine the edge as needed. As with all skills sharpening might require some time to master.

You could use a Fällkniven DC4, or a similar type sharpening stone, on an axe but if the axe edge got damaged or nicked it's more efficient to use a metal file since it will remove more material. I suggest you get two metal files, a medium to rough cut for the heavier work and a finer single cut for refining the edge. The later could be a smaller size so you could bring it with you. If a more refined sharper edge is needed you could also use the sharpening stone of your choice as well.

On a tight budget one can also use wet and dry sandpaper, used for example in car repair, for sharpening. This method is sometimes called Scary Sharp Method. Some wet and dry sand paper is used with a flat piece of wood or similar. The downside is that it is less suitable for field sharpening but it is worth mentioning.