Cut free hanging 1" manila

Josh K

Josh K

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Sep 29, 2008
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I've seen a couple of the Cold Steel video's, and I'm not sure (really curious to know how) they manage to cut free hanging 1" manila with a 4" knife.

(See http://www.coldsteel.com/tilite.html and others)

I have several knives that have come shaving sharp out of the box, and I fail to cut free hanging thread, cordage, and some 3/8" manilia I've found.

My guess would be that they either reprofile the edges on the knives they demo with, or that there is a certain "technique" to cutting rope this way.
 
Cutting free hanging manila is not easy, 3/4 is as big as I go for a 4" blade. It also helps to cut at a 45 degree angle(more angle helps) and above all your blade must be very sharp.

I think the rope they use in the cold steel video is dried out so it cuts easier.
 
idk if they have to sharpen it that much, my ti-lite 6 inch is the sharpest knife I have out of the box by far! you should buy a ti-lite and test it out for yourself (id do it but idk where to get manila)
 
While I haven't tried it, I would think that, like most things, technique has a lot to do with it.
A good rope cutter could do with a lesser knife better than a poor cutter with a better knife.
 
Rope ain't hard...it's about having a good toothy edge with a good geometry.

...have them do cigarette paper.

Then we can talk.

Fikes has done some cool cutting...a single sheet of newsprint rolled up...

There's one that takes another type of sharp....

Don't let the PROOF get you all wound up.

Lyn makes a good blade...with good steel and proven designs.

BUt just understand what you are seeing.

Experienced people making something look easy.

Shane
 
It's technique more than anything (other than a properly sharpened edge with good geometry) You don't need a 'toothy' edge for rope, just a sharp one. All-in-all only 3 things matter for single ropes, high blade speed, good angle of attack, and a sharp edge ;)

I am NOT being facetious, but can someone tell me about the challenge of cutting cigarette papers please ? How are they positioned/held prior to the cut and do you cut them lengthways or across ? Do you hang them in a paperclip and then have to cut the bottom off without pulling the remainder from the clip ?
Having just read the post above I took a cigarette paper, stood it on end at the edge of my desk with about a 90 degree bend to keep it upright (like angle iron stood on end) and cut it clean in two with a sweep of the Buck 110 that I edc and haven't sharpened for about a month :confused:
 
and what kind of cigarette paper are you cutting?
 
That must be some thick paper because some of my sharpest blades, even my mora's won't do that with zig-zag paper.
 
We can get Zig-Zag papers here sometimes. I'll get some if I can, and let you know if I can still manage it with them. Either that or I'll get some Rizla Blues, they're the lightest papers I know of anywhere. Blues are nearly see-through.

It's not all about the edge though Knifenut1013, as I said earlier, a lot of what makes a cut possible is the technique and the blade speed.
 
That whole spine whacking demo made my hand hurt, I'm still healing from a failed liner lock when it hit against a desk. (Stitches and mild tendon damage)
 
Cutting manila cleanly is largely dependent on technique...I bought a first-production-run Trailmaster Bowie around 20 years ago, and my friend and I proceeded to cup up about $50 worth of rope in my back yard....when you get it right, all you hear is a "click" sound as the blade severs the rope.... we worked our way up to 3 inches of rope by bundling lengths together with electrical tape....it was quite satisfying to see those cut bundles hitting the deck....
 
waterdogs said:
Cutting manila cleanly is largely dependent on technique...I bought a first-production-run Trailmaster Bowie around 20 years ago, and my friend and I proceeded to cup up about $50 worth of rope in my back yard....when you get it right, all you hear is a "click" sound as the blade severs the rope.... we worked our way up to 3 inches of rope by bundling lengths together with electrical tape....it was quite satisfying to see those cut bundles hitting the deck....
Click to expand...

That's what I figured it would be. Same as (shudder) golfing. They (demo people) line the knife and arm up a little funny. I'll have to go back and try it sometime. ;)
 
To cut hanging rope, you want to chop more downward on the rope than across. A downward stroke catches the rope and makes it go taut as the knife continues through. That tautness is key. If your angle isn't steep enough the rope just bends where it's struck and swings along with the stroke as you carry through.
 
Well, I got some blue packet Rizla rolling papers today. They're finer than the Zig-Zag papers I've used in the past, they're almost see through. The packet says "Fine Weight Rolling Papers" (The green packets are Medium Weight), and yes, they are more difficult to cut. I can only manage a clean cut on about 7 or 8 out of 10 of the Fine weight papers but I can still do them.
Hopefully a mate of mine will help me with video on Monday night so I can show you. :)

In the original post on this thread Josh says that the knives were shaving sharp but that he couldn't cut rope with them. I've had knives like that too. A Buck/Strider 880SP and a Buck/Strider 888 (F/B) both easily shaved arm hair when fresh out of the box, but the edge geometry on them was appalling. Ground as 'tactical' knives the edge must have been set something like 30 or even 35 degrees per side :eek: They were sharp, but you couldn't cut into anything with them because of the steep edge angle. They just bound up in whatever you tried to cut. Once I'd re-profiled them and given them a sweetly convexed edge both knives became cutters.
 
If you have used your knife for a month without sharpening there is not a chance in hell you cut cigarette paper, Buck 420 aint that good.
 
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