BK-4 User Error?

winterveil

winterveil

Joined
Feb 9, 2015
Messages
243
Hey folks, hope you're all well!

I needed to prep some wood for the fire pit this past weekend and decided it would be a good test of a few of my newer Becker acquisitions. So, I put the BK-9, 7, & 4 to work. :D



They all batoned admirably, though out of the three I think I prefer the 9 (Camillus-era) for the length and spine thickness. After batoning for a while, I thought I'd take a break and test out the 4's chopping capabilities, as I've heard great things about it.

The wrist-whip took some getting used to, but I felt like I was getting the hang of it, and the flying woodchips seemed to indicate that the blade was doing it's job. However, when I stopped chopping, I examined the blade and realized that some chips & possibly a tiny bit of lipping had developed in a few spots. The damage isn't extensive, and the spots aren't large, but I'd consider it slightly more than micro-chipping. Now, I will admit that the wood was seasoned, which may have been my first mistake; I do realize that chopping seasoned wood with an axe is a different matter than hacking at it with a large blade.

With that in mind, I need opinions - is it likely the result of poor chopping form; was I just an idiot for trying to chop seasoned wood with the Machax; or is it possible that the heat-treatment may be slightly off on this one?

Just want to know whether chipping is something I'd have to worry about with this Machax in the future, or if it's a "hey dummy, stop doing that" situation. I won't be offended, whatever the consensus is (seriously, don't hold back).

Thanks!
 
Well, I personally chop seasoned wood (oak) with my BK9 and it doesn't chip. Maybe if it's a real concern, send it kabar to see if it's a heat treat issue.
 
It is also possible that the wood you were chopping had some contaminants in it, or maybe you over swung a time or two and hit the ground. Did you try chopping with the other knives as well?

I would sharpen it up and try them all out on different wood, to see if the damage is mutual.
 
What kind of wood was it?
 
cbwoods67 said:
It is also possible that the wood you were chopping had some contaminants in it, or maybe you over swung a time or two and hit the ground. Did you try chopping with the other knives as well?

I would sharpen it up and try them all out on different wood, to see if the damage is mutual.
Click to expand...

Also was your firewood stored on the ground? I know it isn't likely that it was, but if so there could have been dirt, sand, and the odd rock embedded in the outer layers.

When you swapped from one knife to another, did you rest the ones you weren't using in the dirt causing any to stick to the blade and not cleaning it off prior to your next swing of said knife?
 
Hi folks, thanks for the input!

I can post pictures this evening, though I don't have a quality camera so can't guarantee they'll be informative.

I suppose the wood could have had contaminants, but it seemed clean to my eye. It was stored off the ground and didn't hit the dirt until I started processing it (as you can see in the photo).

I know with certainty that I didn't over-swing with the BK-4. I've had a lot of practice chopping with various tools in my 31 years, and thanks to that, video games, and martial arts, my hand-eye coordination is pretty spot on.

It's possible that the BK-4 was placed on the ground (I was juggling a lot of blades), but I'm usually pretty good about wiping off a blade before I start hacking/chopping with it. Certainly possible that I forgot though.

Daizee, I don't remember what type of wood it was off the top of my head... Possibly beech, birch, or maple? Anyone here a wizard who can identify the wood I'm processing in the photo above?

I didn't chop with the other knives. After I noticed the chipping I was a bit nervous that the wood was too hard and that the others might chip as well...
 
Not to be insulting; but have you cleaned the blade since you noticed these issues. The reason I ask, and I'm sure you know this, is that sometimes the debris/remnants of wood processing can play tricks on the eye - making the edge look damaged. I've been fooled by that more than once.
Again, I'm sure you probably double checked after noticing the damage...just covering the bases (and basics)
 
Not insulted at all hh! That's a perfectly reasonable question. I did double check (and triple check) what I was seeing. I ran a finger nail along the edge and felt the deformity. Also back-lit from both sides to confirm what I was seeing.

So, I just spoke with Uncle Ethan on the phone (my first time talking with him) - what a great guy! We have a game plan in place now; he's given me some pointers on how to identify a potential heat treat problem. I'll confirm this evening, and if that doesn't appear to be the issue, I'll finish resharpening and test it out on the same stock of wood again.

I appreciate y'alls feedback and will update the thread when I have something to report.

Thanks!
 
Hmmm... no knots that I could find where I was chopping, Bladite - good call though. The original grind angle of the 'chopping' portion of the blade may have been too acute. I hit it with a rough stone over the weekend to bring it out to what (I hope) was more like a 50 or 60 degree inclusive. I did some more chopping with it afterward, but started seeing more chips, so I may need to go wider. Going to work them out, get the edge utility sharp again with a wider angle and see what I see.

Thanks again!
 
Even though you are chopping out a notch and the cuts are at opposing angles, your swing path is straight, right?
If you are contacting the log with the knife edge, relative to the spine, at an angle and side loading the edge, that could cause the chipping you are experiencing, or worse...
 
winterveil said:
Not insulted at all hh! That's a perfectly reasonable question. I did double check (and triple check) what I was seeing. I ran a finger nail along the edge and felt the deformity. Also back-lit from both sides to confirm what I was seeing.

So, I just spoke with Uncle Ethan on the phone (my first time talking with him) - what a great guy! We have a game plan in place now; he's given me some pointers on how to identify a potential heat treat problem. I'll confirm this evening, and if that doesn't appear to be the issue, I'll finish resharpening and test it out on the same stock of wood again.

I appreciate y'alls feedback and will update the thread when I have something to report.

Thanks!
Click to expand...

This is a perfect quote for the "why do you buy beckers" thread
 
Hey winter, I was wondering what the outcome on your chipping was? I used mine yesterday to do some yard maintenance and burning. I was looking at it tonight and it had a chip in it. My oldest son did use it a little so it's possible he hit something other than wood. I've used my nine way harder than I pushed the four yesterday and never had a problem. Kinda shocked me to see it, but a little time on the stone and it's good to go.
 
Cody4x4 said:
This is a perfect quote for the "why do you buy beckers" thread
Click to expand...

Exactly! Who else is going to do that? I've posted many issues with certain knives over the years. Not once did the designer (or any affiliate for that matter) contact me to help resolve the issue. Makes me even happier that I just added a 2 to the stable :)
 
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