blade thicknesses

S

skitertank

Joined
Jun 12, 2009
Messages
154
ive noticed there are many different thicknesses of blades here and am wondering, how thick does a user blade really need to be to be strong and functional as a knife?the reason i underline knife is because i beleive there is a right tool for every job and i do not use a knife to pry open car doors,chop down trees,or dig for clams in the sand.i just dont think its what the knife was intended to do. i use my knives for general cutting,carving,field dressing,skinning and batoning. ive used a stick tang 1/8" to do all of these and never fail.my preffered thickness is 5/32" as it is plenty strong for my user needs and performs eqaully well in all the above areas.

so the question is what thickness is strong enough to do all normal WSS related tasks?my question i guess goes mainly to the makers here on WSS,as theres method to thier madness when it comes to making a strong functional cutting tool,but anyone with logic behind an answer is cool too:D
 
I would think 1/8" would be plenty strong but I prefer 5/32" unless it is a small knife. Wider blade knives I prefer 3/16" because it looks better.
 
My favourite thickness for an all round blade is 1/8" plenty strong enough for most tasks !

However for a tough as nails survival type blade ( yeah I know what's that !) my favourite thickness is 3/16", if ya can break a 3/16" blade then you are doing something you shouldn't be !!!!
 
The problem is in the definition of "normal ws&s related tasks." What is normal? For some it is food prep with a bit of whittling. 1/16" is probably enough. Others would like to do some heavier wood work, including but not limited to batoning small sized limbs for kindling. Others still may feel the need to baton large logs and stumps for fatwood, fell smallish trees for shelter building, digging for clams, etc. And then there are the ones who feel that if it CAN be done with a knife then a knife should be able to do it- hammer tent pegs, chop through telephone poles, dig tunnels through mountain sides, etc. What is good for the goose is not always good for the gander.
 
I would agree with 1/8" which is 0.125 inches thick. Any thinner and I will subconsciously worry about it. Thicker is okay with me, I think the thickest knife I've used was .17 or .18 inches thick. That was a beater blade and couldn't slice for anything :o
 
I think the size and type of blade dictates what thickness it should be.. Most of my knives are made with 1/8" stock, but on kitchen knives I like a bit thinner, and on combat, and larger choppers I go up to 3/16" and even 1/4".. It depends on what its supposed to do for me as far as chosing a thickness..
 
hlee said:
The problem is in the definition of "normal ws&s related tasks." What is normal? For some it is food prep with a bit of whittling. 1/16" is probably enough. Others would like to do some heavier wood work, including but not limited to batoning small sized limbs for kindling. Others still may feel the need to baton large logs and stumps for fatwood, fell smallish trees for shelter building, digging for clams, etc. And then there are the ones who feel that if it CAN be done with a knife then a knife should be able to do it- hammer tent pegs, chop through telephone poles, dig tunnels through mountain sides, etc. What is good for the goose is not always good for the gander.
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Amen brother. I like all different types and sizes of knives and blades. Same basic application for my women :D To the O.P. Buy what you like and what works for you... I know I do. The world is full of variety, and that my friends is a good thing :D
 
skitertank said:
ive used a stick tang 1/8" to do all of these and never fail.my preffered thickness is 5/32" as it is plenty strong for my user needs and performs eqaully well in all the above areas.
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Sound like you answered your own question.

Don't most all of the Randall knives have a .25 thickness? I hear they cut pretty well.
 
I am pretty picky about knife thickness, although a lot of my decisions depend on the knife. For example, I have some blades 1/8" thick that bend somewhat and some not at all. My SOG Northwest Ranger at .150" has some flex, whereas my Skookum at .125" hardly flexes at all. For me, thickness and blade flex are important factors. I have more confidence in knives that don't flex as a general purpose bush blade. Thinner blades do seem to be better overall slicers though. Edge geometry plays a big role also.I guess it's what you're comfortable with in the end.
 
hlee said:
The problem is in the definition of "normal ws&s related tasks." What is normal? For some it is food prep with a bit of whittling. 1/16" is probably enough. Others would like to do some heavier wood work, including but not limited to batoning small sized limbs for kindling. Others still may feel the need to baton large logs and stumps for fatwood, fell smallish trees for shelter building, digging for clams, etc. And then there are the ones who feel that if it CAN be done with a knife then a knife should be able to do it- hammer tent pegs, chop through telephone poles, dig tunnels through mountain sides, etc. What is good for the goose is not always good for the gander.
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finally someone brought this up! :thumbup:

1/4" thick and up is a good size for my knife needs
 
If you want to baton and pry I think you need 3/16"-1/4". I think a quality 1/8" blade can do it I just personally wouldn't rely on it. If you have a hatchet or something that takes place for those jobs than I think 1/16"-3/32" is all you need. I do think you should have the capability to do that heavy wood work on you at all times which is why I think most people have knives that are thick-ish.
 
