Different Blades...Different Jobs?

bleev3

bleev3

Joined
Nov 21, 2008
Messages
241
Just getting interested in slip joints which got me wondering about multiple blade knives. I'm sure they ideally serve different tasks but what are those tasks?

Is one blade for opening packages...one for food and one for Sundays?

How do you use or categorize the blades in your multiple blade slip joints?
 
Everyone uses a knife differently, so you will get many answers here. Three basic (very basic) blade types are blades with a belly or outward curved edge (good for skinning and push cuts); blades with a straight edge (good for food prep and carving); blades with an arched or inward curved edge (good for pruning and pull cuts).

Not sure I've ever seen a slippie with all three kinds on one knife, but stockman, whittler and congress patterns typically have at least two of them, and in different length blades, which is useful to have as well.

As to size, most people think of a Sunday knife as a smaller, more elegant one, because it will not ruin the line of your slacks like a larger one would. Handle material tends to be prettier and less sturdy, like pearl or abalone or ivory, since it won't be used as hard as an EDC.
 
Here are some old blade charts from Schrade Cutlery and Western Cutlery from the early 1900's.

schrade_blades-1.jpg


western_bladdes.jpg


They did some cool illustrations in those times.
 
Yes they did:thumbup:

Those Spears are really something, but then so is that Clip Sabre Blade, wonderful! Thanks for sharing that catalogue excerpt.
 
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I like the stockman pattern and typically have a very thin, scary sharp blade for slicing; a not as scary sharp, thicker blade for heavy materials; and a general purpose, very sharp but not overly thin blade for whatever needs cutting.

Usually I'll grind the sheepsfoot blade thinnest (some people prefer this to be the thicker edge), and the spey blade will be a little scalpel.

Currently I'm carrying a canoe and I've got a good working edge on the main blade that's a little thicker than I'd put on a stockman's main blade, but it still gets the job done. The pen blade is ground very thin and is very sharp more in line with how I'd grind a spey blade on one of my stockmen.

Willgoy, you're right, that clip saber is a thing of beauty.
 
I carry a couple of lobsters because nobody makes a single knife that meets all of my requirements. The tools that I use most the are the cuticle (flush cutting) nipper, the nail file (with real teeth), the scissors, and the money clip. On the larger Swiss Champ, I use the cork screw, the magnifying glass, the can opener, the cap lifter, the saw, and the wire cutter. All of the knife blades are like new, because I use locking folder for blade work.
 
My favorite pattern is the stockman, specifically the Case '75 pattern large stockman. The spey blade makes a nice little scalpel for delicate jobs, the sheepsfoot is perfect for opening packages & boxes as well as trimming those pesky, little rough edges on anything plastic, and the clip blade makes an absolutely PERFECT steak knife.
 
Important

Different grinds on different blades for different work

You sharpen your blades differently depending on how you will use them
 
neeman said:
Important

Different grinds on different blades for different work

You sharpen your blades differently depending on how you will use them
Click to expand...

Word up. Which blade is used for a job varies by user. But Neeman's remark is across the board.

For my stockmans, I typically use the spey for fine cutting, the main for general purpose, and the sheepsfoot for packages. So I put a 15° per side edge angle on the spey. The other blades get 20° per side.
 
knarfeng said:
Word up. Which blade is used for a job varies by user. But Neeman's remark is across the board.

For my stockmans, I typically use the spey for fine cutting, the main for general purpose, and the sheepsfoot for packages. So I put a 15° per side edge angle on the spey. The other blades get 20° per side.
Click to expand...

Also how you polish the blade for course to extra fine

So....
LOL

Different users will put different polishes on their different grinds on different blades for different work
 
black mamba said:
Everyone uses a knife differently, so you will get many answers here. Three basic (very basic) blade types are blades with a belly or outward curved edge (good for skinning and push cuts); blades with a straight edge (good for food prep and carving); blades with an arched or inward curved edge (good for pruning and pull cuts).

Not sure I've ever seen a slippie with all three kinds on one knife, but stockman, whittler and congress patterns typically have at least two of them, and in different length blades, which is useful to have as well.

As to size, most people think of a Sunday knife as a smaller, more elegant one, because it will not ruin the line of your slacks like a larger one would. Handle material tends to be prettier and less sturdy, like pearl or abalone or ivory, since it won't be used as hard as an EDC.
Click to expand...

Now you have. ;)

DSCF0580.jpg
 
That Pruner/Hawkbill is a fantastic job:thumbup: Never seen anything like that before, but now I have, I'm pleased:D
 
The cool thing about a multi-bladed knife is that you get to choose what to use them for.
 
black mamba said:
Curmudgeon Show-Off. :p Thanks for the enlightenment. I must now check my finances and the internet!
Click to expand...

I hope you get lucky. I've had that one so long I don't even remember where I got it. The main clip blade is tang stamped Old Cutler over USA, the hawkbill is stamped Colonial over PROV. USA, the spey is stamped PATENT over 3,317,996 and the sheepsfoot has no tang stamp.

I thought it was an interesting and useful piece.
 
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