Being a bit anal...

R

Rhodies

Joined
Jul 27, 2017
Messages
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I have noticed that when doing a paper cut test using phone book paper my angle can be off just a bit and the knife struggles to get through the cut, I get discouraged. Then I do another cut and low and behold the knife slices through the paper like a laser. Anybody else experience this?
 
Yeah... that happens to me, too. I'm not sure why it happens, unless it's just that my angle is off when I'm starting the cut (the blade is laying too far over to start a clean cut). But all I'm looking for with a phone book page is to have a smooth cut all along the blade. I'm looking for dull spots that rip the paper. If I can get a smooth cut, even after several tries, that tells me what I want to know.
 
I hear you Rhodies, it can be very frusterating especially for newbs like me anyways.
And then I do he same thng i did last time a week later and create a butter knife . But like Dalefuller Does but with print paper, will usually find the bad spot for me is at the heel of blade where im trying to start the cut
For some reason that is the wrak spot for me to get sharp
 
Cutting phonebook paper requires practice.

Give the knife to Jane Doe (who never sliced paper before) and you'll see what i mean.

Not everyone with the identical knife is able to slice phonebook paper like a pro. That's all i am saying.

I never met Jane before.

So no offense.
 
Could be you still have some slight microscopic bur. Debur again, do some light cutting then test the edge. I mean it only counts as a "cutting edge" if it will hold up for repeated cuts so a few cuts to stableize / debur the edge before testing it shouldn't ruin it too much.
 
PS: I have met a few Jane and John Doe s. To a person they back away in horror at the suggestion of holding a sharp knife then reach for their cell phone to call in the SWAT team.
Amelia Earhart . . . she would be fascinated to try it.
 
Rhodies said:
I have noticed that when doing a paper cut test using phone book paper my angle can be off just a bit and the knife struggles to get through the cut, I get discouraged. Then I do another cut and low and behold the knife slices through the paper like a laser. Anybody else experience this?
Click to expand...
Hi,
Yes,
this and all manner of weird thing can happen slicing paper,
even loud squeaking like nails on a chalkboard,
most of the edge can dotted with reflective spots and still slice phonebook smoothly
but then even a much sharper edge can fail to start a slice
it depends on
how you hold the paper
if the paper is wrinkled or
if the paper edge bends/curls
how slow/fast you go and force you're using
how much force you're using
how much slice/draw you use (length of your slice)
how much angle of blade to paper tip up/down
how much angle of blade to paper tip left/right
how much angle of blade to paper tilt left/right
...
practice helps you figure out the details, keep at it :)
 
Rhodies said:
I have noticed that when doing a paper cut test using phone book paper my angle can be off just a bit and the knife struggles to get through the cut, I get discouraged. Then I do another cut and low and behold the knife slices through the paper like a laser. Anybody else experience this?
Click to expand...

Yes. I attribute that behavior to very light burrs, or remnants of them, that get rolled or folded in that first cut that slips a little, and then stripped away from the edge in the subsequent 2nd or 3rd cut, after which it's 'magically' a laser. It's kind of odd, but also remarkably consistent in it's behavior. I notice it the most in the rear portion of the edge, near the ricasso/tang, where such cuts in paper are usually started. I take it as a not-so-subtle hint from the Sharpening Gods, teasing me, that I need to focus a little more on that portion of the edge, in the finishing touches. ;)
 
BITEME said:
The top of the paper always harder to cut ???
Click to expand...

That might play into it too. Paper usually has a 'grain' to it, like wood; sometimes it's a little more resistant to being cut in one direction (cross-grain), and easier to cut from the other (with the grain).

I've noticed too, in cutting phonebook pages or catalog pages, the edge that was glued to the binding is often tougher to initiate a cut, than the other edges; even when it's not obvious it's there, but has likely bled into the bound edge of the paper a little bit. That glue is pretty cut-resistant stuff at times.
 
I use newsprint. No issues with hollow-ground blades or full flat ground blades, but saber-ground blades seem to stutter at times. They struggle with starting the push-cut, but once through, they have no issues. Until they meet a bend in the paper and then they just rip like a dull knife. Personally, I slice newsprint to hear for inconsistent sharpness, but for the most part, I prefer to shave hair. Don't like to push-cut newsprint anymore, I think it gives me the wrong impression of a knife. I suspect it's just very easily influenced by blade grind. My saber-ground blades (Spydie Endura 4) are very thick behind the edge.
 
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