Personally, I think 1/8" is as thick as you will ever need for KNIFE tasks, and a lot of people could probably get away with 1/16" with what they do with a knife. But, 1/8" is thin enough to be a usable slicer and carver as well as thick enough to handle batoning without blinking an eye.
 
A survival knife should be able to skin game,clean fish,and cut up edible plants. Beyond that I can see being able to strike sparks to make a fire,whittle wood into trap triggers,and cut vines for cordage. A mora knife can do all that. Big choppers are good for clearing a path and building shelters,but a good folding saw can do a lot of that.
I'm not saying big blades are good for nothing,but might not be as necessary as some think.
 
I've made a bunch of knives from 3/32" 15n20 bandsaw blades. I baton them just like any other knife. They're flexible but I haven't had any problems since I nailed the heat treat. 1/16" seems a bit too thin for batoning but I've never used one, so I cannot say.

I have some 1/4" HI khukuris and I think that thickness is appropriate for the type of work one does with such a blade. However my preference is for much thinner (and lighter) knives, which for me is 1/8" or less.
 
To me it depends on the width of the blade as well. One of my favorite knives for survival work (which includes chopping poles, splitting kindling, cutting digging sticks, chopping out fatwood etc.). Is my G/L.Drew laess than ugly bowie. This knife is forged frm 1/4 inch thick 5160, however since it has a full flat grind with a thin convex edge it still cuts and slices like a much thinner knife. This while still retaining the rigidity and toughness of a thicker blade.

My M-43 kukri is even thicker at the spine, but again has a nice thin edge providing great shearing capability.

My 5" blade field knife also by Mr. Drew is around 3/16 thick, but again with a wide blade and flat grind w/ convex edge.

I prefer a thicker stronger blade that is capable of being used in ways I don't generaly use them (abuse etc). But with an edge geometry that still enables them to perform as I wish.
 
TWBryan said:
A survival knife should be able to skin game,clean fish,and cut up edible plants. Beyond that I can see being able to strike sparks to make a fire,whittle wood into trap triggers,and cut vines for cordage. A mora knife can do all that. Big choppers are good for clearing a path and building shelters,but a good folding saw can do a lot of that.
I'm not saying big blades are good for nothing,but might not be as necessary as some think.
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This is where people get caught up in personal and regional uses in reference to knives (all shapes and sizes)

I'll tell you right now, PNW is a completely different world than than the gulf states, which are different from other places.

There are so many sizes and shapes because they're all (mostly) useful for specific tasks or different places.

This gets covered in fire making discussions as well, some places are windy and you'll want to take extra precautions for fire making, both for starting and maintaining the fire, other places are damp, raising the fire off of the wet ground may be important etc. etc.

Saying all of this to demonstrate that there are reasons for big and small blades, saws, hatchets, axes, tomahawks, machetes, pen blades, slipjoints etc.
 
tychoseven said:
I've made a bunch of knives from 3/32" 15n20 bandsaw blades. I baton them just like any other knife. They're flexible but I haven't had any problems since I nailed the heat treat. 1/16" seems a bit too thin for batoning but I've never used one, so I cannot say.

I have some 1/4" HI khukuris and I think that thickness is appropriate for the type of work one does with such a blade. However my preference is for much thinner (and lighter) knives, which for me is 1/8" or less.
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I've been meaning to put an edge on my 12" Tram and then just baton the heck out of it. It's just shy 1/16".
 
To me, regular WSS tasks include batonning and chopping. I will break this down a little:

Batonning - 1/8.
Chopping - Preferrable 3/16 (Unless it is a machete)
Food Prep - 1/16
Woodwork - I prefer 1/8, but any thickeness from 1/16 to 3/16 can do it, just need a different style.
 
Personally I think .175 inches is PLENTY wide for a strong high carbon beater knife. As far as a slicer goes, as long as I can't readily flex it or snap it I don't care.
 
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