A question about Scandanavian blades

[hank_rearden]

hope you guys won't laugh but in my experience the puuko and scandis are the sharpest blades not intended for shaving, cutting boxes or surgery. i never owned a puuko but as a kid i managed to hold a number of them, even a letter opener curio (doesn't look like its a working knife because it looked flimsy) and they were all scary sharp, the kind that should stay in its box or sheath for good. same thing with scandi knives i've seen.

now, to make this thread just a little useful, i'd like a roundup of how manufacturers machine sharpen their blades. anyone familiar with the puuko system? thanks in advance.

 

[Bo T]

The Moras and Helle blades that I have started with a slight concave grind running perpendicular to the spine, so I'd guess they are ground on large wheels turning perpendicular to the spine of the blade. The sharpness of these blades is due, I believe, to the good, fine grained steel and the acute 20 - 25 degree inclusive edge angle.

 

[hank_rearden]

well thanks. so, were they hand-ground? the micro-bevel edge (cantles?) on those puukos i remember were very thin, just like on a victorinox SAK blade.

 

[Esav Benyamin]

Many of them come with no secondary bevel. This extra sharpness may not last long, and putting on a bevel for durability will reduce the sharpness but not by much.

 

[Bo T]

Due to the inperfections I see on the grinds I believe they are hand ground. You could always e-mail the companies and request information. A convex grind would suggest a belt was used and different models from the same company might be sharpened on different equipment. Individual makers might still use a water wheel in their shop. Microbevels increase the durability of the edge with little sacrifice to the cutting ability.