Dogwood Custom knives are how bushcrafting is supposed to look.
It takes a special kind of maker to make a special kind of knife, and Dan Eastland of Dogwood Custom Knives is one such maker. “If one day a grandfather hands his grandson one of my knives and says, ‘My dad gave me this knife when I was your age,’ then I will consider myself a success.”
This is what Dogwood Custom Knives creator, Dan Eastland, said when asked about what would be his idea of being a success in the knife world.
After spending some time in the field with a few different models from Dogwood Custom Knives, including the Hawkins, Echo-5 and Vulpine, I have concluded that not only do they look great while doing their job, but they really shone when it came to their performance.
Winter Brewing
One of the best seasons to test knives and gear is winter. In my part of the country, winter camping means having a fire burning almost nonstop. Sure, a saw and axe/tomahawk do the heavy lifting, but for me it takes a keen edge to get a fire going. Once the wood is cut and even split a little, the fine whittling to make tinder, or the next step of kindling, is usually done with a fixed blade.
An axe type of tool will only get you down so small, while a reliable fixed blade can make finer, thin tooth picker pencil-thick pieces. This is especially true in forests lacking dry pine needles or thin conifer twigs for kindling. Even more true when winter is brewing, and wood has a layer of moisture blanketing it. Frost, ice, rain, and snow, are but a few ways moisture effects wood in the forest and ultimately—fire.
Hawkins
This story is from the September-October 2017 edition of Knives Illustrated.
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This story is from the September-October 2017 edition of Knives Illustrated.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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TIP TALK
UNDERSTANDING THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN BLADE TIP SHAPES AND WHY IT MATTERS
HOLDING FIRM
GETTING A GRIP ON KNIFE HANDLE BENEFITS, MATERIALS, AND FUNCTIONALITY
EDGE UP
TIPS, TRICKS, AND TECHNIQUES TO SHARP WHEN ADVENTURING FAR FROM HOME
THE COMBAT KITCHEN
SLICE, DICE, CHOP, AND CUT: FOOD PREP WITH BLADES FROM POPULAR TACTICAL KNIFE COMPANIES
MORAKNIV Classics
THESE TIMELESS BUSHCRAFT KNIVES HAVE BEEN UPDATED AND ARE BETTER THAN EVER
ONE FOR THE ROAD
CHOOSING AN “EVERYWHERE KNIFE” CAN BE DIFFICULT DUE TO COMPLICATED KNIFE LAWS
TRAVELING LIGHT
SOMETIMES, INEXPENSIVE UTILITY BLADES YOU PICK UP AT YOUR DESTINATION CAN GET THE JOB DONE
MATCHED PAIR
JB KNIFE WORKS LAYMAN KNIFE AND GAMBIT HATCHET COMBO: ONE PICKS UP WHERE THE OTHER LEAVES OFF
WHEN BIGGER IS BETTER
THE CAS IBERIA CHOP HOUSE IS A MACHETE THAT PROVIDES BIG BLADE CUTTING POWER
KITCHEN KNIVES DON'T HAVE TO BE DULL
I have a confession to make. See if this sounds familiar. I take meticulous care of the knives I use for everyday carry, hunting, and general woods wandering. I wipe them down with an oily cloth after use and I never let them get too dull. Seldom do I have to restore a damaged edge. Most of the time I simply touch up the edges of my pocketknives with a few careful strokes across the rough bottom of a ceramic coffee cup. That’s usually all that’s needed. I don’t use my knives as screwdrivers or pry bars. As a matter of fact, I still have the very first knife I ever owned, an old Boy Scout knife that was handed down from my older brother. The blades have a deep patina that comes with using carbon steel over the years, but the knife is very usable still.
