Stuart Davenport Knives
Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
- Joined
- Feb 7, 2022
- Messages
- 420
It is sort of a sad day in my shop. This is the very last piece of Cru Forge V I have, and it is no longer produced. I knew I had to make something a bit special with that last bar, and I am really happy to offer it to the public.
This is my version of a Euro style chef's knife. It has an 8" cutting edge, 13" overall in length. I designed the profile so that the handle and handle pins are in direct line with the tip of the blade, which gives excellent control. With weight reduction in the tang, and a beautiful distal taper to tip, the balance point is right between my maker's mark and the plunge grind. This gives even more control over the knife. Both the spine and choil have been rounded and mirror polished for comfort with different grip positions, plus is looks very classy. The grind is full flat, slightly convex above the edge, terminating in a very thin edge for great slicing performance. I always do post heat treat grinding under a flood of water to prevent any possibility of overheating the edge. It has been hand polished to a satin finish, not an easy chore with this alloy due to the wear resistance. The handle is a gorgeous piece of Ringed Gidgee with beautiful figure. It is from Australia and part of the Acacia family, much like Koa. It was also hand polished, oiled, and protected with a wax coat. Gidgee is a naturally oily wood, and according to Ben our resident wood expert, does not benefit from stabilizing. I added black and white g10 liners for a nice touch, just like my wife's chef's knife! The handle is secured with epoxy as well as corby bolts, so it's not going anywhere. The blade is from Crucible's Cru Forge V, a vanadium alloyed carbon steel that has properties very close to that of Hitachi Super Blue. It is a very fine grained steel with vanadium carbide to give it very good wear resistance. The heat treatment is done in house, including all the bells and whistles. Normalizing, thermal cycling, DET anneal, soak at temp, fast oil quench, "cryo" treatment, and triple tempers. The hardness is 64HRC with very fine grain and an evenly distributed carbide structure. Sharpening was done on Atoma diamond plates, 400, 600, 1200, then a DMT EEF diamond stone, and stropped with 1 micron diamond. After testing the edge of the knife, my dad said, "You can literally choose a fingerprint ridge and lop it off!" Easily hair whittling. She be sharp! If you're looking to treat yourself, a loved one, or a very lucky friend, this would make a very classy but useful gift that will last generations.
OAL: 13"
Blade: 8 1/2" with 8" cutting edge
Handle: 4 1/2"
Steel: Crucible Cru Forge V 64HRC
Thickness: 0.115" distal taper to tip
Edge: 15° per side 1 micron
Price: sold (includes edge protector)
If the buyer would like more photos, I am more than happy to provide them. Please forgive my photography, I am not a photographer!
Paypall preferred (samuraistuart@yahoo.com). All knives come with free shipping in the USA as well as a lifetime unconditional warranty. Something goes wrong, the knife gets repaired or replaced. I ask that the buyer be aware that most all of my knives are cutting tools and are made only for their intended use. I like to make thin, hard knives that excel at cutting and not necessarily able to take abuse. If you have any questions, feel free to DM me here or contact me by email (samuraistuart@yahoo.com). Thanks for taking a look, and follow me on Instagram at stuartalandavenport.
This is my version of a Euro style chef's knife. It has an 8" cutting edge, 13" overall in length. I designed the profile so that the handle and handle pins are in direct line with the tip of the blade, which gives excellent control. With weight reduction in the tang, and a beautiful distal taper to tip, the balance point is right between my maker's mark and the plunge grind. This gives even more control over the knife. Both the spine and choil have been rounded and mirror polished for comfort with different grip positions, plus is looks very classy. The grind is full flat, slightly convex above the edge, terminating in a very thin edge for great slicing performance. I always do post heat treat grinding under a flood of water to prevent any possibility of overheating the edge. It has been hand polished to a satin finish, not an easy chore with this alloy due to the wear resistance. The handle is a gorgeous piece of Ringed Gidgee with beautiful figure. It is from Australia and part of the Acacia family, much like Koa. It was also hand polished, oiled, and protected with a wax coat. Gidgee is a naturally oily wood, and according to Ben our resident wood expert, does not benefit from stabilizing. I added black and white g10 liners for a nice touch, just like my wife's chef's knife! The handle is secured with epoxy as well as corby bolts, so it's not going anywhere. The blade is from Crucible's Cru Forge V, a vanadium alloyed carbon steel that has properties very close to that of Hitachi Super Blue. It is a very fine grained steel with vanadium carbide to give it very good wear resistance. The heat treatment is done in house, including all the bells and whistles. Normalizing, thermal cycling, DET anneal, soak at temp, fast oil quench, "cryo" treatment, and triple tempers. The hardness is 64HRC with very fine grain and an evenly distributed carbide structure. Sharpening was done on Atoma diamond plates, 400, 600, 1200, then a DMT EEF diamond stone, and stropped with 1 micron diamond. After testing the edge of the knife, my dad said, "You can literally choose a fingerprint ridge and lop it off!" Easily hair whittling. She be sharp! If you're looking to treat yourself, a loved one, or a very lucky friend, this would make a very classy but useful gift that will last generations.
OAL: 13"
Blade: 8 1/2" with 8" cutting edge
Handle: 4 1/2"
Steel: Crucible Cru Forge V 64HRC
Thickness: 0.115" distal taper to tip
Edge: 15° per side 1 micron
Price: sold (includes edge protector)
If the buyer would like more photos, I am more than happy to provide them. Please forgive my photography, I am not a photographer!
Paypall preferred (samuraistuart@yahoo.com). All knives come with free shipping in the USA as well as a lifetime unconditional warranty. Something goes wrong, the knife gets repaired or replaced. I ask that the buyer be aware that most all of my knives are cutting tools and are made only for their intended use. I like to make thin, hard knives that excel at cutting and not necessarily able to take abuse. If you have any questions, feel free to DM me here or contact me by email (samuraistuart@yahoo.com). Thanks for taking a look, and follow me on Instagram at stuartalandavenport.
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