Edge retention of Scandi grind?

CKE2

CKE2

Joined
Aug 28, 2003
Messages
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I know for bushcraft/woodwork the Scandi is very hard to beat. How do you guys find it for general utility use and kitchen type chores. How about from cutting cardboard to skinning etc.???? Any problems with edge chipping?

Thought I would ask here as most of you guys have a lot of hours with scandi ground knives.

Thanks
Craig
 
Hmm, better add

Steel type aside(which I know will have some bearing on performance) just how well the Scandi grind holds up.
 
I've always found them to do well at other tasks, too. Most of my non-chopping camp chores are simple slicing, so any sharp blade will do fine. Hard to beat the convex, of course, for 'across the board' performance, in my experience.

The only time I've had chipping problems are trying to do chopping with a scandi grind.
 
I have two knives which I've reworked to a scandi grind. They have both seen extensive use with no chipping problems whatsoever. The one blade which is a USAF Pilots knife even served duty as a wood chisel to cut some mortises when building a log cabin. It still shaves. Both of these blades are 1095. However I just dont warm to stainless steels.
 
I have several scandis and love them. They do everything I ask and will probably do more, I just haven't the skills/knowledge to ask it of them! I use them for food prep, woods/camp chores, lanscaping projects, whatever comes up. No big issues with chipping and they sharpen easily.

I like O1 and 1095 steels, they can take a beating and just grin. (Oh, that's me grinning!)

Try a Mora or an Enzo, very cost efficient knives.
 
I am working up a design for a knife for myself in O1. I want good geometry and mostly it will be used for general utility but I would like it to be a good performer at bushcraft type work too. I was hoping to just scandi grind it and not have to worry. Either that or flat grind it with a small secondary bevel, but what little outdoorsy stuff I did this year I was really impressed with the scandi ground blades I did use.

The reason I ask, I thought I read somewhere that a scandi ground does not stand up well to non wood chores....? Must have read it wrong.

Thanks
Craig
 
I don't believe that the grind itself is necessarily at fault when an edge chips. As a knifemaker, you know the steel and heat treat have something to do with that. :)

Looking at the bevel itself on a Scandi grind, we have a fairly obtuse wedge. This should hold up well, even for chopping. The next step up would be a sabre grind, and the last would be a full flat grind. Each step up narrows the angle at the edge.

I'm sure a very slight secondary bevel is not unusual on Scandinavian knives. But they should hold up better than most grinds without it.
 
scandi is probably my favorite all-around grind. edge retention isnt quite as good as convex but it makes up fpt that in its superior cutting ability, this is all just my opinion though.
 
I have skinned a lot of big game with my Mora SS Clipper and the Laminated No 1. The hold up as well as any other knife that I have used for the same chores. For me they are easier to resharpen too. That may just be me though.
 
udtjim said:
I have skinned a lot of big game with my Mora SS Clipper and the Laminated No 1. The hold up as well as any other knife that I have used for the same chores. For me they are easier to resharpen too. That may just be me though.
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i definatly agree on the ease of sharpening.
 
THis thread is causing me to think of something...... I have alot of knives. Several of them are Scandi-ground with O1, 1095, or 12C27 Sandvik stainless. As much talk as there is of edge-holding, I find I don;t even think about it when using my knives. Most (though not all) get rotated through EDC or hiking and camping. When they're used, they get sharpened at the earliest convenience. Hmmmm.....
 
Well, I wouldn't think it'd hold up that well if you heat treat it until it's hard as glass. If it's a true single bevel right to the edge, the edge is very thin. However, with the right heat treat they hold up surprisingly well.

I was most surprised at my Jarvenpaa Leuku. I batoned it through some hard (really hard) seasoned birch that even gave my kukri a fit. I split the rounds (3-4" in diameter) and really had to beat the hell out of the leuku to get it through. When I was done, there was no chipping or rolling of the blade, and the edge was sharp enough that when I dropped it, it fell about half an inch before hitting my little finger and cutting through the leather glove like it wasn't there and cutting me almost to the bone. And that's a plain no-name carbon steel blade, no laminates or anything fancy.

So, yeah, I'd say they hold up well -- it's probably more to do with the heat treat than anything.
 
I find the edge retention of my Scandi knives perfectly reasonable. Of course, it depends more on the steel and heat treat than the grind. But there aren't really any special problems with it.
 
Some thoughts on scandi grinds:

You can have them zero ground. Like the Moras. That is always right. Cuts all materials very well. For kitchen use (tomatoes, potatoes) there are better grinds though.
To maintain the grind you need to sharpen along the whole bevel. Many will put on a secondary bevel manually, especially if you sharpen in the field.

You can have them with a secondary bevel. Like most Finnish blades (Lauri). That is at least as good, but only if the secondary bevel is very small. A blade with this microbevel has to be made as a zero ground first and then is the next bevel is put on. It is not a good idea to save time, by not grinding to zero first time.
If the second bevel is clearly visible, one mm or more, like two different steps, it will be a poor using knife.

A zero ground need a total angle 22 degrees or more.
A scand/sec can have a primary bevel down to 18 degrees as the microbevel will strengthen up the very edge.

The lower the angle the less friction.
 
Esav Benyamin said:
How about a Scandi grind with a convex edge rather than a microbevel?
Click to expand...

i've wondered the same thing.is it possible??

i just got my first scandi last week and just from cutting card board and push cutting paper i am very impressed.its a koster nessie.

i dont sharpen with stones,dont even own one and i dont see how i'm going to sharpen the whole bevel on a sharpmaker.

it wouldnt be the end of the world to put a tiny sec bevel on it but i like the idea of the zero.

my lack of sharpening skills bites again.
 
Thanks for all the good info. Maybe I'll have to make two knives up to check this out:D
 
northern1 said:
i dont sharpen with stones,dont even own one and i dont see how i'm going to sharpen the whole bevel on a sharpmaker.
Click to expand...

Turn the base of the Sharpmaker over and lay two rods in the grooves. You now have an effective stone with which to sharpen a Scandi bevel.
 
I've had some micro chipping on all of mine except Dan Kosters in 3v.

But when I say that I mean you can hold the edge to the light and see it and mostly remove it with a few passes on a water stone.

I don't mind that in exchange for greater cutting efficiency.
 
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