How Shallow a Bevel for Skinning, Slicing

[redsquid2]

Hi, everybody.

I am making a Nessmuck. I want to make it a skinning and slicing knife, not for any kind of hard use. I am using O1 steel in a thickness of .093". It's the same project that I posted a couple of days ago, and you can see pictures at the other thread:

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1049284-If-You-Have-Never-Made-A-Nessmuck

I am making the bevels with files; I do not have any kind of a belt grinder.

I did lots of googling and found many different opinions about how shallow to make the primary bevels. Some would say make them at 11 degrees per side. Others would say 3 degrees.

I have never skinned anything other than grocery store chickens, so I never had a skinning knife.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Andy

 

[james terrio]

I am making a Nessmuck. I want to make it a skinning and slicing knife, not for any kind of hard use.

You've pretty much answered your own question. More acute is more better, and thin is in when you want to slice cleanly. Give your blank a full-flat grind with a thickness behind the edge of no more than .015" and it will cut like a laser.

 

[redsquid2]

Thanks for your reply, James.

Don't know if I can get it all the way up to the spine, with the tools I have. I have a simple file jig. I'll take it as low as possible on the file jig, and then switch over to free handed and see how that works.

I recently did a hunter with .125" A2. Freehand filed it, and the bevel was about 7/8" wide.

 

[fumbler]

It's important to have a wide/shallow angled bevel but it's just as important to get that edge thin. Like James said, no more than 0.015" before sharpening; 0.005" would be even better.

 

[james terrio]

Don't know if I can get it all the way up to the spine, with the tools I have. I have a simple file jig. I'll take it as low as possible on the file jig, and then switch over to free handed and see how that works.

That sounds like a reasonable plan. You may find it easier to employ draw-filing along that curved belly when you switch to free-hand.

 

[tim37a]

Don't make it too thin before heat treating, or it may warp. I have been told that .015 before HT is good for M390 or S30V, but those are both high alloy stainless steel - don't know how thin O1 can be taken down before HT.

Tim