The Frontiersman Knife

We are delighted to offer the Frontiersman Knife, a collaboration between myself and renowned blacksmith and knife maker Joe Garnett.

Using my design, field experience and locally sourced English yew for the handle, Joe has created a superb knife specifically intended for woodcraft, bushcraft and bow making. Every aspect of the knife has been designed with practical woodland use in mind, resulting in a tool that is comfortable, durable and highly capable in the field.

The Frontiersman has been designed around more than twenty years of practical experience teaching and working outdoors. Rather than following modern trends, this knife has been developed as a traditional working tool for those who spend time making, crafting and living in woodland environments.

The blade profile provides excellent balance and control whilst carving and working wood. The cutting edge features a balanced upsweep which helps prevent the knife from accelerating through cuts, giving the user greater precision and control during detailed woodworking tasks, but still with enough upsweep that it can be used for skinning and ghallocking with ease. The spine of the knife can also be used as a scraper for fine woodworking and fire lighting applications.

Constructed as a full tang knife, the steel runs through the entire handle, giving exceptional strength and reliability. The exposed pommel tang extends beyond the handle and can be used as a scraper for preparing tinder from dry inner bark or as a striking surface for use with a fire steel, helping preserve the blade itself from unnecessary wear.

The handle is crafted from resin stabilised English yew, personally felled and selected by Phil. As a traditional bowyer, yew holds a special significance, having been the timber of choice for the great English war bows of the medieval period. The result is a handle that feels both practical and distinctive, with each knife possessing its own unique character.

The Steel

The Frontiersman Knife is forged from a traditional Sheffield high carbon tool steel sourced from a limited stock of historic material that is no longer in production.

For many craftsmen and woodsmen, this period represents the high watermark of traditional British tool steel manufacture before stainless steels became the industry standard. The steel offers an exceptional balance of toughness, edge retention and ease of sharpening, making it particularly well suited to practical woodland use.

Unlike many modern stainless steels, this steel can be maintained and sharpened easily in the field with simple equipment. At the same time, it possesses excellent durability and a degree of corrosion resistance that was considered exceptional for its era.

Perhaps most importantly, this material is finite. Once the remaining stock has been used, it cannot simply be reordered from a supplier. Only a very small number of Frontiersman Knives will ever be produced from this steel, making each one a genuinely rare and individual piece.

Combined with the stabilised English yew handle and handmade construction, each knife represents not only a practical working tool, but a piece of traditional British craftsmanship that cannot easily be replicated.

The Frontiersman is designed to be used. Whether carving camp equipment, making bows and arrows, processing timber, preparing tinder or accompanying its owner on extended journeys in the woods, it is built to provide a lifetime of reliable service.

Key Features

• Designed by Phil Brooke using over twenty years of practical field experience

• Handmade by Joe Garnett, accomplished knife maker and former Phil Brooke Longbows student

• Traditional Sheffield high carbon tool steel from limited historic stock

• Full Scandinavian grind at 24 degrees

• Hardened to 60–62 HRC on the Rockwell scale

• 3.2mm blade thickness

• Full tang construction

• Stabilised English yew handle

• Logo etched onto blade

• Supplied with a 100% oak tanned leather sheath and fire striker

Cost

£525

Stock Availability

2 currently in stock.

Postage

Please select "Frontiersman Knife" at checkout to ensure the correct postage option is applied.

For orders outside the United Kingdom, please contact us via the Contact Us page before ordering for international shipping costs.

Orders are dispatched using Royal Mail, UPS or FedEx.

Please note: purchasers within the United Kingdom must be over 18 years of age and will be required to provide proof of age before purchase.