A cutting tool is the most important item of equipment to be carried, a necessity for any trip. With it you can make fire, keep warm, cook food and purify water. The most useful and versatile of these is the knife, be it a Swiss army knife or machete, leading to the saying, “the best knife is the one you have with you, be prepared”.
Figure 5.1 : Frosts Mora Knives: Sloyd (top), Clipper (bottom)
Figure 5.1.1 : Iisakki Puukko knive
A bushcraft knife needs to be significantly more robust than your average pocket knife. I have two main knives both made by Frosts Mora (Sweden). A 4” general purpose knife and a 2” carving knife, as shown in figure 5.1. I would strong recommend these knives, they are cheap (approx 10 pounds, some knives sell for 100 – 200+ pounds), well made, carbon steel, easy to sharpen (nice flat bevel) and hold an edge well. The only negative comment is the sloyd's sheaf, too long, weak belt loop. However, this can be easily modified using a strip of aluminium as shown in figure 5.1. Also I’ve modified the handle a little, adding a small thumb recess and sanded the handle with course sand paper to improve its grip. Another knife I’ve got is an Iisakki Puukko, this is a stainless steel knife with a birch wood handle. Again, it has a nice bevel and is easy to sharpen, holding an edge well. The only negative comment is that I found that the edge can be a bit brittle. Before using a knife make sure that :
The standard grip to hold a knife is shown in figure 5.2, power comes from the arm and shoulder, with the wrist locked. For finer cuts the wrist can be used to angle the blade through the wood e.g. when cutting an internal or external curved surface. Additional control can be gained by using your spare hands thumb on the back of the blade. When more delicate carving is needed the knife can be held using a throttled grip, this allows finer control of the blade’s tip (significantly less force). When passing a knife, first remove it from its sheaf using the standard grip, then rotate the blade backwards, such that the back of the knife rests between your thumb and fore-finger, allowing another person to take the knife by the handle safely. In addition to a main knife a standard multi-tool pocket knife can be an useful accessory for smaller jobs, or those jobs requiring specialised tools e.g. scissors, pliers, tin opener etc. Some examples are shown in figure 5.2.1. One of my must haves is a Swiss army knife (SAK), this one being a Wenger traveller. This has a stainless steel main blade, bottle opener / screwdriver, can opener, scissors, file, cork screw and awl. All of these attachments are excellent, the only small negative was that after a few years of use (abuse), the scissors fell apart (easily re-riveted with a suitable piece of steel) and handle shells fell off (but this was after prolonged use). This can also be easily repaired as shown in figure 5.2.1.1, using two pieces of wood. Cut these to size and push the SAK into the wood, marking the positions of the rivets and shell clips. Drill out recesses for these by hand using a suitable drill bit. The wood is then shaped, sanded and glued into place using an epoxy glue (try to embed the shell clips in epoxy). Apply a good layer of glue to both surfaces, place the wooden shells in position and wrap the knife in cling film (to prevent the outer surface sticking) before clamping in a vice until the glue is set (use cardboard to protect the wood from the vice jaws). Remove from the vice after about 30 minutes, remove any excess glue and check that the blades can still be moved. When fully set, finish with a final light sanding and rub in a little linseed oil. The nail file attachment has been modified into a fishing hook disgorger using a needle file, as shown in figure 5.2.1 (the nail file makes a good match striking surface).
