Is 0.125" thick stock OK for chef knife/stock removal?

ppsi1216

ppsi1216

Joined
Dec 14, 2015
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5
I'm looking for stock for a chef knife. I'm wondering g if this thickness is popular for such a knife using stock removal? I've read many threads and it seems the main reason for a thin blade is weight???
If this thickness is good is there any recommendations for an integral bolster? Can weld be added/ground?
Thanks
 
Most of the bigger chefs knives I make are from .125. The smaller ones start as 3/32. So you should be good to go and make the edge thin.
 
Go to a store and pick up any chef knife. 1/8" thick is thicker than about anything you will find in the store. Yes, you want heft in a hunting knife, but not when you've got to chop 20 lbs. of potatoes for stew. The lighter the better, the thinner the better(to a point). That said, yes many make their chef knives from 1/8". My son made one for his mom a couple years ago from 1/8". It's REALLY heavy. 1/16" would have been much better, .04" even more so.
 
I use .100" stock for my 8" chef's knives. I have used .125" before and as long as you grind in some distal taper and take the edge down to .010" or so before sharpening it will work fine. If you already have some .125" you can thin it out on the flat platen.
 
I like something from a .090 to a .100 or so to begin with.

I've thinned .125 stock on my platen. It's easy with a magnet. Since the belt bunches up slightly at the top of the belt as it contacts the steel when grinding lengthwise like that I grind tip up so it doesn't round the end of the tang and increase the chances of a visible glue line but that might just be me being anal.

Very thin knives I personally don't care for in a chef blade as I don't like them to flex like a filet knife.
 
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I like to use .125 stock as long as you distal taper from the plunge area all the way to the tip its very nice, gives you a commanding feel on the board where with thinner stock you get more flex and a little less confidence in use. All is a matter of preference of course.
 
Atlas Knife Company said:
Go to a store and pick up any chef knife. 1/8" thick is thicker than about anything you will find in the store. Yes, you want heft in a hunting knife, but not when you've got to chop 20 lbs. of potatoes for stew. The lighter the better, the thinner the better(to a point). That said, yes many make their chef knives from 1/8". My son made one for his mom a couple years ago from 1/8". It's REALLY heavy. 1/16" would have been much better, .04" even more so.
Click to expand...

About the chef's knife thickness, I totally agree. Story for ya...a gentleman who does a LOT of potato cutting for catering contacted me and wanted three knives, a chef's, boning, and paring. He said he wanted his chef's knife 3/16" thick! I about fell out of my chair. I tried to explain that I think 1/8" is plenty thick, but he insisted that because he cuts LOTS of potatoes, that the 3/16" blade would help him in the cut, using weight to do the cutting. Yes....I'm still scratching my head. He LOVED it. I did grind the edge thin, tho. Ordered a second knife, and I tried to explain to him AGAIN. Nope...gotta be 3/16". The hunting knife...I make mine thin and light. No double duty for camp chores with my hunters!

.090"-.110" is pretty good for a chef's knife.
 
Personally, I think .125 is fine for an 8" chef (though I admit it IS on the upper end of the limit). As Matt R said, taper to the tip, thin the edge, and full flat grind, and although it'll be hefty, I don't think it's overly so.

That said, I've also made chef knives in .070 stock, and seen several in .090. Both are perfectly suitable as well.
 
Thin (625/700) knives are very popular, but it's also very common for a working chef to prefer some weight forward in a main cheffing knife. I think 110 is the sweet spot, based on feedback.
It's more about where it balances, actually, a well balanced heavier knife can feel more active in the hand than a handle heavy light knife.
 
I do a lot of 3/32s knives, and some 1/8 with full distal taper and tapered tang. Some people like light, some like heavy. I don't usually bother with the really thin 1/16s knives. I have one I made for myself, but most of the high-end custom market seems to like something that feels a little more substantial.
 
Thanks for all the great replies. I think it's awesome that so many agree on the thin blade=better.
This will be my first attempt so this gives me a great start.
Is 8" the most popular length?
I take it there is generally no bolster on these yes?
The only belt sander I have, other than a 1/2"X12" air file and a 4X24 portable is an old Rockwell delta combination. It has a 6"X48" belt and 12" disk and is pretty much a beast but not top choice for knife making from my reading. I should be able to remove the top cover and get the blade right up to the top roller which will be a requirement.
This will be slow going with lots of grind/measure/check & repeat.
Thanks again!
 
