Chopping With A Butter Knife

V

Vivi

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With all the chopping going on here the utensils in my kitchen were feeling left out. I decided to test the edge stability of a butter knife. The knife is the same one previously used to chop at my defective Opinel. A working edge was put on the knife using a fine diamond hone:

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I proceeded to the garage and found a mystery block of wood to attack with my mystery steel knife. I used full arm swings sitting down, both straight into the wood and at an angle. I stopped prematurely due to the blade and handle seperating:

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Not to be outdone, I focused my efforts solely on the blade. I gave it a few good whacks into the wood with a steel mallet to test overall strength. Minimal damage was sustained:

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The knife lost no sharpness at the conclusion of the test. If it weren't for the hollow construction of the handle I feel it would of lived up to the tasks. The blade withstood the steel mallet and chopping fine, with no edge deformation, chipping or major burring detactable.
 
Look at all the money you'll save!
Just use the kitchen knife...when one gives up just grab another :D

What's next?
Chopping ability of a screwdriver?
Spatula?
Pie server?
Mackeral?

You, Vivi, are the new undisputed champion of knifetesters
:thumbup:
:D
:D
:thumbup:
 
SilverFoxKnows said:
that a butter knife is the best tool for chopping?
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Yep, exactly like I clearly explained in my Opinel thread how it was the optimal tool for that job. ;)

This is a quote from the thread where I batoned with an Opinel, which would also apply to chopping with one:

"This is by far not the most optimal tool to split open wood for a fire, but it is readily capable."

Ebbtide, I might take you up on the screwdriver. Or maybe I could find a hardback book and sharpen the cover? How about I make a hatchet out of wood? Sharpen a compact disc? :D
 
How sharp was it to start with?
How sharp was it when you'd finished?
INteresting idea- i was making some 'wood' knives out of some butter knives a few years ago- first attempt and all.
GAve up trying to put an edge on witn a big old stone...TOO hard. I might give it a go with my belt sander just for fun.
 
Vivi said:
The knife lost no sharpness at the conclusion of the test. If it weren't for the hollow construction of the handle I feel it would of lived up to the tasks. The blade withstood the steel mallet and chopping fine, with no edge deformation, chipping or major burring detactable.
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It is actually common in many places for local knifemakers to make knives from any scrap metals including bars of aluminum and pieces of mild steel. I had a custom aluminum knife, full convex grind, made by hand by a friend of mine. Easily cut foods, carved, chopped woods, etc. . Very easy to grind, he made it with a file while we discussed parangs. He then chopped it in half with a steel knife to show why it wasn't suitable as a sword material for which he moved up to rolled steel (not heat treated). note animals can chew up wood with their teeth, teeth are way softer than even very soft knives. Nice work.

-Cliff
 
Hmmm, just wondering if Cliff ever had a drunken one-nighter in Ohio some 18-20 years ago or so.....
 
:D Just want to say I've seen more than a few spatulas that would be far better choppers than the butter knife, or the Opinels. :)
 
I would think an icing spreader with the new 15 degree sharpening revelations would perform even better - as long as it was Made in the USA.

Now chinese, well that stuff is cheap junk.
 
We always used to sharpen up butter knives like this on a grinder for farm knives. Have one on every tractor, and probably 2 or 3 on the loader tractor for cutting strings off round bales for strawing the cattle.

Cliff Stamp said:
note animals can chew up wood with their teeth, teeth are way softer than even very soft knives.
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You sure you didn't mean harder? The dentin within the teeth is softer and can be worked like bone (this is what we use for ivory) but the hard shell of enamel on the outside is pretty dang hard. It always puts a good nick in my edges if I hit the teeth. And in true redneck fashion, I often pick my teeth with the tip of my pocketknife. This will roll and blunt the edges on a Case stockman for example.
 
the possum said:
You sure you didn't mean harder?
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They are the low thirties, even the really soft machetes then to be 45+.

It always puts a good nick in my edges if I hit the teeth.
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The edge is very thin compared to the surface of the tooth and thus it will fold readily. Just imagine a very thin ground knife used chopping wood, say 5 degrees per side and 0.001" thick, the edge will get squashed on the first knot even though the steel is actually way harder than the wood. Since teeth are much harder than wood they can damage edges which easily resist wood damage. You can easily make a steel knife which can chop up teeth and bone but try to make a bone or tooth knife to chop up steel.

-Cliff
 
the possum said:
Oh, I thought you were talking about the aluminum & mild steel knives you mentioned above when you said "very soft knives".
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Yeah, that is misleading as it directly followed that bit. Yes teeth are much harder than those metals which are < 20 HRC.

-Cliff
 
For gosh sakes Vivi.. get a hatchet, axe, Kukuri or other dedicated Choppers! Gee whiz man...knives were meant for cutting & not chopping! Gee Whiz!
 
pogo said:
For gosh sakes Vivi.. get a hatchet, axe, Kukuri or other dedicated Choppers! Gee whiz man...knives were meant for cutting & not chopping! Gee Whiz!
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No $. This is also more interesting and informative. :)
 
Drop me an email with your address and I'll send you a small khukuri. This isn't to prevent you from doing such work, just to give you a point of reference.

-Cliff
 
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