Cutting Competition At The Branson Hammer-In/Knife Show

Kyle, thank you for posting the video and your Mom for making it. It showed of my great form, big laugh. Practice more will become my mantra. I always enjoy these events, for the camaraderie, the fun, and because you learn so much about your knife.
Again Kyle, thank you and thank your Mom, great post.
Brion
 
That was fantastic to watch. Thanks for sharing.
Is there any size/shape criteria for the knives? Could someone post a link to comp rules.

Like Mathew I'd like to see comps like this in Australia.
 
harrington,
Usually there is a size limit. I like that, because it encourages a maker to design the most effective knife possible for a wide range of events, within a specific boundary. Most competition rules require the blade to be 10 inches or less, with the Over All Length (OAL) to be 15 inches or less.
I like a 5 1/4 inch handle, so I have to borrow a 1/4 inch from the blade. 9 3/4 plus 5 1/4 = 15
If there is any chipping, rolling of edge, or handle damage, during the competition, this calls for immediate disqualification.
The original purpose of the competitions, besides having fun, was to allow the makers to learn by using a knife that they made. They saw where ther knife lacked in certain areas, went back to the drawing board, and did better with the next knife, after making some design adjustments.
The competitions also allow other knife enthusiasts to see which makers are willing to test and prove their work. Lin
 
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Thanks for the reply Lin.
I found some cutting stuff for JS and MS on the ABS web site I guess you use the same format.
How many knife edges chipped after hitting that Coke can on the rim?

Jamie.
 
Harrington,
I'm not sure about any others, but I had two of my knives involved in this competition, my "game knife" (Shake and Bake"), which I was using and a customer order, which Ron Newton was using. Neither had any problems.
Most of the information found on the JS and MS pages are related to the performance tests. This indeed shows that this knife can perform certain duties specific to the test as well as shows the maker's control over the steel and construction. The thing about competitions, to me, is that it more closely depicts situations you may encounter in real life and tests the user as much as the knife.
Lin
 
lwrhea said:
Kevin,
Just my opinion. It's both. One without the other wont work. Every event will test the maker and at the same time test the knife. A bad cutter wont win even if he has a well made knife. A good cutter probably wont do well if the knife is not set up for a variety of events or, especially,if the heat treat is not dead on.
All of the events that Jerry Fisk and most other competition officials think up will test the knife and user in real world situations.

In this competition we:

Chopped 2 X 4 aginst the clock
Attempted to cleave a cola can down fron the top
Attempted to cleave a ping pong ball while sitting atop an empty water bottle, ball and bottle must be in two pieces
Attempted to Cut a one inch rope hanging by stitching thread
Attempted to Cut a bendable straw without it bending

Each of these events mimic, in some way, situations a knife user may encounter. Lin
Click to expand...

Thanks Lin.
That reinforces what I was thinking.

Though the knife is extremely important, I quickly realized when using yours, JR Cook's and Jerry's competition cutters that it also required a degree of skill on the part of the user.
 
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