Knife Handling Technique

One thing that I’ve learned working with kids is that having proper technique for handling knives makes a world of difference in a lot of the traditional skills we teach them. Most adults don’t even necessarily use their knives effeciently or with maximum control, and for the most part it seems wilderness skills and survival guides don’t go over it much. So here’s a couple tips to get the thread started.

Positioned with one knee on the ground and one up, an easy way to shave down a small to medium piece of wood is to hold the spine of the knife to your knee to stabilize it, holding the knife in your dominant hand, and the drawing the piece of wood backwards across the blade to cut.

Again while on one knee, you can cut into a piece of wood, say while making a feather stick, by keeping your dominant arm straight, knife at a right angle to your arm in your hand, and use your upper body weight to drive the blade down. It gives superb control.

Anyone else got some good tips? I can come up with a few more.

Somebody at Urvision taught me this the first year.
One of the most common ways to carve with a knife is holding it right with your hand in front of you, and push it away from you. Sometimes this movements lacks of control and you need to have some free room in front of you, for safety (or is it security?).
So…in order to have more control and be able to work in the same direction, but close to people ::slight_smile:
you hold the knife in your dominant hand, right, but with the edge of the blade in the direction of your thumb, the point of the blade to the outside of your body and the palm up. And then, you hold the end of the handle against the center of your chest. Then the side of your hand (the small finger) is touching your chest, you can see your finger nails (not your knuckles), the blade is horizontal, edge pointing to the shoulder of the hand which is holding the knife. You hold the piece of wood with the other hand and move your shoulders back for pushing the knife, like opening your chest.

I hope it is clear. ;D