Woodlore Blog

The following guide has been taken from our Bushcraft Tips & Advice section, where we’ve also uploaded information on axe sharpening, how to care for leather products, and how to use a fire stick.

While this guide will no doubt help, the best way to learn how to sharpen a knife is to see it done in person. The safe use of cutting tools (including knife sharpening) is covered in our Fundamental Bushcraft Course.

The above video clip has been taken from the DVD extras of the Ray Mears Bushcraft Survival Series 1 DVD, while the following guide is an extract from the book Ray Mears Essential Bushcraft:

To sharpen your knife you will need a set of abrasive stones ranging from coarse to fine. At home you can indulge yourself with a set of large bench stones, while in the field you will need a small, lightweight alternative. Abrasive stones are manufactured from a wide range of materials. Ray’s preference is to use Japanese water stones which work fast and conveniently to give a razor edge. Use three grits – 800 for coarse, 1200 for medium and 6000 for fine. In the field carry a combination 1200/6000 stone sawn in half.

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Over the years, Woodlore have come to stock a wide range of Gransfors Axes, so we appreciate that it may be tricky picking the right one for the job.

 The following video – taken from the DVD extras of Ray Mears, Bushcraft Survival - Series 2  - covers the various benefits and primary uses of Gransfors’ three most popular axes (from smallest to largest):

• Gransfors Wildlife Hatchet Axe
• Gransfors Small Forest Axe
• Gransfors Scandinavian Axe

We also stock a wide range of Gransfors Splitting Axes in our shop; if you’d like any advice on these models just give us a call and we’ll be happy to help.

Also, the use of axes is covered on our Camp Craft course.