Blade shapes and their best uses: Traditionals

AusLoX

AusLoX

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Just want hear from everyone on the best use for the various blade shapes. A blade can be used for many tasks but there's different blade shapes for various reason.

Pics always help. My apologies if there is already a thread pertaining to this topic.
 
Wurrwulf said:
While a pruning blade is certainly useful when used as its namesake implies, in more urban settings, I find them incredibly efficient at opening clamshell packaging.
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I agree with this wholeheartedly:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup: I find the Pruner to be one of the best work knives when doing a variety of handyman projects. I use it to score wood, pop straps on lumbers, zip ties etc... Just yesterday I used the Pruner to fanangle out a dowel pin that slipped to deep into a pre drilled hole:eek::D

It's a wonderful opponent versus the dreaded clamshell packaging as Wurrwulf mentioned:thumbup:

The Clip is also one of my favorites:cool:

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I'll throw the Sheepfoot and Coping blade in the mix as well:)

This little beauty is a rescued knife from my brother Mark (markesharp);)

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Love the Coping blade on this Eureka...

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The "pruning" blade (AKA "Hawkbill") is also great for linoleum, carpet, drywall, electrical wiring, and so on.
A sheepsfoot, lambsfoot, and Wharncliff are good when making straight and precise cuts (leather, thick foam, etc) as well as sharpening pencils and whittling.
Drop point, spear point, and clip points, are good for skinning critters, and general cutting needs. These are probably the most versatile.
The "Spey" blade is obviously good for it's intended purpose, and skinning critters cleaning fish, and budding/grafting. Some also like it for whittling and carving.
The Coping blade is good for that, and whittling.
The punch/awl (usually found on Scout/Camp knives and SAK's) is useful for making holes in your belt, scribing lines, (wood, metal, plastic, leather, drywall, etc) opening bottles or jugs of oil, antifreeze, and other items with a seal under the cap.
The combination cap lifter/bottle opener flat screwdriver is right handy for bottles without a twist off cap. (there are still some of those in use, by the way)
The can opener is good for that, and scraping paint and other stuff near the window glass and in tight corners.

There are, of course, other blade profiles, but I think these are the most common today.

The experts will be along shortly to correct my errors.
 
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I cut a lot of firewood and get a lot of splinters, and there's nothing like the Wharncliffe for digging out splinters. For a blade to be useful as an everyday carry, it has to have some kind of a sharp tip. As eye appealing as spear can be, it has a point like a butter knife. Just my thoughts.
 
I thought a lady's hat pin was the proper tool for splinter digging outing and clearing the flash hole or nipple on your black powder rifle or pistol.

Learn something new every day. :)
 
Hickory n steel said:
Sheepsfoot = almost everything

Deep belly clip point = anything that needs slicing.
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My thoughts exactly. However I do keep a stockman for its utility and specialization. Main blade for food, sheepsfoot for most stuff, spey for odds and ends as well as to preserve the sheepsfoot's edge if I can. I will say my favorite shape, that doesn't really have a name or is made in any extent other than by myself, is Connor's Blade (just thought of that name :D).

It does everything a sheepsfoot can, and a bit more. Plus if you like you can make it able to puncture without having a needle tip wharnie that might not be the safest or strongest choice for you.

Connor's Blade (Pat. Pending) excels at whittling, giving you the ability to make detailed cuts, trim hard to reach areas, shave down flats, and more! I really like it for whittling, it's the only blade shape I use other than a mora for major removal.

Now, pictures!

The blade on the far right is a sheepsfoot, the middle is my preferred amount of upsweep, and the left is a more pointy, pen blade like tip that some may prefer. Experiment with it on a secondary blade you don't necessarily like the profile of. If you already have a sheepsfoot or wharnie, make the Connor's Blade a lower degree for super delicate work.


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Just send me a nickel everytime you use it :D.

Connor
 
ConBon said:
My thoughts exactly. However I do keep a stockman for its utility and specialization. Main blade for food, sheepsfoot for most stuff, spey for odds and ends as well as to preserve the sheepsfoot's edge if I can. I will say my favorite shape, that doesn't really have a name or is made in any extent other than by myself, is Connor's Blade (just thought of that name :D).

It does everything a sheepsfoot can, and a bit more. Plus if you like you can make it able to puncture without having a needle tip wharnie that might not be the safest or strongest choice for you.

Connor's Blade (Pat. Pending) excels at whittling, giving you the ability to make detailed cuts, trim hard to reach areas, shave down flats, and more! I really like it for whittling, it's the only blade shape I use other than a mora for major removal.

Now, pictures!

The blade on the far right is a sheepsfoot, the middle is my preferred amount of upsweep, and the left is a more pointy, pen blade like tip that some may prefer. Experiment with it on a secondary blade you don't necessarily like the profile of. If you already have a sheepsfoot or wharnie, make the Connor's Blade a lower degree for super delicate work.


