Holy crap I think I sharpened my khukuri too much.

T

TheMightyGoat

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I sort of lost track of time while sharpening this thing, because I love it so much taking care of it is fun. It's a HI khukuri by the way (I would've posted this in the HI forum... but I can't find it. :rolleyes:)

When I finished, I went to check how sharp it was, and the next thing I know I filet my thumbprint off. I'm worried about chipping the blade when I use it next. Should I try to dull the blade a smidge or just avoid particularly hard things for a while next time I use the khukuri?
 
You should avoid hard things anytime you use your khukuri!

But as far as the edge goes, khukuris are veggie knives- for chopping wood, makign shelters, etc. They make a good fighter too, but that is another post. Anyway, for the most part a woodworking edged tool should be able to shave hair. Gransfors Bruks axes and hatchets all come with hair shaving edges, and for the most part thin bits too! You need to penetrate that wood real good when chopping, so big thick bits aren't too cool (except when splitting).

Sounds liek you have a nicely polished, hair slicing edge, so that is great. All you need to be worried about now is avoiding hard objects (which you shoudl do anyway) and also keep an eye on how well the edge holds up. If the edge deforms too readily or chips out, you'll need to look at thickening the edge and/or see if you are hitting very hard material (rocks, etc.)
 
And needless to say, make sure you're careful with that thing! Many khukuri users including myself have had their HI monster khuk go right through the wood they were chopping and just miss their leg. They chop very well. Keep your legs out of your line of swing :)
 
Originally posted by TheMightyGoat
I sort of lost track of time while sharpening this thing, because I love it so much taking care of it is fun. It's a HI khukuri by the way (I would've posted this in the HI forum... but I can't find it. :rolleyes:)
Click to expand...
Try clicking here.
 
Originally posted by Crayola
You should avoid hard things anytime you use your khukuri!

But as far as the edge goes, khukuris are veggie knives- for chopping wood, makign shelters, etc. They make a good fighter too, but that is another post. Anyway, for the most part a woodworking edged tool should be able to shave hair. Gransfors Bruks axes and hatchets all come with hair shaving edges, and for the most part thin bits too! You need to penetrate that wood real good when chopping, so big thick bits aren't too cool (except when splitting).

Sounds liek you have a nicely polished, hair slicing edge, so that is great. All you need to be worried about now is avoiding hard objects (which you shoudl do anyway) and also keep an eye on how well the edge holds up. If the edge deforms too readily or chips out, you'll need to look at thickening the edge and/or see if you are hitting very hard material (rocks, etc.)
Click to expand...

Well, of course I should always avoid rocks and such, but I meant... maybe dead dry maple, for example. Something like that.

So you're saying wood cutting tools are supposed to be razor sharp? I always thought they'd chip.
 
Yup, woodworking tools, for the most part, need to pe polished and hair shaving sharp. When you slice, microteeth on a knif ehelp bite and cut material- think cutting cardboard, etc. But when using say a chisel on wood, you are push cutting, so you want a thin edge to lift and separate the fibers, and a polised edge does that best- it also holds its edge the longest too! CHopping tools need to sever the fibers and penetrate into the wood well, so a thinner bit on an axe is good, alogn with a mirror polished edge.

If you were cutting say hanging vines with your khukuri, a toothier edge would be better- but then again, a machete sharpened with a coarse hone would be way better than the khukuri!

Enjoy your khukuri. If it chips out on maple or whatever, go with a thicker (higher bevel angle) edge.
 
Don't go trying to cut rocks or bricks or pipe or anything, but it should handle trees or vegetation just fine. HI khuks are VERY tough! I had one for a while and had a lot of fun with it. I found an old refrigerator out in the sticks close to my house and used the HI and a Busse basic 9 to totally tear it into pieces! They both stabbed through it and chopped it easily. Both knives would also chop BIG slices through an old car hood I found out there... I'd be REALLY surprized if your khuk chipped just chopping on trees and such. Reasonable use of a knife? Nope! But it WAS fun, and helped blow off a lot of steam after work.

Don't worry about babying that thing... USE IT!
 
Originally posted by stripey357
And needless to say, make sure you're careful with that thing! Many khukuri users including myself have had their HI monster khuk go right through the wood they were chopping and just miss their leg. They chop very well. Keep your legs out of your line of swing :)
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And there are some, like me, that didn't miss their leg! :eek:
 
And there are some, like me, that didn't miss their leg!
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OUCH! Gotta watch that blade's path! To an HI khuk, a leg probably seems just like a soft tree with a hard stick in the middle...
 
Originally posted by AntDog
OUCH! Gotta watch that blade's path! To an HI khuk, a leg probably seems just like a soft tree with a hard stick in the middle...
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Thankfully, it was only a Cold Steel, and not my HI BAS! I probably wouldn't have my kneecap anymore if it was my HI! :eek:
 
TheMightyGoat :

... wood cutting tools are supposed to be razor sharp? I always thought they'd chip.
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No that is a myth. A highly polished edge is far more durable than a coarse one. Even scratch is a weak point in the edge , and the deeper the scratch the weaker it gets. Take a piece of steel (or wood or whatever) and score a deep mark across it, now bend it and see what happens. You will find that the deeper the cut, the easier the material will break at that spot. Same goes for edges. In regards to sharpness, the sharper the edge the smoother the cut and the less stress the edge will see for any given impact energy. In other words, work is far easier on an edge (and on you) when the edge is as sharp as possible.

-Cliff
 
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