Chef knife plan

M

Maelstrom78

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Sep 21, 2013
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Got in my AEB_L this week. I'm rich!
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I thought to not go too crazy and do something traditional like this.
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But not have the bolster go down to the edge.

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I thought about doing a 70/30 grind and make it right handed. That would be new for me and doesn't seem that difficult.

Safe to do any bevel grinding before sending out for heat treat?

Any thoughts? 8 inch blade 13.25" overall. 2" wide.

Thanks!
 
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The first etsy link is another type I plan on making after this one. A honesuki type blade. Maybe I should angle the edge towards the spine slightly on my chef knife.
 
An extended bolster adds comfort. I have knives where my finger kisses the naked blade. I have knives where it touches the extended bolster. I can use both but prefer the later.

When viewed from the top, the bolster should narrow towards the blade. That facilitates the pinch grip.

You are right not to extend the bolster too far. I like a bolster that stops short of the edge.
 
I like the overall profile. However, the way the bolster sticks out it would interfere with sharpening the heel.
 
Anyone have a thought on the 70/30 grind? Useful or no? My thought was to get both bevels at the 30, send for HT and then finish the rest of the 70 side.
 
Although on the other side, I'm sure person this is intended for will just use a v-shaped hand sharpener anyway so maybe 50 50 grind is way to go.
 
Maelstrom78 said:
Anyone have a thought on the 70/30 grind? Useful or no? My thought was to get both bevels at the 30, send for HT and then finish the rest of the 70 side.
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I do almost everything 70/30 now, except paring knives. I tried 60/40, and 80/20, but the 70/30 is the sweet spot. Go full flat on the 30 side, with a small bevel, and convex on the 70 side. Great for reducing food stiction. It's harder than it looks, expspecially if you do a distal taper.
 
Looks like a good design. You have a flat area near the heel which is good, and the spine and edge taper towards each other which is also good.

70/30 grind sounds excessive, especially if one side is flat; it can steer when cutting. I always try to have some convexity on either side.

Since this is AEB-L, you can grind before HT. Have the edge at 0.030" or so and you'll be fine. Some people go thinner but I don't chance it with kitchen knives.
 
Thanks Don, I was hoping that you would chime in. I'm a fan of your work. If I have some .o70 stock (for a paring/petty knife) can I bring that down to .030 as well? I would assume so, but with the thinner stock I'm not a hundred percent sure.

Thanks!
 
If it's for a parer or petty you should be alright. A wide, long gyuto might have issues if you do all of the grinding pre-HT.
 
Don Nguyen said:
Looks like a good design. You have a flat area near the heel which is good, and the spine and edge taper towards each other which is also good.

70/30 grind sounds excessive, especially if one side is flat; it can steer when cutting. I always try to have some convexity on either side.

Since this is AEB-L, you can grind before HT. Have the edge at 0.030" or so and you'll be fine. Some people go thinner but I don't chance it with kitchen knives.
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Interesting comments on steering. I've not had anyone complain about the geometry I'm using, and have a few chefs using my knives now. They love the grind I do.
 
Willie71 said:
I do almost everything 70/30 now, except paring knives. I tried 60/40, and 80/20, but the 70/30 is the sweet spot. Go full flat on the 30 side, with a small bevel, and convex on the 70 side. Great for reducing food stiction. It's harder than it looks, expspecially if you do a distal taper.
Click to expand...

Thanks much. Edge geometry in kitchen knives is a hot topic. Can someone sharpen a 70/30 with a V shaped sharpener or does it have to be a stone?
 
A chef knives need a heel 2 1/4" or more, so the hand won't hit the cutting board when chopping and smooth the spine for comfort, if one has to choke up on the blade.
rolf
 
Maelstrom78 said:
Thanks much. Edge geometry in kitchen knives is a hot topic. Can someone sharpen a 70/30 with a V shaped sharpener or does it have to be a stone?
Click to expand...

I do my knives Rc62 or higher. I educate then to never use a v sharpener. The Lee Valley sharpener Is only $48.00, and is a small investment to maintain $200.00+ knives, especially if you have more than one.
 
Willie71 said:
Interesting comments on steering. I've not had anyone complain about the geometry I'm using, and have a few chefs using my knives now. They love the grind I do.
Click to expand...

It can be an issue but not always, and it also depends on how you're cutting too. Someone who does a lot of pull cuts may have different mileage than someone who does really fast chops.

And it depends on the geometry; it depends on a lot of things :)
 
Have a couple rough ground. How does this pin placement look? 1/4 for the handles 1/8 for the bolsters.

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Here are 2 rough ground although not ready for HT. Don't mind the finish, I was trying to get a couple deeper scratches out on the disk without accidentally reducing the edge.
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The one on the bottom feels more nimble in the hand. I'm thinking about reprofiling the top one to be similar.

Anyway, definitely more challenging working on these larger, flatter and thinner blades freehand on the 2x42.

Can't wait for my esteem grinder I ordered to come in! I'll wait for it to do the post HT grinding.
 
Haha, what's up with the broken blade in the top picture?

Here's my take on a smoother profile. The belly you have in the top one is very sharp and dramatic; something brought further towards the heel and more gradual looks and feels nicer.

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I always enjoy seeing threads like this one where experienced guys give their advice on shape, etc. I've never made a kitchen knife, but have a little bird and trout I've been using in there just for testing purposes and having something that actually holds an edge has been surprisingly nice. I'd like to make some kitchen knives to replace the factory ones we have and info like above really helps guys like me... There's sooooo much that seems to make a kitchen knife just ok vs great.

I have some AEB-L, too. Very curious to hear how your experiences go. Thanks for sharing your process.

Jeremy
 
I break a production knife as sacrifice to the knife gods. :)

It's a broken kitchen knife my wife asked if I could "fix"... I think it's beyond help.

Thanks Don. I'll make those changes.

Anyone have an opinion on the spine on the top or bottom one better than the other?

I think less metal on the bottom one makes it feel more nimble.

Thanks!
 
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