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The S.R. "Steve" Johnson Forum Specialized knife making tips, technique and training for "ultra precision" design work enthusiasts. |
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#1
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Blade thickness for knives
What thickness of blade for a knife. An example. A skinner with a blade length of 4 inches, what thickness for the blade. A bowie with a 10 inch blade, What thickness? Kitchen knive, Bird knife, chopper, etc. What are you thoughts on a given knife.
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#2
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What blade thickness?
As a newbie I don't have any answers for you Dan. But I am surely interested in seeing some responses. Come on guys, share your thoughts. Thanks. Bill.
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#3
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I can only say what I would use.
The skinner = 3/32-1/8" The Bowie = 3/16-.200" Kitchen knife = 1/16-1/8" depending on size. Bird and Trout = 3/32-1/8" " " Chopper = 1/8-5/32" if it was a big one. You could get away with 3/16" if it was shorter. JMO. __________________ Mike |
#4
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Blade thickness
Thanks Mike for the quick response! Jotted the info down for future reference. Bill.
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#5
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blade thickness
Mike. I like your respone. I sometimes start with a 1/4 inch thick steel and do a taper from the guard to the point for a chopper. 3/16 for a hunter, but for kitchen knife I use 1/8. I like to see a large taper in the blade. But it all has to do with the knifes function.
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#6
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I use 3/16" for most all hunters and most fighters, except the big ones when I go to 1/4". 3/16 is too thick, but customers like it. On my "Personal" model, and smaller knives I use 1/8" with no guard, instead using a 1/8" ferrule at the front of the handle. 1/8" is more than ample and it weighs less, also. A backwoods survival-type knife may call for the heavier stock, but it's going to weigh more also and you'll get tired of carrying it and probably leave it home the one time you need it. First rule for when you need a survival knife: "Have a knife."
To each his own. The Biggest Bear is made form 5/16" stock. It just looks good, albeit overkill, probably. __________________ http://www.srjknives.com NRA Endowment Member Knifemakers' Guild Member since 1971 "May you live all the days of your life." - Jonathan Swift |
#7
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thickness
Steve, I dont know why but most of my customers like a thick knife that is heavy. They will say "man that is good and heavy". Personaly I also like a knife that has little weight, especialy when you have to carry it for a long time. I read somewhere that the Civil war soldiers dropped a lot of the large bowies when walking long distances. Just to heavy.
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#8
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I read somewhere
and I don't remember where. One of the "famous" knife makers said that you should not need any more than 1/8 inch for just about any knife. Anything more was just ego. Wish I could remember where I read that but it makes sense to me. What would you be doing with a knife that would snap a 1/8 blade that you shouldn't be using a pry bar for.
Steve V |
#9
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Chopper
A kurkra blade has thich steel in the curve for chopping, A Bowie is thicker as to be a all around knife (chopper, butcher, etc.) Just my thoughts.
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#10
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Customers like thicker blades, especially those who don't use the knives ! Of course, many makers distal taper their knives, so what starts at the guard as 1/4inch will be less than 1/8inch stock near the tip - feels absolutely wickedly quick. I read an article about one of Jerry Hossum's short swords which was only 1/8inch thick and hollowground !
I personally use 5/32 or 3/16inch on most things for outdoors (3-1/2inch blades and up Even my 8inch Bowies have 3/16inch stock, but distal tapered. 1/8inch for small game, hunters and personal size knives. 3/32inch for kitchen knives. Are we too anxious about "accidentally" breaking a knife ? I made my own 3-1/2inch utility knife with a 1/8inch O-1 blade with a chisel-ground sharpened clip for quite a fine tip. I made it as my test-to-destruction knife. I haven't been able to break it yet. I use it to chop chicken, cut carpet, whittle, crack coconuts. Often, I'm actually half-trying to break the #### thing. It just won't die. I qualifiy that by saying that I'm no knifemaking genius, and certainly no expert at heat treat - this was single quench, single temper, stuck into a piece of red deer antler with 2-tonne epoxy - and it just won't die. I used the tip to (hold your breath) pry carpetting staples (120+ of them) out of the seasoned timber floorboards while renovating. Broken the tip ? No. In short, if I can make a knife like that with my limited know-how - most of you will be aeons ahead. Our thinner knives are probably going to do a far better job than what we expect, but perhaps, we haven't got the confidence ? Sorry to carry on, but I'm trying to analyse the reasons why this discussion re :- thickness. To each their own, but just to say that thicker isn't necessarily better. I like the one about the Civil War soldiers chucking their heavy Bowies. Cheers. __________________ JASON CUTTER BLADEART Jason Cutter @ Dr Kwong Yeang Knifemaker, Australia (Matthew 10.16) |
#11
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Really; why would you need a 3/16" thick blade when the part that does the work, the edge, is anywhere from .010" to .030"??
__________________ http://www.srjknives.com NRA Endowment Member Knifemakers' Guild Member since 1971 "May you live all the days of your life." - Jonathan Swift |
#12
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Steve, That is a very good question, Please tell us more. Gib
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#13
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thickness
I got a antique carving knife the other day without a handle. It is an intergral desighn and the blade has a distill taper from the riccoso to the tip. This blade is 9 1/2 inches long. The taper is constant so the blade is extremely thin with a lot of flex in the blade. What a performer in the kitchen. This knife is thin and just cuts and cuts in the kitchen. Point is that it would not be good for chopping but great for the kitchen. As to why I started this thread, love to talk all aspects of knifes as I always seem to learn something.
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#14
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Thick stock
I wonder if part of the thick stel usage came from the fact that in the 70's and 80's, very deep, very dramatic hollow grinds were very popular, especially on fighting knives. It was not uncommon to see 1/4" stock used on a 7" blade.
And it is a fact that alot of people like the feel in the hand of a really beefy knife. Maybe it's as Jason said, the customers hold em a bit and don't use em. No doubt, thin blades slice easier...... |
#15
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That's what I mean. A hollow grind leaves you a thin edge. That's where the wear, stress and use comes. Why do we need a back that's 3/16" thick. Like fitzo says, it's the feel, the look and somewhat of a tradition. You all remember the Hibben and Draper Elmer Keith hunting knife, (Maybe some of you are too young!) 3/8" thick stock, but the edge was still around .030-.040" I assume.
A flat grind is a different story, especially if you use the convex edge. I don't know...please the customer is a good plan, thick or thin..... __________________ http://www.srjknives.com NRA Endowment Member Knifemakers' Guild Member since 1971 "May you live all the days of your life." - Jonathan Swift |
Tags |
5160, art, bee, blade, bowie, edge, fixed blade, forging, hollow grind, hunter, hunting knife, knife, knives, make, making, material, skinner, skinning, steel, stock removal |
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