A new 2x4 speed cut world record

Congratulations Mr. Diaz.

It's be nice to get a closer look at the knives used in competition. Do you know the makers?

tipoc
 
tipoc said:
Congratulations Mr. Diaz.

It's be nice to get a closer look at the knives used in competition. Do you know the makers?

tipoc
Click to expand...

Many of the participants are themselves makers. I do know them all. I myself am one of the makers. In this competition, Many of the competitors used my knives.

Here are some images of two competition knives that I use and make:
IMG_1679.jpg

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neweruser.jpg

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respectfully,
Jose Diaz
 
I understand the stress factor but in the second vid it seemed as more than a few were not able to cut the straws or rope. Technique seemed a issue for some but at the straw test it simply showed lack of sharpness.

Is this typical?
Does the edge get inspected prior and after?
Is there a acceptable level of edge damage?
Does polished vs toothy have its argument in competition too?

Or does time + points = winner? and condition of blade not matter?
 
In this competition, Many of the competitors used my knives.
Click to expand...

Which could explain why many looked to have the same contour and blade design. I was wondering about that. They look to be blades designed for competition. Is that the case?

I don't see a link for your knives. Is there one?

tipoc
 
knifenut1013 said:
I understand the stress factor but in the second vid it seemed as more than a few were not able to cut the straws or rope. Technique seemed a issue for some but at the straw test it simply showed lack of sharpness.
Click to expand...

Technique, I think is more of the reason why most missed this cut. I can attest that at the end of these competitions, the knives of most if not all makers are still shaving sharp.

This was a new challenge presented for the first time in this competition. (We often present 1 new cut at each event to spice things up.)

The rules for this challenge were:
Only six swings are allowed. Every swing beyond six was accorded a penalty.
To earn points, the straw must be cut above the crinkles.
If a straw that is cut properly by a previous swing is cut below the crinkles in a successive swing the points are lost.
If a more that one straw is cut in one swing, points are only awarded to one straw. In this case a cutter is only awarded points to the other straws, if they are cut above the crinkle again with the next swing.
There is a judge assigned to watch this cut.


knifenut1013 said:
Is this typical?
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The straw cut is considered by many to be the most difficult to master. One competitor found that he wanted to improve on this challenge. He practiced this cut, and using the same knife without sharpening it after the competition had this result:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0rYMeK0yWv0&feature=sub


knifenut1013 said:
Does the edge get inspected prior and after?
Click to expand...
All knives by regulation, are inspected before and after every competition.


knifenut1013 said:
Is there a acceptable level of edge damage?
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There is an acceptable level of damage. As an official I ask myself: Can this damage be removed by a simple sharpening of this knife. If an edge needs to be re-profiled, I consider it to be unacceptable, and the competitor is given penalty points that are deducted from the final score.


knifenut1013 said:
Does polished vs toothy have its argument in competition too?
Click to expand...

This has been an ongoing discussion amongst the cutters. The consensus at this time, it that a "toothy" edge seems to perform better in competition. How "toothy" is still being worked out. Some cutters finish their sharpening on a 1500 grit diamond, where some finish on a 250 grit water stone. There is still a lot of experimenting to do.


knifenut1013 said:
Or does time + points = winner? and condition of blade not matter?
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The final score is arrived at by:
time to complete the coarse +100 minus the points earned = this final score.

respectfully,
Jose Diaz
 
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Twindog said:
I'd also be interested in the hardness of these blades.
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The blades that are made from 52100 are 59-60 RC
The blade made from CPM M4 is 61-62

These are the 2 materials I primarily use for competition blades.

respectfully,
Jose Diaz
 
tipoc said:
Which could explain why many looked to have the same contour and blade design. I was wondering about that. They look to be blades designed for competition. Is that the case?
Click to expand...

