I have had it with the convex grind-No more convex for me.

siguy said:
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That's a very simple and good looking field sharpening kit! Kudos for the idea, I'll have to steal it for myself if you don't mind!
 
hollowdweller said:
I'd agree that in general it's probably easier to get a really fine edge in a scandi grind than a convex. However to give the other side in general your average convex edge is going to be a bit more resistant to rolling and chipping than your average scandi.
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My thoughts exactly - convex is more robust, there's just more blade behind the edge. But scandi's are probably the best wood carvers because you can get them so sharp so easily.

Convex for field-dressing and scandi for wood :thumbup:
 
baldtaco-II said:
I have a major prejudice against Scandis. I think they are about as crude a knife as one can get. Essentially, a bit of bar stock with an edge dubbed on. Drill a couple of holes to poke pins through and lay on some epoxy and that's it, job done. All the pleasing features of poise, balance and taper are pretty much incidental. They are the kinds of things a prisoner might make. They are very popular here with the reenactment people though. That makes a certain amount of sense to me because the bulk of the reenactment stuff they do calls for using the knife as a chisel, and it's an ideal choice for that. As a field knife rather than a reenactment / bushcraft tool they don't cut it for me though.
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h,mm lets see some of yours if its that easy.:rolleyes:
 
I am totally sold on Scandi edges for their performance on wood, nothing else comes close, however I don't think they are particularly easy to maintain unless you have a flat sharpening stone.They can be done with a pocket sharpener such as a DMT but it ain't any easier than stropping a convex edge !!!
 
Scandi edges are very good on meat as well. Just ask one of my fingers. After about a drop of an inch or so and a "run" of about am quarter inch, my Leuku went through a leather glove like it wasn't there, and at least 1/8" into the finger. I've also used the Leuku to field dress and skin a score of hogs and it was easy going. Now, I will say, the slicing ability of the scandi grind goes out the window, IMO if you put it on a "sharpened prybar" -- it works best with thin blades. Again, IMO.

The popularity of convex grinds I think is twofold:
1.) Guys have apparently discovered the belt sander -- i.e. high speed strop. It's near impossible to put anything but a convex grind on with one.
2.) Convex is the jack of all trades grind. It maximizes strength while also giving good cutting ability on wood and excellent cutting on food.
 
bondy said:
h,mm lets see some of yours if its that easy.:rolleyes:
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Little remarks like that are less than useful aren't they. I can evaluate the usefulness of computer software without necessarily needing to be fluent in C++, and similarly a vet that works with horses can differentiate between the goodness of two different beasts without siring one. Look at your reasoning circuits and detect for errors. A Nambu is not a good gun because you can't make a better one!
 
spooky, i got this from rescueriley, it wasn't my idea. i don't have any problems with you using it.
 
SpookyPistolero said:
It doesn't matter in the slightest that you should prefer to avoid an edge type, if you've found what works for you. :thumbup: If you're still interested in 'trying' more convex edges, I think you ought to give David Farmer a try. His edges are fantastic and he can work with you a lot on what you want in a knife. :thumbup::thumbup:
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I agree. What works for some, will not for others. I can get a scary edge on a convex, and it takes me awhile on everything else. I mean, as long as its sharp right?


siguy said:
my vote goes to convex...

its easy to put on in the first place, its easy to maintain and you can have a convex that chops like an axe or that slices like a filet knife...

the cutting ability really comes down to how thin the edge is and how flat the sides of the convex are. i understand that the aurora is more of a saber convex grind that is smoothed into the flats nicely, so really its like a convex scandi grind. haven't held one, so can't comment directly, but that's what i've read.

i love the way scandis cut but i can't stand sharpening them. its so much easier to do a quick stropping on some sandpaper and then a strop with compound than take out the benchstone and lay up the angle and take strokes. maybe i'm just spoiled since i got my belt sander, but it just seems like it takes forever to sharpen a scandi. i think its because you have to take off so much metal.

gazaati, for convex field sharpening, try one of these. they are easy to make and you can carry a ton of different grit sandpapers inside. you can even glue a strop to the back if you want.
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as for how it performs in wood...i find that every knife performs slightly differently in terms of the angle that you have to cut with in wood. my first several cuts are often lousy and uncontrolled with a new knife...it takes a minute to figure out the angle. if you tilted the aurora up a few degrees, you might do better cutting the wood.

if none of this works for you or you are past trying again...then enjoy the scandis! they are great cutters and they are stout too.
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Simon. Wow, I like that kit. I found what im makin today with my spare altoids tin since I emtied in favor of a pelican case for my PSK. Thats a great idea!!
 
After a long period of learning and a lot of trial and error, I now thin my knife edges at a low-angle relief grind (method learned from John Juranitch and others). I think a lot of "sharpness" problems are because the edge is too thick (as siguy mentioned). If a knife can't do what I want it to do with a thin edge then I don't want the knife.

I had no success convex sharpening with materials such as mousepads and sandpaper, and did not want to carry a lot of sharpening stuff on my wilderness trips. Fortunately I learned from some forum members that freehand sharpening produces a convex edge, so now I have the best of both worlds. I can sharpen on a stone but still get a convex edge.
 
