Figure 1: Early knives were made in the same way as these arrow heads.

Figure 2: Knives come in a bewildering array of shapes and sizes. These are but a few examples.

Figure 3: The parts of a knife.

Figure 4: Knife edges.

Figure 5: Knife tangs.

Figure 6: The blade point should lie close to the profile centre line.

Figure 7: The handle should be equal to or slightly longer than the breadth of the palm.

Cleve Cheney looks at the requirements for a knife to be used by a hunter or outdoorsman.

A good knife is one the most useful bush and survival tools. However, its usefulness is, by and large, determined by the user and his skill in the maintenance and use of it. A knife is also a dangerous weapon and can inflict serious injury on the user and on others if safe practices are not adhered to. In this series we will look at a number of aspects dealing with knives – such as the choice of a good knife, how to sharpen and maintain a knife, and how to use a knife safely and effectively.
Knives are one of the oldest tools known to mankind. The earliest knives were made from hard rock (flint) such as obsidian by the process of “flintknapping” or “percussive flaking”, whereby slivers of rock were flaked off using other rocks or antlers. Sometimes the small pieces flaked off were also used as tools. A very sharp edge could be obtained on the right type of material and bits with such edges were used as scrapers and for skinning or self-protection. The same basic technique was used for making arrow and spear points (see Figure 1).
As primitive man learned to use metals, stone and bone knives were gradually replaced by a succession of blades made from copper, bronze, iron and ultimately steel.

There are many different knives for different purposes. See Figure 2. There are knives designed, for example, for skinning, for throwing, for self-defence or combat, for survival, and for general use.

Parts of a knife
Before we depart on the journey of learning about knifecraft, it is a good idea to familiarise ourselves with the different parts of a modern knife. See Figure 3.

The blade edge may be straight or serrated or have a combination of straight and serrated sections, and may even include a gutting hook. See Figure 4.

The tang may extend partly into the knife handle or all the way through. The latter is generally a stronger design. See Figure 5.

As a guideline, a general-purpose bush knife should have a blade at least as long as the width of the palm – i.e. a blade length of about 10 cm. A blade that is too short has limited usefulness and a blade that is too long is unwieldy and difficult to work with – especially for finer or more delicate jobs.

A general-purpose bush knife should have the blade tip close to the profile centre line of the handle (see Figure 6) and should have a sturdy (thick) spine that can be hammered on if necessary. A double-edged blade is not a good option for a general-purpose bush knife as it limits the uses of the knife.

Your bush knife should have a blade of good-quality carbon steel with a width of 2,5 to 3 cm and a thickness of 2,5 to 3 mm. Blades with these dimensions are lightweight yet do not break easily. The steel should be soft enough to be easily sharpened to a shaving edge with common sharpening tools, yet hard enough to not allow the edge to dull too quickly. Knife makers whose blades have these characteristics include, amongst others, Solingen (from Germany), Mora (from Sweden) and Sheffield (from England). Remember that stainless-steel blades have the advantage of not rusting easily, but have the disadvantage of not being usable in the flint-and-steel fire-lighting method that is possible with an ordinary carbon-steel blade. Some cheap carbon steels are difficult to sharpen and don’t hold an edge for very long. Don’t waste your money on them.
The knife should have a full tang as this is a much stronger design than a tang which does not extend the full length of the handle – see Figure 4.

The knife handle should be made of some tough, durable and water-resistant material that can be shaped to fit your hand. Synthetic materials, although tough and durable, are sometimes difficult to shape. Good-quality wood is a good choice and can be made water resistant by light, occasional oiling. Avoid however having a slippery handle.

If the knife has a pommel it should be strong and able to resist emergency pounding with a wooden mallet or stick if necessary.

The curvature of the cutting edge of the blade should extend along its full length as this profile cuts well and sharpens quickly. The point of the blade should be sharp enough to penetrate into wood with little effort.

The knife handle should be about as long as the breadth of your palm. Slightly longer is better than shorter, as you must be able to get a firm grip on the handle. See Figure 7. The handle should also be thick enough to fill your palm when the hand is closed. A handle that is too thin or too thick causes blisters quickly and also results in hand fatigue. An oval cross section for the handle is preferable to a rectangular or round shape. See Figure 8. The oval shape gives a good indication of the direction of the cutting edge and results in fewer blisters when compared to handles with rounded or angular corners.
A guard on a general-purpose bush knife can be more of a hindrance than a help as it gets in the way and limits the knife’s uses. It also prevents the knife being seated deeply in a sheath. See Figure 9. Some people prefer to have a guard as they are afraid that the hand will slip forward, resulting in injury. Unless the knife is used for stabbing this is unlikely to happen. However, this is a matter of preference for the individual to decide.

One critical issue is the strength of a knife, and this issue is non-negotiable.

Figure 8: Handle cross-sections. The oval shape is best for general use.

Figure 9: The lack of a guard allows the knife to be deeply and safely seated in a sheath.