Knife blades need to be kept sharp using a set (course, fine) of abrasive (grit, diamond) stones (water, oil), some examples are shown in figure 5.2.2. Tip, its worth spending a minute sharpening a knife as it will save ten when used. Dependent on type, soak in water or apply a coat of light oil to prevent the stone’s surface from becoming clogged (diamond stones / files can be used dry, but wet is recommended). Lay the knife on the stone and raise the back of the blade until the bevel lies flat on the stone (for hollow ground approximately a blade thickness more). Push the blade away from you eight times, sliding it across the stone from hilt to tip, cutting edge forwards. You can do this with the cutting edge trailing, but this can cause a thin wire edge to form, very sharp but easily damaged. At the end of each stroke you can either lift the knife off the stone and repeat, or pull the knife back across the stone (very light pressure). I prefer this technique as its easier to maintain the correct bevel angle. When complete turn the knife over and repeat on the other side. To avoid damaging the stone’s surface only use a light to medium pressure. If a full length stone is not available an alternative technique is to lightly work the blade across the stone using a small cycling action. The final phase is to strop the blade. Initially I used a belt secured to a post, with little success and therefore dismissed this phase. Recently I tried a leather strop that has been glued to a board with a little polishing compound. I find this works very well, giving a sharp long lasting edge. To strop the blade draw the knife across the leather with a trailing edge i.e. to prevent the leather from being cut, a dozen times each side. When sharpened hold the blade under a light, if properly sharpened no light should be reflected from the blade’s edge, an alternative test is that it should be able to cut a sheet of paper cleanly (another test is that it should cut a small stick cleanly).
Figure 5.2 : Standard, throttled and passing grips
Figure 5.2.1 : Multi-tool knives
Figure 5.2.1.1 : SAK re-handle
Figure 5.2.2 : Sharpening stones
Figure 5.2.3 : Strop
The best way to learn how to use a knife is to carve a spoon, as most of the skills that need to be practiced are required in it production. The first step is to obtain a suitable piece of wood i.e. straight grain, no knots or pith. The best wood will come from the heart wood of a split log. To split a log a useful accessory to the knife are a maul (wooden hammer) and a few gluts (wedges). If possible a maul should be made from hard wood e.g. oak. I’ve nailed a strip of copper sheet (flattened pipe) to the working surface to extend its life (especially when used to hit a steel knife), as shown in figure 4.3. The copper sheet is soft enough not to damage the knife, use a nail punch to recess the securing nails as these will. To split a log, stand the log on a hard level surface and position the knife across its centre. Using the maul hit the back of the knife, driving it into the wood. Tip, ensure that the log is not too wide, there should be approx 1 cm gap between the knife tip / handle and the wood. When the blade is fully embedded in the wood, alternate between pushing down on the handle and hitting the knife’s tip with the maul, driving the knife further into the log. This process can be repeated until the log is split. However, once a suitable crack has been formed I tend to switch to using a wedge. Hammer these in, removing the knife when sufficient pressure has been released, then continue until the log splits. Tip, even if you do not intend to use a wedge it’s a good idea to carve a couple before you start, just in case the knife becomes jammed in the log. Repeat this process on the remaining three sides of the split log until you have produced a rectangular board (same process was used to produce the hearth in figure 1.7).
Figure 5.3 : Maul and glut
Figure 5.4 : Splitting a log
I was told that to carve a spoon work in one dimension at a time, as shown in figure 5.5. First rough out a basic shape looking from above, then from the side. I start with a curving cut from the base of the bowl to the end of the handle. An alternative approach is to cut two stop cuts at the base of the bowl (V cuts to the required depth), then cut / split from the handle end to the stop cut. One of the initial hurdles to overcome is to forget about what a typical kitchen wooden spoon looks like, you are looking to produce a spoon to eat with not stir a pot with. Next hollow out the spoons bowl, using a crook knife as shown in figure 5.6. Holding the spoons handle and resting the bowl on the ground, carve out the back half of the bowl. After half a dozen cuts, rotate the spoon around and carve out the front half of the bowl i.e. resting the handle on the ground. This is one reason for not removing too much material from the handle at this time as hollowing out the bowl puts a significant pressure on the handle. Repeat this process until the bowl is the required depth. Tips, don’t try and remove too much wood in one cut as this will tend to split the wood, a twisting motion when carving out the bowl sometimes helps, don’t carve too close to the bowls edge as this may lead to cracking.