292ca67779e27f90d8ba1be1437ae450.jpg


Just send me a nickel everytime you use it :D.

Connor
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That's the only time I've seen that done on purpose.


A very similar shape can often be found with poorly executed sheepsfoot blades on Chinese pocket knives, for some reason they can't seem to keep the edge perfectly straight
Maybe they should start paying you 😁

What I like to do is give a sort blade a semi sharp swedge .
 
All blade shapes are sharp and can cut, but some are better at different things.

1. Clip-spear-drop point: good for food prep, skinning, and general cutting. The difference is how much belly vs. how sharp and acute you want the point. Some people prefer a stronger point, some a more acute one. The spearpoint has the advantage that it can be used to drill, or rather start holes, a little better, because it is symmetrical.

2. Spey: the above on steroids. All belly and no point to speak of. Originally used to castrate calves, without accidentally poking them. The Spey is good for scooping, absolutely excels at dipping and spreading jam on your toast, is optimal for some cuts when carving (particularly those that involve hollowing, smoothing) and has the skinning and food slicing ability of the other blades due to its deep belly. (And less risk of losing control of the point and inadvertently ripping a valuable fur.) People used to use spey-like blades as ink erasers, and they are also good for harvesting certain kinds of produce, like cutting a fat tomato off the vine without the risk of your wicked clip-point tearing up the skin of a couple of others along the way. They can also be used for budding, if you are horticulturally inclined.

3. Sheepsfoot-Wharncliffe: all straight edge, no belly. The former has a more sturdy point, the latter a more fine one. These blades are good for precise cutting, and are very easy to sharpen. The sheepsfoot excels at scoring cuts, while the wharncliffe is best used to begin a cut at the outside of the material so as not to deform the very fine point. Both are very good for carving, and make quick work of packages or envelopes.
 
I use the sheepsfoot blade on my stockman a lot to open boxes and to cut plastic wrap off of pallets.
 
Ive been thinking about this topic alot lately. I carry a case sowbelly stockman and love the blade variety. I find myself however, using the sheep for virtually everything. I almost have to force myself to use the spey. I tell myself its there incase I need to do some scraping or edge damaging task as to preserve my other main two blades but thats just to make myself justify its existence. My ideal knife would be the very knife I carry daily without the spey. I guess that would make it a sowbelly jack? Im not aware of any production knife with that blade combo (clip and sheep) but I would be all over it if it was made.
 
Old Remington ad. Doesn't really address which blade shape is best for what, but I just thought the ad was kinda cool. :)

I like their bottom line - Function of a knife is to cut, and cut Keenly.

 
Joe58 said:
Old Remington ad. Doesn't really address which blade shape is best for what, but I just thought the ad was kinda cool. :)

I like their bottom line - Function of a knife is to cut, and cut Keenly.

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Great pic. Descriptions of uses would have been cool to see
 
Resurrecting an old thread...

Recently used my GEC 23 drop point blade to pierce a vent hole into a large bottle of dawn to get the last bit out when it was inverted. The plastic was fairly stout. I made sure to keep the cutting edge engaged (no pressure on the blade’s spine) and successfully completed the task without issue. Afterwards I was wondering what technique other fellas use to make sure they don’t have an accident.

* what blade type would you favor for this piercing task?

* what grip would you maintain while doing this?

* what considerations would you have before doing this task?

of course, I could have used a paring knife in the kitchen’s knife block...;)
 
Peter Cho said:
Resurrecting an old thread...

Recently used my GEC 23 drop point blade to pierce a vent hole into a large bottle of dawn to get the last bit out when it was inverted. The plastic was fairly stout. I made sure to keep the cutting edge engaged (no pressure on the blade’s spine) and successfully completed the task without issue. Afterwards I was wondering what technique other fellas use to make sure they don’t have an accident.

* what blade type would you favor for this piercing task?

* what grip would you maintain while doing this?

* what considerations would you have before doing this task?

of course, I could have used a paring knife in the kitchen’s knife block...;)
Click to expand...
I would reach for a clip point for piercing
 
Peter Cho said:
Resurrecting an old thread...

Recently used my GEC 23 drop point blade to pierce a vent hole into a large bottle of dawn to get the last bit out when it was inverted. The plastic was fairly stout. I made sure to keep the cutting edge engaged (no pressure on the blade’s spine) and successfully completed the task without issue. Afterwards I was wondering what technique other fellas use to make sure they don’t have an accident.

* what blade type would you favor for this piercing task?

* what grip would you maintain while doing this?

* what considerations would you have before doing this task?

of course, I could have used a paring knife in the kitchen’s knife block...;)
Click to expand...

23 with the lock is perfect for this operation. No worries about the knife closing up on you. If I didn’t have a lock I’d choose a fixed blade or a folder with an awl. Pen blade in a pinch.
 
Thanks, Scott. I like the idea of using a clip point too. If that’s what I had in my pocket, that’s probably what I would have selected.

I forgot to mention in my questions: assume non-locking slip joints.
 
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