2012-05-17 --Edged Implements

[toms]

SECOND HALF

Our net for 5/17/12 went overtime and we still didn't cover all of the aspects of knives that were on the schedule. Tonight we should be able to cover most of the rest of the topic.

This week’s net is all about tools that have sharp edges. In this category are Knifes, Axes, Saws, Multi tools, and maybe shovels. It is doubtful we will have time to cover all areas. An item they all have in common and perhaps of interest to everyone is how to sharpen an edge. We have not identified an expert to be our guest speaker. However; the collective wisdom of the net should hold us in good stead for an excellent discussion.

[toms]

One picture is of a rod style guide made by Loray - Drafton OH. This one is easy to carry in the field and adapts to most stones.
The other picture is one technique to test sharpness. At a 30 degree angel the blade should bit into the plastic. Lower the angle until it slips to see the difference. You can do the same thing with your thumb nail but will end up with nicks.

BTW the Spyderco knife used in the picture shows the thumb hole for one handed opening. A thumb hole will not catch on your pocket when pulling it out. Also note the indentation in the handle just behind the blade. This is a form of Guard to keep your hand from slipping onto the blade. While not as aggressive as a guard on a fixed knife, this is common in folders - again so it does not catch on your pocket.

This knife has seen a lot of abuse from batoning fire wood. It has the weaker “lockback” design to keep the blade from closing. The lock no longer has its full strength.

[toms]

Web sites - Some usefull web sites
o http://www.equipped.org/devices4.htm (Doug ritter on Knives)
o http://www.agrussell.com/Knife_Encyclopedia/a/74/
o http://www.equipped.org/sources.htm (Companies that make knives)
o http://sharpeningmadeeasy.com/knives1c.htm
o http://sharpeningmadeeasy.com/Juranitch1977Feb.htm

[DaveK]

For tonight's net, one area we will need to cover is survival or general purpose knives. While not everyone will agree on the criteria for selection of a general purpose survival knife, there is a great deal of consensus from experts who have spent lifetimes working with equipment in survival situations. One such expert is Mors Kochanski. Kochanski is a Canadian Bushcraft and wilderness survival instructor, naturalist and author, and has written several books and articles, including Bush Arts, Bushcraft, and Northern Bushcraft, (A guide to outdoor skills and wilderness survival) and many others, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mors_Kochanski. You Tube offers quite a number of interesting videos featuring Kochanski - well worth the time to see.

Kochanski's skills and experiences have inspired many to follow his advise in the creation of the ultimate survival knife. One of the more prominent is the Skookum Bush Tool Knife, by Rod Garcia (out of Whitefish Montana) see: http://www.skookumbushtool.com.

This is a picture from Rod's Website.

SBT Knife.jpg (366.17 KiB) Viewed 2444 times

The SBT has received high praise from several publications including Overland Journal (Fall 2008) and Outdoor Magazine (see: http://www.oldjimbo.com/Outdoors-Magazi ... Garcia.pdf ). If you are looking for a truly high quality knife that is the product of experienced survival expert opinion, this is a knife to seriously consider. Rod will make the knife to your specifications (within limits, of course) and deliver a first class product. There is a wait, but worth it.

Join us tonight.

[DaveK]

One of the most important things about owning a good knife is a good sharpener. The Edge Pro Inc company makes a full line of excellent sharpeners to meet the needs of almost any knife user. Check out their Apex and Pro lines for the best one for your knives, see http://www.edgeproinc.com/.

Pictured below are their two model lines: (from their website)

Edge Pro Knife Sharpener 1.jpg (110.11 KiB) Viewed 2437 times

Edge Pro Knife Sharpener 2.jpg (100.14 KiB) Viewed 2437 times

[DaveK]

On the second half of this net, we will include a discussion of multi-tools. To a large degree, this is a personal choice matter, due to the wide selection of very high quality tools. The options and accessories are virtually unlimited and most of the major brands offer high quality products.The major players include (not an all inclusive list):

1. Leatherman, see: http://www.leatherman.com/


2. Gerber, see: http://www.gerberknives.co/Gerber/Multi-Tools


3. SOG, see: http://sogknives.com/store/tools.html


4. Swiss Army Knife, see: http://www.swissarmy.com/us/app/content ... category/1


5. Swiss Tech, see: http://www.swisstechtools.com/


6. CRKT, see: http://www.crkt.com/multitools

From my personal perspective, there are three things that are essential in the selection of a multi-tool:
1. locking blades
2. a company that builds a quality product and that stands behind it with a decent warranty
3. a tool that includes the variety of implements that best suits the needs of one's individual type of outdoor activity.

For those who really want to research these tools, there is a website devoted exclusively to them, and it includes a forum, see http://www.multitool.org/.

As Tom mentioned above, one of the best sources for knife information is Doug Ritter. His website, Equipped to Survive, is one of our official OAUSA outfitters, and for very good reasons. His site is devoted to a review of gear that is essential for outdoor survival and he subjects these products to rigorous testing and real field use. A good starting point for anyone interested in information relating to knives would do well to visit his site, see: http://www.equipped.org/devices4.htm.

[Crismateski]

Since we are talking Knives, I thought I would show off what my Uncle just brought back from Nepal for me. It is a khukuri, here is a link for more information https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kukri It is the General purpose / survival / battle knife of the Ghurka https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gurkha

Here are a couple of photos of mine.



They all come as a "kit" including the Khukuri, sheath, smaller knife for eating, and what looks like an un-sharpened knife used to maintain the edge on the Khukuri



and here is a shot from the top so you can see just how thick the top of the blade is. It is absolutely huge.