Figure 5.5 : Carving a wooden spoon
Figure 5.6 : Crook knife
When the bowl has been carved out, the handle and bowl can be thinned down, removing excess material. Finally sand smooth and brush with linseed oil. Tips, don’t buy cheap sand paper, it tends to fall apart when sanding a curved surface, use a very course grade to remove cut marks and a fine grade to finish. At all stages take breaks to consider what to do next, its very easy to rush and remove too much material, be guided by the natural grain within the wood. Another practice item to make is a net needle as shown in figure 5.7.1. This does not require the range of cuts as a spoon, but more delicate cuts. Cheated a bit when making the example below, used and length of pre-cut wood and drilled the four stop holes shown (can all be done using a knife on larger versions, small holes are a little difficult to cut, steps shown in figure 5.7.2). First score out a channel using the knife’s tip, increase pressure and depth, then using a twisting action lift out the wood. Tip, only cut out to the depth of the scored channel cuts, be very careful not to apply to much pressure as this can snap the knife’s tip. Repeat on both sides until break through, enlarge slot to desired width. The bottom slot can be made in a similar fashion. Finally shape and taper the tip before sanding.
Common knife techniques are shown in figures 5.8 – 5.10. The first of these is cutting a branch without a saw, this can be easily done by weakening the area around the point where a break is to be made by repeatedly removing fine slices. To make a hole in a piece of wood first thin down the wood (this method can only be used to about 1 - 2 cm depth, the deeper the hole the wider it will need to be). Then push the knifes tip into the wood, edge to back, to cut out a square. Repeat on the opposite side to break through, then enlarge the hole by removing extra material from each side. NOTE: again be careful not to lever too much wood out using the knife’s tip as a fine point can easily snap (I’ve done this a couple of times when rushing and it takes a good few hours to grind out). If this occurs grind a new profile / curve and sharpen, a diamond sharpening stone is good for this as it can quickly remove a lot of metal. Finish with a high grade stone and strop. The final technique is to make a quick pot hanger. Using a maul, hammer the knife blade into a pole to form a cross, remove the top half of the cross to produce a recess the width of the pot handle (suits a wire handle best). Then cut an under hang to form a hook. To use, drive the other end of the pole into the ground at an angle such that the pot is suspended in the hottest part of the fire. If the ground is too hard cut a forked stick to the correct height, taking the weight of the pot, securing the pointed end under a heavy log / stone or by using a stick with a side branch hammered into the ground i.e. pinning it down.
Figure 5.7 : Finished wooden spoons
Figure 5.7.1 : Making a net needle
Figure 5.7.2 : Alternative net needle design
Figure 5.8 : Breaking larger branches
Figure 5.9 : Making a hole
Figure 5.10 : Making a quick pot hanger
Figure 5.11 : Folding and wire saws
A saw is a excellent compliment to a knife, allowing large branches to be quickly and safely cut. The first folding saw I used was a Laplander saw (Bahco), cuts on both strokes, sharp, strong blade. The two folding saws shown in figure 5.11 are cheaper versions but do the job ok. The main difference between these saws is in the quality of the blades. The blades used in the cheaper saws tend to be thinner and therefore more prone to damage. The key to using these cheaper blades is not to rush, as the main danger of damage is bending the blade on the power strokes. When sawing start off slowly until the saw starts to bed into the wood. Continue slowly until the full depth of the blade is embedded, slowly increasing speed and pressure.
Small branches can be simply removed from a tree in a single cut. Larger branches however should be removed in three cuts. First perform an under cut to approximately half way, to prevent the branch stripping bark from the main trunk. Tip, push the branch upwards to reduce pressure on the saw. Next perform a top cut slightly in front of the under cut until the branch breaks. Finally cut the remaining stump flush to the trunk and clean back the bark with a knife as this wood will only rot, injuring the tree. Where possible gather the required wood from a number of trees to minimise damage on any individual plant.
The easiest technique to use when sawing a branch to size is to rest it across a second, as shown in figure 5.13. Hold the bottom of the branch in position with your foot and the top with your free hand. Always ensure that your free hand is a safe distance from the blade, as the saw can jump out of the cut whilst sawing. Saw above or on the fulcrum point and apply a downwards pressure with the free hand, opening the cut, reducing pressure on the saw blade. Never saw below the fulcrum as the downwards pressure of the saw will tend to close the cut, increasing the chance of jamming and possible damage. An alternative technique for sawing smaller branches is to hold the branch between your legs. Again using your free hand and leg to apply pressure to open to the saw cut.
