Traditionals in the Trades?

[ConBon]

I carry my Uncle Henry or Case Stockman with me always (except school), so I have it on the jobsite. I use my utility knife for drywall and other jobs that require constant blade sharpening/replacemnt, because you can't waste time sharpening your knife three times a day. I don't see traditionals often, mainly utility knives. I have seen one old carpenter carry a traditional, but I wasn't going to waste both of our's time and ask him about it. I was talking to a teenager from Idaho, and jokingly asked him if he was a potatoe farmer; he said yes, so I asked what knife he carried, and he said a Buck 110.

[trey999]

Rockgolfer, are you cutting the back paper from the front of the sheetrock? I and everybody I worked with always reached over and cut it from the back.
Everybody just used a utility knife. But that's just my experience. I always carried a pocket knife but you couldn't really reach into your pockets with
a tool bag on.

[rockgolfer]

Trey, I do not cut the backside. I have always cut it from the front but maybe some new technique is in order. I plan on messing around with this more during the week and see what conclusions I come to between blade shape/technique. I dont wear a tool belt so that is not a concern for me. If I did wear one I would probably just move my knife to the bag.

The new Hayin helper 2 blade might be a possibility as well, the O1 tool steel would certainly stay sharper then the 1095 of my other blades.

[trey999]

Not that my way is better, just the way we always did it. Score it, snap it and then reach around to cut the paper. Some
guys would snap it backwards really quick to break the paper on the back.

[rockgolfer]

More then one way to skin a cat Trey. Thanks for sharing your technique, I appreciate it. A bunch of the cuts I make I could easily do this. Its the full sheet cuts that I put them on a bench to make that I could not do that with. I will be experimenting and hopefully come up with a proper solution soon. I will fall back on the utility knife if needed, I just dont like to except "because its best" and prefer to find out for myself that it is actually best. If anyone else has some ideas on the subject I am certainly all ears.

[skyhorse]

Rockgolfer,I used the clip point because it had been recently sharpened.Normally I'd use a utility knife but that day it wasn't on hand.Lol,sometimes a guy has to improvise and adapt.

[rockgolfer]

sometimes a guy has to improvise and adapt.

Couldnt agree more, thanks for the follow up Sky. I am slowly honing in on my perfect edc. It has been a long strange trip that most here have had an influence on. I appreciate the open discussions around here

[Humppa]

Some months ago, I did some carpenters work on my house and I had to cut some roofing felt. In the pants of my working-cargo-pants was a Mora resting. I used it for this. The roofing felt was sanded. But the knife managed the work without complaints. After this procedere there was tar all over the blade (and on my hands), but ok. This was easily removed by lighter fluid. The sharpening was not great - I had to remove an exorbitant amount of material from the blade, the sand was like a grinder... Cutting sanded roofing felt is not good for any blade... there a disposable cutter, like Kevin has shown off is a much better choice.

But on most of the other works around the house and inside - my Mercator K55K is a very good choice for me.

[Steeltoe]

In Sweden, land of the moras, most craftsmen, builders, plumbers, electricians etc carry a mora or a hultafors of some sort.

[midnight flyer]

Robert, very solid advice indeed. I own probably 10 or so utility knives in several brands and shapes. Being a "knife nut" it is more of an experiment in my stubbornness to find a knife capable of this then to just fall back on the old reliable utility blade.

I remodel bathrooms right now, I do not hang sheet rock for a living. I usually have to take a sheet or two and make a few panels or filler pieces. Four sheets is the most I have used in one day and I guess im looking for a traditional that can handle that one task of my day. I have no other hangups and my pocket knives handle every other aspect of my day and do cut the sheetrock now, just not efficiently or cleanly.

I understand that the idea of being stubborn and wanting to use your favorite knife for everything. But, like saws or chisels, some tools are just better suited to a task than others. For a piece or two, I used to use my CASE stockman or large copperlock with a pen blade. I found that I ground off the sheepsfoot too much with just a few cuts and liked the spey better as it sliced into the paper. Ditto the pen on my copperhead.