For what it is worth, I sharpen a Scandi with a micro bevel. Use a crock stick, and you get a bevel that is only a few thousandths wide. I typically sharpen the knife a half dozen times before the edge becomes too thick for it to work like a scandi. Then I lay it on a stone, and take it down to a zero edge again. You can feel the difference after 5 or 6 sharpenings, because the knife does not lay down and bite like it used to. That is when you go back to the zero edge.
 
As a knife user for many years, I was always flat bevel kind of guy; it was only in the past few years that I fell under the spell on the convex edge.

The thing to keep in mind is that geometry of the convex edge can very from thin to thick, just like a flat bevels.

Different geometries work better for different things.

An ultra thin edge geometry will make for a good slicer but won’t take the abuse of heavy chopping.

Conversely, a thick edge beast will not work for whittling like a knife with an edge set for that task.

I have come to like the convex edge for its ease of sharpening, its well supported edge, and the way it parts the material being cut.

But the bottom line is that both the flat beveled edge and the convex edge can handle all your needs, but with either, setting the edge to handle the task at hand is paramount.

Remember the secondary bevel on any knife can be converted from convex to flat or flat to convex, but the final geometry of that edge is going to have a great effect on its performance.

When it comes to a scandi grind the primary bevel is the edge bevel, so the edge tends to quite thin; making it a great slicer.

I prefer the a full convex geometry, that like the scandi grind has no secondary bevel, but has a continuous convex curvature that ends in a razor sharp edge.


PS – When it comes to Bark River knives all the edges are done by hand, and the can vary from one to the next when it comes to edge geometry. If you feel that an edge is too thick (or thin) for your intended purpose, and you don’t have the skill to adjust it yourself, send it back to Mike Stewart and he will adjust it for you at no charge.
 
Great post, always glad to learn new ideas and find more blade related sites!:thumbup:
 
gazaati said:
Lets forget sharpening.
I found that my aurora keeps slipping off the wood and its still shaving sharp it could slice paper. The edge was too fat to properly sink inside hard wood.
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You are probably holding at to low an angle with your beginning cut. Convex grind/edges, even zero edges are at a steeper angle then flat grinds and hollow grinds. Even a flat grind with a convex edge is not as steep as a convex grind/edge. Once the convex bites in you can lower the spine and dig in.
Scott
 
I'm still working with V-grinds on all my knives. I am happy with the outcome of them and like all the gadgets of have that help me to keep them as sharp as I want.

I've tried several times convexing my knives as per suggestions. I can get them convexed and okay sharp, but not nearly as sharp as I like. I regard this is a problem with my technique not the grind. However, until I actually buy a fully convexed knife like a Barkie or a Fallkniven I probably won't be bothered to wonder off and try to convex one of my knives again.

I find with the V-grind knives, they invariably come to thick. Even reputable companies like to set the V bevel at 20o which is a good performer when the knife is razor sharp but a poor performer when the knife begins to dull even slightly. Resetting the 2nd bevel to 15o makes it much better at cutting tasks even when the edge dulls a bit. So in the end, I find that although 15o is a bit weaker in the durability department, the edge keeps performing for a longer time.

Knocking the primary bevel periodically using a guided rod systems helps alot too!
 
THANK YOU GAZAATI!! I am telling you..anyone that says convex cuts wood is LYING TO YOU..PERIOD. I happen to do a damn fine job sharpening my Bark Rivers, and they cut OK, but my Scandis PUT THEM TO ALMIGTHTY SHAME!! THEY open a can of whoopass on those convex blades...they pound them outta exitence...they .........cut better.
Convex, great for a chopper...sucks for a small knife. and the fact that you have to bust balls to sharpen it in the field is one more reason....JMNSHO.
 
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baldtaco-II said:
I have a major prejudice against Scandis. I think they are about as crude a knife as one can get. Essentially, a bit of bar stock with an edge dubbed on. Drill a couple of holes to poke pins through and lay on some epoxy and that's it, job done. All the pleasing features of poise, balance and taper are pretty much incidental. They are the kinds of things a prisoner might make. They are very popular here with the reenactment people though. That makes a certain amount of sense to me because the bulk of the reenactment stuff they do calls for using the knife as a chisel, and it's an ideal choice for that. As a field knife rather than a reenactment / bushcraft tool they don't cut it for me though.
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I am gonna go for it here and call you out...you havnt carved anything in you life! If you had, you never would have written the above. Scandi is not only easier to sharpen..if you cant, I just dont get how you couldnt..it is also BETTER at cutting wood. It is not an opinion..this is a fact. the shape is the same as chisels that guys like me use everyday at work. I carve wood alot..I restore old colonial and victorian homes. There is a need to use hand tools everyday..sometimes all day, all week. I have brought quite a few blades to work and tried them out..at this point, if it isnt a scandi, it doesnt go to work.
More to the point..I need to carve things with precision, and convex is very hard to control.
 
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