An alternative to a folding saw is a wire saw, constructed from a four strand, plaited, stainless steel, serrated wire. These work well, however they should be considered more of a emergency saw than one for everyday use. A homemade wire saw is shown in figure 5.11, made from plaited steel wire. This version doesn’t work as well as the commercial version, more burning than cutting, but does work. When using either of these wire saws make two wooden handles to protect your hands, these can be attached to the saw with cord.
Figure 5.13 : Sawing techniques
A spade is a usefully tool to have, there are a number of different types available, varying from trowels, folding or detachable handle army entrenching tools to full size shovels. The spade I use is made from a cheap shovel (welded joins) bought from a supermarket (cost about five pounds), shown in figure 5.14. Using an angle grinder the original handle is cut off and two inches was removed from the shovels blade (reduce weight). The blade is then angled and a new wooden handle carved. The handles length is chosen such that the spade can fit inside or can be tied to the outside of a rucksack. If stored inside the rucksack it’s a good idea to cover the spades edge to prevent damage. Some of the many possible uses include:
Figure 5.14 : Adapted spade
The main disadvantage of carrying a spade like this is it weight (particularly resented in hot weather), don’t mind carrying this weight if im walking to a fixed camp where I will be spending a few days, otherwise, best take a small trowel. An alternative solution is a digging stick which can be made on site, approximately a metre long and 2-5cm width, with a one end cut into a ‘V’ shape. This can made when required and is used in a scrapping action (one hand low, one high) to dig small holes.
Figure 5.15 : Commercial bow saws
Folding saws are good for a wide range of jobs, but when you need to saw up fire wood a larger saw is required i.e. logs thicker than your arm. Damp and green wood can also cause problems for smaller saws as the wood clogs their finer teeth, jamming the blade. This problem is solved in larger blades has they have bigger gaps between their teeth to clear the cut wood. A bow saw as shown in figure 5.15 is a useful tool to have. Two commons versions are available; cut down and full depth saws. The cut down saw has the advantage that it is slightly smaller, however, the reduced depth limits the size of log that can be sawn i.e. as you cut into a large diameter log, the deeper you cut the less saw blade will be available to cut the wood, eventually forcing you to rotate the log to continue the cut.
Figure 5.15.1 :Buck saw
Figure 5.15.2 : Frame saw
The traditional version of the bow saw is the buck or frame saw, some examples are shown in figure 5.15.1. This is made from a wooden (or metal) frame tensioned via a top windlass. Two suggested designs are described in the above documents I found on the web. However, I’ve taken a slightly different approach to constructing a frame saw as shown in figure 5.15.2. I decided from the beginning to use mortise and tenon joints to make the frame more stable, resistant to twisting when sawing. Other designs I’ve seen just use a simple concave or ‘V’ recesses carved into the ends of the cross beam, with the tension in the windlass holding the frame together i.e. a ‘H’ frame. To start with I also constructed a ‘H’ frame design. This worked, however, when significant force was applied, the frame tended to flex loosing tension in the blade. To prevent this I added an additional cross beam, which locks the back upright in position i.e. forms a triangle. Therefore, blade tension is now achieved through the force in the windlass rotating the front upright about the cross beam. The traditional windlass is tensioned in the middle, through a loop of cord using a wooden rod. The problem with this implementation is that as the tension increases it becomes more difficult to move the tensioning bar through the cord. To remove this problem I’ve used a metal ring which is attached to the front upright through a hole via a piece of cord that is free to rotate. Tip, two washers are used to allow the stop knot in the securing cord to rotate freely. The windlass is formed by passing a loop of string through the metal ring and around the back upright. Finally a 21" blade is inserted into slots at the bottom of the uprights, being retained by two bolts + a couple of washers. Tip, when sawing hold the saw down at the bottom of the uprights by the blade.
Figure 5.16 : Axe
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