blade length using 1/8" stock

IH8U

IH8U

Joined
Mar 6, 2007
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Just wondering what you guys would think would be an acceptable length using 1/8" 1095 stock. I have one bar left and have been staying around 3-3.25 inch blade length for outdoorsy type knives. I wouldn't mind bumping up to a 4 incher, but 1/8 just seems thin to me. How say you?
 
The folks who like bushcrafter-type knives would be happy with that. They seem to value woodcarving and slicing over heavy cutting, so that would be just fine for up to 5" even :thumbup: Lots of folks swear by their Ka-Bars and they're not much thicker than 1/8" with a 7" blade, but I wouldn't go that long.
 
the widest I would go is 1 & 1/8, trying to stay around an inch wide.
 
Great question, I have always wondered that same thing but just never asked as my blades are not very long yet.

-frank
 
IH8U said:
the widest I would go is 1 & 1/8, trying to stay around an inch wide.
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In that case, I'd go up to around a 4.25" max., but would be more comfortable with a 4" max. Just my two cents. If you go with a 1 1/2" wide blade, I'd take it up to a 5 " length.
 
I don't see any reason to limit length on a 1/8" stock so much. I have made several knives longer than 5" with thin stock. I have an ATS-34 kitchen knife at home with a7+" blade length out of .095" and it doesn't have any problems, I'd be willing to put it up to harder use than just chopping and slicing.

I don't use any scientific (or arbitrary) length and width numbers to decide on my knives' thickness, it gets determined by the grind that I want to do, the weight that I want and the aesthetics of a given thickness.
 
Just finished a knife, 10" overall with a 5" blade, 4 3/4" cutting edge. I used O1, 1/8" thick by 1" wide.
Scott
 
FWIW---Pohan Leu just made me a 7" Kwaiken. There is ample rigidity there at that length and I think one could go even longer, as was stated.
 
I made a wedding cake knife for myself out of 3/32" CPM154 (8" blade), and have machetes at 3/32" and 1/16", as well as an ulu with a 5" blade at just over 1/16". Why limit yourself to a 4" blade???
 
It seems obvious now, that 4+ is do-able. Just looking at a 3.5" @ 1/8 seems a bit rickety to me, I guess I need to go beat the hell out of some wood with one. I didn't think of kitchen or machete style knives so going to 4" would be a no brainer.:thumbup:
 
Take for example a large knife like a machete. They are usually pretty thin around 1/8" or so and they can chop through a lot of nasty stuff.
 
..I once made a 6"+ chopper out of 1/8" 1095. (Lost it in a field, forget now just how long it was..) Felt very strong, and would have gone a bit longer with it if I hadn't been using a one brick forge at the time.
 
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