Distal taper

Matt Rochester

Matt Rochester

Joined
Nov 28, 2014
Messages
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So after a few people suggested that I distal taper my gyuto it got me thinking and that can be dangerous. When should I distal taper my knives? Hunting, skinning......? I figure you would want a thick spine most the way down on say a survival knife so you would minimize the taper. It seems kind of inevitable on a drop point with a high or full flat grind. These are some pics of a small skinning or boning knife I'm working on. Too much taper? Help me understand the design of knives better and excuse the messy shop.


 
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Looks very nice. It should be a real slicer which is good for the intended purpose.
 
Thanks Lo/Rez. I think it would be a benefit on a slicer or skinner but was wondering what other application it would benefit.
 
Full flat grind does not automatically mean you get a taper. Take a look at a Cold Steel Master Hunter. A taper does' have to be two straight line meeting at a point. It can have a little curve to it. As for kitchen knives, i think that an argument could be made that the taper allows you to maintain a constant bevel angle all the way out the blade which might be desirable. Also makes it way thin for delicate cuts with the point. :thumbup:
 
I agree that it doesn't automatically mean you get a taper but with a FFG and a drop point it seems inevitable. I'm not sure what you mean by having a little curve to it.
 
Rookie25 said:
I agree that it doesn't automatically mean you get a taper but with a FFG and a drop point it seems inevitable.
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I think what you're getting at is the downward curve of the spine automatically means the spine thickness gets thinner as the spine curves down. This is true, but that's not a distal taper. If you took plain bar stock and ground it so that it tapered long-wise, and then cut a drop point out of it, that would be a distal tapered drop point.
 
To me (and I am a newbie) if those are pre HT they look a little thin. Hopefully someone more experienced will chime in as well on that.
 
They have already been heat treated.
Maelstrom78 said:
To me (and I am a newbie) if those are pre HT they look a little thin. Hopefully someone more experienced will chime in as well on that.
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So would distal taper include taper on the tang? If not then it seems like the same end point (as a ffg and a drop point) but a different way to get there. Maybe it just isn't getting through my thick skull?
 
Distal taper refers to the taper of a blade from the ricasso to the tip. On a ffg with a drop point you will automatically get a distal taper.

Here's an example of distal taper (ignore the tapered tang). I didn't try to do a distal taper but due to the blade shape and grind it appears.

013_zpsa8f92035.jpg


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Shane, that's what I am thinking. If you have a flat spine you would have to distal taper the stock before profiling. Good looking knife. What's the handle?
 
Yes exactly, or if you had a drop point with a saber grind you would also have to taper it first. That handle is wide curl maple. :thumbup:
 
Here is some of my experimental/test knives with distal taper (drastic taper = high cutting ability vs less distal for a stronger point)
IMG_4364.jpg
 
Grind the distal taper after the profiling and before grinding the bevels for best results.
 
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