Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!uwm.edu!rutgers!att!cbnews!military
From: dyson@tut.cis.ohio-state.edu (mark l dyson)
Newsgroups: sci.military
Subject: Re: Sawback knives
Message-ID: <10506@cbnews.ATT.COM>
Date: 23 Oct 89 23:09:14 GMT
References: <10414@cbnews.ATT.COM>
Sender: military@cbnews.ATT.COM
Organization: Ohio State University Computer and Information Science
Lines: 21
Approved: military@att.att.com



From: dyson@tut.cis.ohio-state.edu (mark l dyson)

In article <10414@cbnews.ATT.COM> amdcad!mjt@mcnc.org (Michael Tighe) writes:
>What are sawback knives for? As far as I know, their origin is as a
>"Survival Knife". They are somewhat useful for cutting brush and other
>small objects that you might need to start a fire. Also, by using the
>sawback for this purpose, you would not dull the blade, which may be needed
>to cut other things more suited for it. Sawback knives also look neat in
>Rambo movies. :-).

While in Air Force Flyers' Survival School (aka 'summer camp') my 'sawback'
knife did indeed cut many 'small objects,' up to and including a small tree!
(I needed it to stretch a shelter.)  The one I used (an Army-issue type, I
believe) had a rather thick saw with small, wide teeth, but it worked
quite well.  I've seen the flat-black ones with thin, long-toothed saws, and 
they do look quite macho.  But I wonder how durable those long thin teeth are
compared to the more 'hacksaw-like' teeth on my old workhorse.

-Mark-