Does chopping a really hard wood like mesquite or brazilian harwood damage a knife?

P

Polamalu

BANNED
Joined
Jan 28, 2013
Messages
111
Does chopping a super hardwood damage the edge of the knife? Considering you're using a cpm 3v, 5160 or infi steel on a knife with a perfect HT and thick edge or even thin. What's the possibility of the edge getting damaged?


Manufacturers tend to exagerrate on their marketing to get customers. They say this knife is a chopper and will chop and baton with ease. But when come across with a really hardwood and damage your knife they will say you really shouldn't be chopping a wood like that. Blah blah blah! I guess it's the users fault for not knowing that but it's also the manufacturer's fault for false advertising their product.
 
Haha, I know where this question comes from! ;)

My guess is that with a proper edge, many super steels could handle the task. But then, I'm not about to try it myself.
 
Short answer: Yes.

Long answer: How much damage depends on whether or not you know how to chop those types of wood. If you set up a blade with the correct edge geometry, the damage will be in the form of dulling rather than breaking. Those woods can be cut with an axe, so it's only logical that a chopping knife could do the job too. However, I wouldn't want to try. Without the weight and handle length of an axe, chopping mesquite would suck. Similar to chopping normal wood with a slipjoint, I would think.
 
Any knife can be damaged by chopping, however I find with any reasonably tough steel it is fairly uncommon. I deal with fairly hard woods most of the time and I frequently chop with knives made of steels that aren't exactly high end (1095, 420HC that kind of stuff) and the worst I usually get are small chips. The trick is not to use too much brute force, usually you can get even the most difficult jobs done without putting a knife under excessive stress.
 
When we close one thread, we don't look kindly on another replacing it. If this thread can stay on topic, and not descend into Whine & Cheese type fanboy insults and company bashing, fine. But we are not going to babysit it.
 
Of course it can.

That said, if a manufacturer says "you can chop and baton with this knife", and you damage it by chopping and/or batoning, they should either replace it or refund your money with no hassle.
 
Yes, chopping a super hard wood with a knife can (not necessarily "will") damage it.

That said, in general, sometimes you gotta take what people say with a grain of salt...even if part of what they are saying is correct.
 
Polamalu said:
Does chopping a super hardwood damage the edge of the knife? Considering you're using a cpm 3v, 5160 or infi steel on a knife with a perfect HT and thick edge or even thin. What's the possibility of the edge getting damaged?


Manufacturers tend to exagerrate on their marketing to get customers. They say this knife is a chopper and will chop and baton with ease. But when come across with a really hardwood and damage your knife they will say you really shouldn't be chopping a wood like that. Blah blah blah! I guess it's the users fault for not knowing that but it's also the manufacturer's fault for false advertising their product.
Click to expand...


NeverMore1701 said:
Of course it can.

That said, if a manufacturer says "you can chop and baton with this knife", and you damage it by chopping and/or batoning, they should either replace it or refund your money with no hassle.
Click to expand...

I said it half a dozen times in the other thread:

Karda said:
Once again, if a user is going to hold a manufacturer/maker responsible for what they do or do not specifically say in their ad copy or warranty, they also need to recognize their own responsibilities for having forethought and knowledge of proper usage, care and knowing what they are "chopping".
It isn't just a one way street where the customer gets his way in every instance and is allowed to publically denounce a manufacturer because they didn't get their way.
Click to expand...

Karda said:
No warranty specifically outlines every instance that it does or does not cover. Normally warranties do not cover acts of ignorance, nor do they cover wear and tear or acts of gross misusage.

Abuse of a companies good will and warranties and threads such as this on forums is what causes warranties to change. Usually in a way that does not make the customer very happy.
Click to expand...

Karda said:
If one purchases a product and fails to educate themselves about said product, it's usage or it's care, is it really the fault of the maker/manufacturer?
Click to expand...

Karda said:
If a customer expects a company be responsible, they better darn well recognize their role in responsibility also.
Click to expand...
 
