Cleaver geometry help

Robert Erickson

Robert Erickson

Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
Joined
Feb 2, 2014
Messages
2,899
Hey guys,
I've got some 3" X 0.13" AEB-L that I'd like to make a cleaver out of. I'm not planning on this being a bone chopper, more of a cleaver for breaking down chicken etc.
I have questions regarding blade geometry. My first inclination is to do a convex grind on the lower 1/3 to 1/2 on the rotary platen down to around 0.02" and then put a 30 degree secondary bevel.
What would you all recommend?
 
I'd personally be inclined to flat grind the edge down to .020"- .030" and then convex the bottom 3/16"- 1/4" or so of the blade to sharp.
 
My Russell chicken cleaver blade is 6.5" x 2.5" x 1/8" with 1/4" of V grind with an edge ground convex. That's all you need for a chicken !!
 
I made one out of the exact same stock for my mom and she loves it for popping the bones on chickens, turkeys, etc.. All I did was profile it, H/T it, put a handle on it, and convex the edge to sharp. No bevels at all, just convexed the edge. I convex it back to sharp about every six months and she's tickled.
 
Cleavers are splitting and chopping tools. The body of the sides is just flat steel. The only bevel is near the edge. For heavy chopping and breakdown, just convex an edge up 1/4-1/2". If the cleaver is of the Chinese type for mincing and slicing vegies, the last inch can be tapered down to the edge.
 
Thanks Stacy. I used the BF search engine and found some discussion regarding the edge geometry but no mention of bevels. I guess that's why:)
 
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