Answers in order, all IMHO, of course

Yes

Plenty with bolsters, plenty without, do what you like.

Grinding on a wide belt just doesn't work very well. For one thing, the wide belts tend to get high and low spots the will make it very hard to get a flat grind. Also, you want a platen that is exactly the same width as the belt, the platen on the wide sanders usually extends out to the sides of the belt, making plunges difficult/impossible. The other issue is just material removal, having that much belt contact all at once means a lot of heat, and just too much force involved making things hard to control. Usually if you applied enough pressure to cut right with that much belt contact, you would stop the tool. I have found a 4" belt useful for length-wise grinding on certain knives, but that comes after rough horizontal grinding. 2" belts are the way to go. If you can afford it, get a craftsman 2x42.

ppsi1216 said:
Thanks for all the great replies. I think it's awesome that so many agree on the thin blade=better.
This will be my first attempt so this gives me a great start.
Is 8" the most popular length?
I take it there is generally no bolster on these yes?
The only belt sander I have, other than a 1/2"X12" air file and a 4X24 portable is an old Rockwell delta combination. It has a 6"X48" belt and 12" disk and is pretty much a beast but not top choice for knife making from my reading. I should be able to remove the top cover and get the blade right up to the top roller which will be a requirement.
This will be slow going with lots of grind/measure/check & repeat.
Thanks again!
Click to expand...
 
samuraistuart said:
About the chef's knife thickness, I totally agree. Story for ya...a gentleman who does a LOT of potato cutting for catering contacted me and wanted three knives, a chef's, boning, and paring. He said he wanted his chef's knife 3/16" thick! I about fell out of my chair. I tried to explain that I think 1/8" is plenty thick, but he insisted that because he cuts LOTS of potatoes, that the 3/16" blade would help him in the cut, using weight to do the cutting. Yes....I'm still scratching my head. He LOVED it. I did grind the edge thin, tho. Ordered a second knife, and I tried to explain to him AGAIN. Nope...gotta be 3/16". The hunting knife...I make mine thin and light. No double duty for camp chores with my hunters!

.090"-.110" is pretty good for a chef's knife.
Click to expand...

I make mine thick. 3/16 is my standard, but some day I will do a 1/4.

I do not like a light/flexy chef's knife.
 
Don Nguyen said:
I make mine thick. 3/16 is my standard, but some day I will do a 1/4.

I do not like a light/flexy chef's knife.
Click to expand...

To each his own, I suppose. I don't like a light flexy chef's knife either, and wouldn't consider 1/8" to be light at all, and sure isn't going to flex one bit.
 
If I am looking to avoid flex with knife made from .110, I just do a slightly "curved" distal taper.
 
pwheeler said:
Answers in order, all IMHO, of course

Yes

Plenty with bolsters, plenty without, do what you like.

Grinding on a wide belt just doesn't work very well. For one thing, the wide belts tend to get high and low spots the will make it very hard to get a flat grind. Also, you want a platen that is exactly the same width as the belt, the platen on the wide sanders usually extends out to the sides of the belt, making plunges difficult/impossible. The other issue is just material removal, having that much belt contact all at once means a lot of heat, and just too much force involved making things hard to control. Usually if you applied enough pressure to cut right with that much belt contact, you would stop the tool. I have found a 4" belt useful for length-wise grinding on certain knives, but that comes after rough horizontal grinding. 2" belts are the way to go. If you can afford it, get a craftsman 2x42.
Click to expand...
Maybe a good winter project. Think I'll look into making a belt sander suitable for knife making just for giggles.
Thanks
 
The thicker knives (.14 to .18 thick at the spine) seem to work well when they are 2" + wide at the heel. You still get a nice cutting geometry at the edge. The most effective knives also have a good deal of distal taper so the tip is still kinda thin. It is much easier to use a thicker spine knife on butternut squash and the like than a thin blade.
 
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