Yes, these blades are designed with the competition as their purpose. I have used this design on back packing excursion, to replace my hatchet, and it served me well. But I would be lying if I said that these blades were not designed for the cutting competition task.


tipoc said:
I don't see a link for your knives. Is there one?
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www.diaztools.com


respectfully,
Jose Diaz
 
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Congrats Dan Keffeler! It takes me longer to think the word 2X4 than it does for you to cut it :D

Jose Diaz, very nice cutting, and thanks for the videos :thumbup:
 
Jose, thank you for the explanation.

The straw cut really surprised me, I like to do the straw cut myself but most of my edges are around a 15k finish with 20 degree inclusive bevel :) something that probably wouldn't hold up too well after being forced through a golf ball.

Thanks again for the info.
 
Thanks for posting, Jose. The cutting done in those competitions is amazing.

It would be neat to get some high speed high quality video to see the how much the blade flexes during some of those powerful chops (they appear also to apply a torque to the wood).
 
Jose - is there a limit for handle height? I remember that some time ago handle was limited to 5 inches in lenght and 2 inches in height.
Are IBS rules different?

Btw. I have a plan to bend a handle in my comp. knife in a similar way.
 
Broos said:
Thanks for posting, Jose. The cutting done in those competitions is amazing.

It would be neat to get some high speed high quality video to see the how much the blade flexes during some of those powerful chops (they appear also to apply a torque to the wood).
Click to expand...

I too would like to get my hands on a camera and equipment with that ability. there would be so much that could be learned!

respectfully,
Jose Diaz
 
idaho said:
Jose - is there a limit for handle height? I remember that some time ago handle was limited to 5 inches in lenght and 2 inches in height.
Are IBS rules different?

Btw. I have a plan to bend a handle in my comp. knife in a similar way.
Click to expand...

The BladeSports International rule book states this about knife dimension limitation:

#1 Maximum knife size specifications:
Blade Length – 10" (measured from the front of the handle to the blade tip)
Overall Length – 15" (measured from the back of the handle to the blade tip)
Blade Width – 2" (measured at the widest part of the blade)
Blade and Handle Thickness – No restrictions

I'd like to see your handle design ideas. One of the many cool things about this sport is the innovation and idea and limit pushing we do. These are "race knives", and like a NASCAR vehicle, not intended for the everyday, but the extraordinary. But once in a while we come up with something that can improve the everyday tool.

respectfully,
Jose Diaz

respectfully
 
Jose Diaz said:
The BladeSports International rule book states this about knife dimension limitation:

#1 Maximum knife size specifications:
Blade Length – 10" (measured from the front of the handle to the blade tip)
Overall Length – 15" (measured from the back of the handle to the blade tip)
Blade Width – 2" (measured at the widest part of the blade)
Blade and Handle Thickness – No restrictions
Click to expand...

In Poland we play along Cold Steel Challenge rules. Only difference to IBS rules is that both blade and handle must be not wider than 2 inches, therefore handle that goes deep under cutting edge is banned.


I'd like to see your handle design ideas. One of the many cool things about this sport is the innovation and idea and limit pushing we do. These are "race knives", and like a NASCAR vehicle, not intended for the everyday, but the extraordinary. But once in a while we come up with something that can improve the everyday tool.

respectfully,
Jose Diaz

respectfully
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Oh no, I cannot say I have my own blade design. I used blade blank from closed camillus factory and asked a friend to make me a handle. I a result I got a simple, straight handle that offered no support when chopping.
But knife is hidden tang, so I will destroy current handle, bend the tang and ask a friend to make a new one.

I Poland we are REALLY just starting with cutting competitions. Just a handful of competitors, and even more limited number of knife designs.

But I really love the "low power" disciplines in IPS competition - straws, balls, dowels and paper rolls. I will be trying to introduce them in Poland, to make cutting competition open to more people who are a bit afraid of speed chopping or water bottle cutting.
 
Man, that competition looks like a LOT of fun. Nice to see it was held in Washington...too bad I didn't know about. If I did, I would've definitely went to watch!
 
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