Alsatian

You can use whatever you want. Sometimes having extra gear is pleasurable in and of itself. But you don't need anything more than one sharp knife.

I have butchered deer, pronghorn, and elk. A good hunting knife suffices to field dress, quarter (got to know where the hip/ball joint is located in the top of the thigh and cut those tendons loose, but not very difficult), and skin your beast. For changing these pieces of meat into meal-sized packages, a sharp boning knife about 5" or 6" long is plenty. For a big animal like an elk it may take awhile, but ultimately the bandsaw isn't going to help with the stuff that takes time -- removing membranes and tendons, trimming meat off the bones.

You should know how to sharpen your own knives (or change out to a new blade, it appears from one of the other posts on this thread). You will probably need to resharpen before finishing butchering an elk. With a sharp knife, the way you cut is not to press down with force but to press down gently while pulling the knife towards you or pushing it away from you -- slicing. You let the sharp edge do the work.

With reference to steaks, I assume you mean backstrap steaks. I freeze my backstraps whole. For example, for a deer backstrap, I take one whole backstrap, cut it in half, and then freeze the two halves side by side. This is one meal for my family of 5. When I thaw this out to cook, THEN I cut it into steaks about 3/4" thick. This keeps the interior of the meat more fresh, I think. I have never had a problem cutting these steaks, starting with a sharp knife. Yes, it probably makes it easier to have partially frozen meat, but often my meat has been thawed, and I haven't had any trouble cutting them.

Sometimes people cut steaks off the front edge of the thigh. These I will cut when doing the butchering. But same deal. With a sharp knife, I haven't had any problems cutting these steaks.

As far as YOU bleeding, sometimes you nick yourself butchering. Hazard of the trade. You need to be careful. Also, you want to be rested. I once butchered two pronghorn antelope in a hotel room in Gillette, Wyoming. As I was working on the second antelope I was tired and in a hurry. I managed to slice the top of my left index finger badly. I had first aid gear, so I was able to bandage up and continue. But it was not pleasant. Rest and attention to what you are doing.

I would add that one gizmo that I find handy is a good bone saw. When I have butchered deer, any old bone saw seemed to work to cut through the lower legs or the skull cap of a buck. When I began to go elk hunting I got a Wyoming saw. This makes the job a lot easier when cutting through the substantial leg bones of an elk and cutting through the skull cap of a bull elk. So, if you want a good bone saw, get the Wyoming saw. You can get it from Cabela's.