- Joined
- Feb 23, 1999
- Messages
- 4,841
I recently designed and commissioned a kitchen knife for my mother. Mel Sorg consulted me on material selection in order to achieve my goals, and built the knife.
Pictures
Design Goals
Must be able to press directly down on blade to facilitate cutting hard objects like pizza crust.
Must be able to perform rocking cuts similar to those done with a French chefs knife.
Must slice vegetables well, yet be strong enough for chopping or cutting chicken bones.
Must be able to transport chopped items on the flat of the blade.
Must keep hand out of food being chopped and away from the cutting board.
Must be stain and rust resistant.
Must hold a good edge, and be resistant to chipping and deformation.
Must be able to be maintained on crock sticks.
Specifications
Blade: 1/8 440 C, Rockwell 57-58
Handle: Cocobolo with mosaic pins
Grind: flat grind extending approximately 1 up blade, slight convex bevel at edge for strength
Dimensions: Will fit inside a 9 ½ x 4 ½ rectangle.
Blade edge profile: The shape of the cutting edge is similar to that of a French chefs knife, to facilitate rocking cuts. Note that the blade is not symmetrical, as it is in the Ulu and the traditional choppers used in wooden bowls.
Finish: Rough finish on blade.
Stand: Walnut stand to hold knife upright when not in use.
Preliminary review
I used this knife for a week prior to giving it to my mother. She has been using the knife for 2 weeks now.
The knife performs rocking cuts well. Generally the same slicing, chopping, dicing, and mincing techniques familiar to users of chefs knives can be used. This knife seems to be a little slower than the chefs knife in executing most of these techniques. The design does allow considerable pressure to be put on the edge, enabling slow cutting of things that would normally require chopping, like bones. I found it easy this morning to execute rocking cuts to five large carrots in a row. I would find this difficult with a Chefs knife because of the force needed to go through the carrots. Pizza crust is easily cut. If I have another one of these made, I will give thought to lengthening the knife and handle, in order to give the user a greater choice of hand positions along the top. This will enable the user to trade off between cutting force and speed by varying the position of the hands.
The edge can cut through chicken bones without deformation. It has not been necessary to sharpen the knife in its three weeks of use.
When I inspected the knife at my mothers house, dried vegetable particulate matter was adhering to the blade, indicating that the knife had been rode hard and put up wet. Despite this (mis) treatment, and despite the rough finish on the blade that might serve to enhance corrosion, no rust or corrosion was evident on the blade.
Perhaps the most revealing fact is that this is now my mothers favorite knife, and she uses it in preference to her other knives for most tasks. It does not have a point, so a boning knife handles the tasks that require a point.
Your thoughts on this design and its implementation are solicited. Any suggestions for modifications or improvements? It has been said that, There is nothing new under the sun. That is especially true in the design of an implement as ancient as a knife. Many of you may have experience with similar designs. If so, I would like to hear about them.
(edited 12 September 1999 to rehost pictures on a different server.)
[This message has been edited by Howard Wallace (edited 12 September 1999).]
Pictures
Design Goals
Must be able to press directly down on blade to facilitate cutting hard objects like pizza crust.
Must be able to perform rocking cuts similar to those done with a French chefs knife.
Must slice vegetables well, yet be strong enough for chopping or cutting chicken bones.
Must be able to transport chopped items on the flat of the blade.
Must keep hand out of food being chopped and away from the cutting board.
Must be stain and rust resistant.
Must hold a good edge, and be resistant to chipping and deformation.
Must be able to be maintained on crock sticks.
Specifications
Blade: 1/8 440 C, Rockwell 57-58
Handle: Cocobolo with mosaic pins
Grind: flat grind extending approximately 1 up blade, slight convex bevel at edge for strength
Dimensions: Will fit inside a 9 ½ x 4 ½ rectangle.
Blade edge profile: The shape of the cutting edge is similar to that of a French chefs knife, to facilitate rocking cuts. Note that the blade is not symmetrical, as it is in the Ulu and the traditional choppers used in wooden bowls.
Finish: Rough finish on blade.
Stand: Walnut stand to hold knife upright when not in use.
Preliminary review
I used this knife for a week prior to giving it to my mother. She has been using the knife for 2 weeks now.
The knife performs rocking cuts well. Generally the same slicing, chopping, dicing, and mincing techniques familiar to users of chefs knives can be used. This knife seems to be a little slower than the chefs knife in executing most of these techniques. The design does allow considerable pressure to be put on the edge, enabling slow cutting of things that would normally require chopping, like bones. I found it easy this morning to execute rocking cuts to five large carrots in a row. I would find this difficult with a Chefs knife because of the force needed to go through the carrots. Pizza crust is easily cut. If I have another one of these made, I will give thought to lengthening the knife and handle, in order to give the user a greater choice of hand positions along the top. This will enable the user to trade off between cutting force and speed by varying the position of the hands.
The edge can cut through chicken bones without deformation. It has not been necessary to sharpen the knife in its three weeks of use.
When I inspected the knife at my mothers house, dried vegetable particulate matter was adhering to the blade, indicating that the knife had been rode hard and put up wet. Despite this (mis) treatment, and despite the rough finish on the blade that might serve to enhance corrosion, no rust or corrosion was evident on the blade.
Perhaps the most revealing fact is that this is now my mothers favorite knife, and she uses it in preference to her other knives for most tasks. It does not have a point, so a boning knife handles the tasks that require a point.
Your thoughts on this design and its implementation are solicited. Any suggestions for modifications or improvements? It has been said that, There is nothing new under the sun. That is especially true in the design of an implement as ancient as a knife. Many of you may have experience with similar designs. If so, I would like to hear about them.
(edited 12 September 1999 to rehost pictures on a different server.)
[This message has been edited by Howard Wallace (edited 12 September 1999).]
In all honesty I can make a Kydex "sheath" for it to protect the blade and hands.