If I had to carry one, I would stick with the large stockman pattern. For your work (and mine!) you can cut a few pieces of rock with the spey (the curved edge not only lasts longer, but cuts better as well), cut a lot if batt insulation with the sheepsfoot and use the large clip for just about everything else. I did that for years with a large stockman and never felt under gunned, but I got tired of tearing up my knives, too. Also, a couple of my old CASE knives lost that pretty mahogany bone they used for a while when I had to clean off tar and butyl caulk with naptha or charcoal lighter fluid. The tar and adhesives melted into the the scales and them a color of dark brown that just wasn't pretty.

I keep two different models of utility blade knives in my truck. One with a thin flat blade for sheetrock,etc., and the other with a "hook" type blade for vapor barrier, felt paper, shingles, SBS, etc.

My traditional patterns aren't really hard work knives anymore for a lot of reasons, but I will do anything needed with a $7 Stanley retractable knife, and it has a special place in my nail bags or back pocket when I do the work that screams for it.

Robert

[rockgolfer]

I was impressed by my spey blades performance today. It sliced through the sheetrock very well and then cutting the paper from the backside seamed to be just the ticket. My stockman is a small GEC #66 and it works fairly well. I am finding the frame too small for my liking for these hard tasks. I could get away with it when I was just doing counter remodels but now with full reno work on the schedule I need to step the blade size up a bit. Think I see a GEC #53 stockman in my future.

Some really great info you pointed out Robert. I agree that certain tools perform certain tasks better. I certainly own my fair share of tools with one purpose in mind. I certainly might land this train right back at the station with a utility knife in my hand. My edc has been ever changing for the last year or two trying to land on the "one" for me, right now. I am getting closer and look forward to knowing that the knife I carry can perform anything I ask of it when needed. Tried and true experience will earn it that title. Its just fun getting their

[midnight flyer]

I am getting closer and look forward to knowing that the knife I carry can perform anything I ask of it when needed. Tried and true experience will earn it that title. Its just fun getting their

Amen! That's the reason we all have shoe boxes full of knives, right? There is no one, right answer. But there is a whole lot of solutions!

When I started in the trades in the early 70s I worked with a guy that had a CASE soddie that he literally used for everything. That was his one knife. We were carpenters (actually, I was a helper then) and he used it all day at work. When we went hunting, he used that to skin and cut up small deer, along with a roofer's hatchet. His soddie was a CASE, but it didn't look like the ones I see now. The handle was heavier and much rounder, much like the Queen CC.

When he barbecued he cut up the chickens and ribs before putting them on the pit with that knife. After a thorough cleaning, he also used that same knife to cut up the meat after it was cooked.

Boy did he save a lot of money on knives. If I recall correctly, he told me that the CASE soddie in '72 was about $3. About 40 years ago.... I guess that could be right. That may have included tax!

Robert

[rockgolfer]

Not one right answer indeed! Glad I never ate at any of your friends BBQ's I know washing my blade a few times under hot water does not erase the idea of some of the things I cut with and scrape.

Today I returned to my GEC roots and carried my #79 whittler. Boy did this knife shine today, the main blade had a few hard tasks cutting some shims, acrylic panel notching and had to dig a corner of broken sheetrock out. The clip on this thing is soooo thin and with little effort it slices through sheetrock like a dream. I used the sheepsfoot for cutting 1/4 foam material for template making and to clean out a few corners with some extra caulk in them. I have always been impressed with this knife and that didnt change today. I have a few gripes on the design though minor. I still would like to try a 53 stockman with the muskrat clip, it looks like it picks up the slack in the design column over the 79's short falls in my eyes. All three blades still slice receipt paper with no effort. Also debating on the 2012 forum knife and if it should be brought to work, kind of liking the triple bladed knives right now.

[Chris Pierce]

I've worked i the trades for my whole life (which is to say, not terribly long) And the only traditional knives I've seen are, an old timer single blade trapper with a 4" blade, and I know a farmer who carries an old lock back that he picked up a few years ago. I saw a lot of Mora's on fishing boats. That's about it really. Mostly I've seen many S&W folders, kershaws and box knives. I carry a K55K or sometimes a Douk Douk. Right now there is a Rough Rider Grand Daddy Barlow in my back pocket.

[festerfromnzed]

I do pole and cable work in established orchards..I carry a minimum of 3 knives for different jobs....A flexible clip point slippy for cutting cloth..an Izula as an all rounder where a small stout blade is handy,and a big blade for notching poles for cable and cutting back vines...im lucky i can carry what i like at work that do,s the job efficently........FES