Anyone work in 3/32" stock for a fixed utility piece?

M

matthew rapaport

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Jun 23, 1999
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Came back from the BAKCA show last weekend with 3 new custom fixed blades (Barry Posner, D.B. Fraley, and Jo Lynn Dawson for those of you who may know them). All very nice, but none exactly what I went looking for. Yes then why did I buy them..? Maybe in another thread.

What I am looking for is something like this: http://www.bladeart.com/artists/mick_langley/mick_langley.htm, notice the bird and trout at top and bottom of the list. These might be thinner than 1/8" (spec doesn't say) because they are supposed to be a small game knife. Or over here at the top of this thread by Gary Graley http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=172081. That looks like a nice utility knife too, but it is in 1/8" stock!

In my opinion (it seems a minority one), 1/8" is unnecessarily thick for a knife of this size. I'm looking for something in a general utility shape, in the <= $150 range, somewhere between 3" and 4" long (prefer the longer) in 3/32" stock. Anyone want to talk about it or have something in a standard model they can show me?

Thanks...
 
Email me, I am willing to do this. I have a batch of steel coming in, along with some that are nearly done that might be what you are looking for.
 
Mathew,1/8" isnt bad,when the bevel is ground high up the blade,it takes a lot out.Of course there is nothing wrong with 3/32" either.
 
Although I normally use 1/8 for bird and trout knives I find it a bit thick so I try to grind it right up to the spine to reduce thickness and improve cutting characteristics.

While I have 3/32 in stock my preferance is to purchase 1/16, 1/8/ and 3/16. Inventory is expensive to hold especially when it is only marginally different from other faster moving thicknesses. All of my 3/32 is reserved for a project that is coming up over the winter and I probably will not restock.
 
3/32" is fine for small knives. It really depends more on how it's ground. If you're looking for light weight and a fine edge, that can be achieved in thicker steel (1/8" or more) by simply grinding more of it away, leaving the spine thick for lateral strength, and removing a lot of the steel between the spine and the edge. Much heavier blades (even 3/16" or 1/4") may be distal tapered so the blade is thinned so much approaching the point it is actually weaker in that area than a 3/32" blade might be throughout its entire length. Instinctively, I'd probably limit a 3/32" blade to about 3" in length, since longer blades experience more lateral stress, but I'm not sure that's entirely necessary if the blade is treated respectfully.

In any case, the choice of steel, proper tempering, and careful grinding becomes more critical as the potential for lateral stress increases.

My $0.02
 
Jerrys last line hits the nail on the head......There are guys who use 1/16" stock....but you need to choose your steel type and heat treat profile carefully.
Remember that the thinner a blade the more inherent flex it will have.
 
Thank you all. George, Jerry, Tom (nice meeting you at BAKCA Tom), your opinions are always interesting. Taz, I saw your photos and emailed you. We can take any commercial discussion private.

Of course 1/8" can be made very sharp especially if the blade is wide enough. I have a Dozier that is 1" wide (about what I want in a 4" utility) and deeply hollow ground to produce a wicked edge. The Dawson I purchased at BAKCA is 5/32" thick (what was I thinking?), though she did do a some distal tapering. It is also very steeply hollow ground, and the sharpest thing I bought at the show, a lot like a Dozier.

The Fraley I got was narrow, 3/4", wide (1/8" thick) and flat ground, yet very sharp. At the same time, its width and thickness cause it to push binding materials out of the way instead of easily passing through it. The Posner was very wide (1.5"), flat ground, and yet not nearly as sharp as the Fraley. Of the three, it was the only one whose edge I had to reprofile when I got it home. As for a distal taper, I saw some fantastic examples of that at the BAKCA show, not only in the blade but also in the tang. All of this work was understandably > $250. I imagine that a distal taper is not trivial to do without CNC mills I would suppose. Although I would have loved to purchase one of these knives, they were more than I wanted to spend for an every-day user-utility knife.

Besides my Dozier, I've been playing with an inexpensive factory knife with a 5" blade, about 1.25" wide made from only 1/16" stock. This knife has convinced me that a general purpose utility knife, even in the 4" range, does not have to be 1/8" thick to be strong enough laterally. It isn't that I don't enjoy working with other knives in various thicknesses. Just something else I'm trying to experiment with in understanding what makes the "perfect knife" for me.

Thanks for the responses all.
 
Matthew,

If you check out my hunter and neck knife pages you will see a number of distal tapered 3/32" neck knives and bird and trout knives. 1/16" kitchen knives on the kitchen knife page.

Just recently, someone ordered a 4.5" semi-skinner in 3/32" BG42. It comes down to heat treat, and the use the knife will get. These are serious cutters, not screwdrivers.

This link shows another B&T:

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=170660
 
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