Last edited:
Some people just don't how to chop either.
I've seen it in person, where the blade come in with horrid angles which put sideways stress on the thinnest part of the knife.
Learn to chop correctly, people!

And yes, your knife will get dull if you use it. :)
 
I once tried to chop off some moose antlers and seriously damaged the edge of my Ox-Head double-bit. Apparently moose antlers are harder than iron. Knots in wood can be very hard, so I would expect similar damage to chopping blades, especially with varieties like mesquite.
 
Alberta Ed said:
I once tried to chop off some moose antlers and seriously damaged the edge of my Ox-Head double-bit. Apparently moose antlers are harder than iron. Knots in wood can be very hard, so I would expect similar damage to chopping blades, especially with varieties like mesquite.
Click to expand...

Yep, some things are surprising tough on edges.
And sometimes the unexpected happens, like when you find barbed wire or a rock inside of a tree.
And knots, yes, they can be a totally different sort of beast indeed.
 
Rolling and/or chipping are to be expected if you smack a knife into a hard object with a lot of force.
An ax eventually becomes dull chopping very hard wood so we can't expect much more from a knife.
 
I commented on the last thread, but when I pressed enter it was already closed--so I'm glad this one was started:) An edge can certainly encur damage when struck against harder materials, but if the company wont warranty in these circumstances, they need to make their customers aware of it. I think it's silly that some people feel it's important to chop with proper technique, or avoid harder woods. Is this smart? Sure! But it has nothing to do with a company's warranty. Any types of wood they want you to avoid need to be explicitly stated in the warranty, if they want to include it. Customers cannot read minds, and there's no reason to assume that their warranty is conditional, when so many other companies warranties' are not. If a company claims to warranty something and makes no mention of specific technique/lumber they will not warranty chopping through, then they have no right to claim it after the fact. This is why stating things clearly is so important--if BRKT failed to, they have no one to blame but themselves when some one damages a knife, using it for the purpose that THEY put forth on their website. And that aside, this shouldn't even be an issue IMO. The Golok is THICKER than my 1311, and scrapyard will warranty my 1311 chopping through ANY wood I choose, so why wouldn't BRKT do the same? By not warrantying(sp?) the damage, it's like their either saying their product is inferior, or they just don't care about their customers. It's just disturbing that they would show such disregard for a legitimate claim.
 
SavageSmurf said:
I think it's silly that some people feel it's important to chop with proper technique, or avoid harder woods. Is this smart? Sure! But it has nothing to do with a company's warranty.
Click to expand...

If the warranty is supposed to cover it, they should cover it.
But I prefer using proper technique so I don't have to use a warranty, no matter how awesome it may be. :)
 
Chopping hard materials CAN harm a knife depending on a variety of factors including the blade geometry, steel, heat treatment, force of the blow, technique employed, specific wood, presence of wavy grain or knots, temperature, etc. etc. and so it can be difficult to evaluate whether or not a piece failed for good reasons or bad ones. Frozen pine knots, for instance, have been known to bust dollar coin-sized chips out of axes! Hit something hard just the wrong way and your tool can be in a world of hurt, but good technique will help prevent such damage in the majority of circumstances.
 
Depends both on the knife and on the target. It can be a complex question to answer.
 
Raining said:
So, what's the right technique for chopping with a knife?
Click to expand...

For me it's easier to see than explain.
If the blade is torqueing sideways upon impact or wanting to "skate", you're doing it wrong.
Generally, the "feel" of the impact will give feedback as to whether or not you're doing it correctly.
 
stabman said:
For me it's easier to see than explain.
If the blade is torqueing sideways upon impact or wanting to "skate", you're doing it wrong.
Generally, the "feel" of the impact will give feedback as to whether or not you're doing it correctly.
Click to expand...

Pretty much--it's highly variable in practical application and I can describe in detail various proper blows and the like but it's just a bunch of verbiage for what people generally do just by gut instinct. Minimizing torque on the tool at impact and during withdrawal are pretty darn critical, though, as is avoiding trying to muscle your way through the target.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top