Figure 1: incorrect use of a folding-blade knife usually results in cuts to the forefinger.

Figure 2: do not use a folding-blade knife to gouge holes in objects.

Figure 3: when cutting through something, do not place your thumb directly opposite the blade.

Figure 4: if the knife blade slips, serious injury to the hand or wrist can result.

Figure 5: never run with a unsheathed knife.

Cleve Cheney continues his series on knifecraft for the hunter, giving a few more tips on safety.

We spoke about knife safety in our last article. One thing about a blunt knife is that it is not too dangerous. On the other hand a blunt knife is not much use for survival or general use. A razor-sharp knife is a very dangerous weapon and, whether used intentionally as such or by way of accident, can be a lethal weapon.
Knife injuries generally result from careless use. Some of the most dexterous people in the use of knives are butchers, cooks and housewives. You become dexterous with a knife by using it frequently and learning from your mistakes. Average city men seldom a use a knife other than when eating. It is not surprising therefore that the average “Joe Soap” urbanite, who very occasionally goes hunting and hauls his hunting knife out of the safe at the same time as his trusty old .30 (which last saw the light of day the previous hunting season), cuts himself at some stage during the hunting trip.
Thumbs and forefingers frequently end up bloody due to injudicious use of a knife. Using the point of a folding blade knife as a bore or awl commonly results in a cut to the forefinger when the knife folds back in on itself. See Figure 1. If you wish to use a knife point to dig or gouge out a hole in a piece of wood don’t use a folding blade – use a solid or locking blade. See Figure 2.
Another cause of injury is when cutting through an object (like a stick of biltong or a wooden stick) against the pressure of the thumb. If a sharp blade suddenly cuts through with your thumb directly behind it you can end up with a nasty cut. Rather position the thumb to one side of the blade so that if it suddenly passes through the object it will cut past your thumb. See Figure 3.
Often when someone wants to use a knife to hollow or gouge out a furrow in a piece of wood, he or she will hold the knife in the palm of the hand and apply a strong downwards force. This is an extremely precarious position. If the knife blade slips off the working surface it will be impaled into the palm of the hand – or, worse still, into the wrist, in which rather large blood vessels run. Severe bleeding can result or tendons can be severed.
An unsheathed knife is a dangerous weapon. Never run with an unsheathed knife blade – if you fall you can suffer a serious or even fatal injury. If you really have to run, place the knife safely into a readily accessible sheath where it is readily at hand. See Figure 5.
A knife in the hands of a good bushman is probably one of the most useful tools for day-to day-use, especially in a survival situation. In the hands of someone inept in the use of a sharp knife it can be a liability.
In the next article we are going to look at ways to sharpen a knife – from sophisticated electric sharpeners to the very basics of sharpening a blade on a suitable rock.

References
Daly, R.R. (1990): Staying alive: A Southern African Survival Handbook. Ashanti Publishing.

Davies, B. (2002): The Encyclopedia of Outdoor Survival. Lewis International.

McCann, J.D. (2005): Build the perfect survival kit. Krause Publications.

McManners, H. (1994): The Complete Survival Manual. Southern Book Publishers.

Mears, R. (1990): The Survival Handbook. Oxford Illustrated Press.

Kochanski, M. (1987): Bushcraft. Lone Pine Publishing.

Lewis, J and Combs, R: The Gun Digest Book of Knives 3rd Ed. DBI Books.

Nyerges, C. (2006): How to survive anywhere. Stackpole Books.

Updated: Monday, June 22, 2009 3:26 PM