Bushcraft Knife Anatomy

Posted on January 4, 2017 by Calum Sloan

This is the first of a series of articles dedicated to bushcraft

knives. We will be covering everything from bushcraft knife
anatomy, to grinds, tangs and heat treatment processes.
A knife at first seems easy to describe. A blade and handle are the obvious terms
that generalise a common hand knife. However, as you dig a little deeper you’ll find
there is a vast amount of language used to describe individual components of a
knife. You might also be surprised just how many types of knives are available in the
world. There are knives to plane wood, knives to shear steel, knives to separate
particles in industrial process applications and so much more. In this post we will
be focusing on a typical design you might find for a bushcraft or survival knife.

Learning the different features of a knife and the language used to describe them
will help you make a more informed decision when purchasing a knife. This
knowledge will also help you understand the function of each area or component
found on a survival or bushcraft knife.
 Bushcraft knife anatomy components
1. Handle: the handle is one of the most important aspects of any bushcraft knife. The
handle must be comfortable in the hand and have a reasonable palm swell to allow a firm
& safe grip. Many knife manufacturers choose to have a ‘rubber over-mould’ for extra
friction and added safety, such as the Mora Bushcraft Black. If you have opted for a
traditional hand made knife, the handle will be made solely from wood.
2. Ricasso: the ricasso is a flat unsharpened part of the steel between the guard/
handle and the grind of a blade. The purpose of this on a bushcraft knife is to allow the
user to sharpen the blade with a whetstone without damaging the handle. Traditionally,
this feature also allowed the user to place their index finger on the blade for extra grip
without injury.
3. Choil: the choil is the end of the knifes cutting edge closest to the handle. Some
knife choil’s are very pronounced and will allow the user to insert their index finger for
extra control. The choil also allows the blade to be fully sharpened with added ease. The
choil feature is more prevalent on survival knives.
4. Grind: there are several different types of grind available, i.e. flat, convex, concave,
asymmetrical, chisel etc. and they all have pro’s and con’s. Most bushcraft knives feature
a flat grind (often called a Scandi grind) which makes sharpening very easy as you
simply lay the whetstone flush against the grind and this will sharpen the cutting edge. A
popular knife that features is a flat grind is the Mora 840MG.
5. Bevel: the bevel is the angle and shape of the knifes cutting edge.
6. Cutting Edge: as the name implies, this is the sharpened part of the blade and the
most dangerous. It is very important to keep the knife razor sharp for safer use when
carrying out tasks, and protected in a sheath when not in use.
7. Belly: the belly of a knife begins where the edge starts to curve back towards the
tip, and ends by forming the edge-side of the tip itself. The more it curves, the more
“full” the belly is. Full bellies are useful for tasks such as skinning game.
8. Point: the point of a knife is used for several tasks such as skinning game, fine work
on woodcarving projects & piercing.
9. Spine: the spine is essentially the back of the knife that also extends into the handle
and forms the tang. The thickness of the spine varies hugely on bushcraft knives and can
make a real difference in determining the knife’s toughness. I like a spine to be at a 90
degree angle as this is great for throwing sparks from a ferrocerium rod. An example
knife with a 90 degree spine edge is the Hultafors OK4. Some spines are rounded which
makes this task more difficult.
10. Guard: not all bushcraft knives feature a knife guard. The knife guard is a piece of
material placed between the handle and the blade, sandwiched between the ricasso and
the handle. The purpose of the guard is quite literally to guard your hand from slipping
and causing injury on the cutting edge of the blade. Like most things with knives,
guards will appear in many different styles, but the purpose is always the same.
11. Butt/Pommel: the butt of a knife is simply the end. If the knife has a metal butt,
this is referred to as the pommel. Knives such as the Mora Garberg have a full tang blade
which means you can use the pommel as a hammer, but we would advise caution when
doing this to prevent damage to the knife. Far better and safer to use axes or logs as
hammers.