Fillet knife

bikerector

bikerector

Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
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Nov 16, 2016
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I've had this come up several times now as I tell some family and friends that are less involved in the knife world, that I'm designing knives with a knife maker. "You should do a fillet knife." I keep thinking that there wouldn't be a market for it, but what the heck, no harm in drawing one up and seeing what people think.

So, what do you like in a fillet knife? What blade length? I think the ones I always used when I was still fishing a lot were 5-6" using a really thin, flexible blade. Despite the ability of O1 to stain, I think the flexibility of the steel would be a bonus in that bending part. Initially, I think I would aim at 1/16" steel with a convex grind. Maybe John and I could work out a nice stainless like a 440C.

For now, I'm just throwing out the idea to see what you all like and if a handmade filet by John would be something you might consider.
 
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What about a convexed chisel ground fillet knife? I believe a chisel grind is reasonably popular, or more known about, in the Japanese culinary industry like for sushi and such.
 
I’d be interested in a filet knife. I agree that 5-6” range with a flexible blade would be nice.

A stainless steel blade would also be beneficial.
 
The most important features in a fillet knife for me are flexibility, sharpness, and edge retention. The length of the blade is related to the size of the fish. When I'm fishing freshwater I carry a shorter blade(4 - 6") than when I'm fishing saltwater(8 - 10") If a thin blade could be convexed I can't think of any reason it wouldn't work. I've owned a few knives with a chisel grind and never been overly impressed with the performance. When I fillet fish I keep the dorsal fin pointed my direction which means one cut is left to right and the other is opposite. Would a chisel grind be efficient doing that or want to track into our away from the bones?
 
fishiker said:
The most important features in a fillet knife for me are flexibility, sharpness, and edge retention. The length of the blade is related to the size of the fish. When I'm fishing freshwater I carry a shorter blade(4 - 6") than when I'm fishing saltwater(8 - 10") If a thin blade could be convexed I can't think of any reason it wouldn't work. I've owned a few knives with a chisel grind and never been overly impressed with the performance. When I fillet fish I keep the dorsal fin pointed my direction which means one cut is left to right and the other is opposite. Would a chisel grind be efficient doing that or want to track into our away from the bones?
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I think a chisel grind would track a certain way, which may be liked if you cut the same direction. I only mentioned it as it seems like something Japanese fisherman and chef's liked because you can get a really thin edge. Seems like chisel grinds are more common in Japanese blades in general. My brief research suggested it takes a bit of getting used to because of how the blade tracks a little differently, but still easily manageable after a little use.

If I'm thinking about it right, and it's been a while since I used a chisel grind, the beveled side would be towards the fish so that it tracks into the bone to keep it tight to the ribs.
 
JK Knives said:
I think a scandivex might work well.
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I was thinking that could be a fun one to try to. Makes it almost like a long B&T. I was really impressed with how well my pocket woodcrafter in scandivex performed. I'm curious how my testers feel about that one as well when all is said and done.
 
I keep coming back to this. If my sale in January (knives I plan on making during December), goes well, I may order some 1/16” 440C. Problem is it only comes in 6’ length, so I may be stuck with a lot of leftover steel, but I’m sure I can figure out something to do with it.
 
Could be interesting to try out something you're able to do with such a thin steel. I feel like it could be like an opinel at that thickness, if you can put an edge on it, it will cut just because there's so little material to create resistance.

I also wonder is creating an "alternative" fillet knife could work with the lack of a full-height grind, or if we would even notice the lack of one. I'm thinking something like the spyderco waterway in that it can fillet pretty well, but it's not limited to only filleting because of the fragility of the blade.

I never really owned a nice fillet knife when I was a kid and fished a lot. I think it was something really basic from Walmart or Meijer. My step dad had a repala and I think I had something closer to this one.

Berkley_6_inch_Fillet_Knife_BC6FKS.jpg



John, I think I may need to get a blank of something to play with on the cheap (aka, no handle). I think with such a thin steel, a full-height grind would be unnecessary to slice really well. Suppose that's the point of this thread, to ponder the possibility.
 
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