How do I cut a choil?

B

Bill Bryant

Joined
Mar 19, 1999
Messages
54
I'm not 100% sure what the choil is, whether it's where the grind starts or if it's the notch cut where the grind starts. I call it the, "It's time to get a new knife notch", because if a knife had been sharpened so many times that the edge is at the top of the notch, the blade probably needs to be reground or replaced. At any rate, how do other makers cut the notch on the edge side of a blade between the edge and the tang? The notches I like are the rounded cut. All I've come up with is to use a 1/8" thick cutting wheel but the notch will be squared. I grind hardened steel and would prefer to cut the notch after I've ground a blade. I tried a search for "choil" but the results found "quench oil". Thanks for any input.

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Bill
"There's nothing friendlier than a wet dog"
"The more people I meet the more I like my dogs"
 
The choil is the indentation just behind the start of the blade edge that allows the edge to extend beyond the ricasso or tang for easy sharpening. Some folks like a choil, some use it as a finger groove, some don't because any metal removed from the linear geometry weakens the blade, and offers a "hole" for things to hang up in when cutting quickly (such as a ranchers rope emergency)

There are two ways to cut the choil. Before heat treat is easiest, it allows filework, shaping and finishing with much better control than after.

If you are forced to cut it after, take George's advice, but understand you may not be able to finish the choil internal radius. Consider also using your small contact wheel assembly of your grinder (you do have one, don't you?) to cut, grind and finish (polish) the internal radius.

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Read, Study, Learn, Grow
-DO-
Jay
www.gilanet.com/JayFisher/index.htm
 
You can get a stone cone shaped bit for the dremel too, though it will need replacing after being used on a few knives.

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"Come What May..."
 
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