knife edge vs bone?

S

shugart

Joined
Jan 15, 2010
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I have a question on edge testing, I forged a blade and quenched then tempered it, then thought when a knife is used in butchering a deer! if the person using it is silly and tried to cleave bone with it, this could damage the edge! So I chopped away at a piece of dried cow bone. The edge showed some small dents and wear, but I cleaned them up easy enough with a sharpening stick with a little time or effort. the force I used is hard to measure, when chopping at the bone! but maybe the force used to hit a table, to get attention! would be a good discripton of the force used. your hand would likely hurt after!! I think I have the heat treating right, I was able to pierce a piece of 16 gage auto body sheet metal with the tip and was plesently surprised the was no real damage! just looking for opinions ! thanks for reading..... this the knife is 1/4" at the spine near the handle and tapers to 1/8" 3/4 of an inch from tip, the blade is 1 and 1/4" wide 5 1/2" long. the grind is weird!!! a wide flat grind with no bevel at cutting edge so from 1/4" to 0 over 1" the beveled grind on spine takes the last 1/4" ""is it wrong to have no second bevel at cutting edge? the bevel is a very sharp angle at the edge, to the point you have to be watchfull not to scratch the flat grind when sharpening?
 
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You didn't state the thickness of the blade or it's size, so it's difficult to tell what that blade accomplished. Frank
 
A cleaver and a razor may both be made from the same steel and have the same HT. It is the geometry of the blade and edge that determines how well they hold up in use.

A hunting knife that is a dedicated skinner will have a thinner blade and a lower edge angle. One for general use will be a tad thicker and have a higher angle ( thus tougher) edge.

If an edge chips out in testing, just re-sharpen it at a 5° higher angle and test again. If it still chips out, the temper may be too low.
 
I modified the post with some measurements at the bottom of post . thanks! I'm dumb
!! lol
 
1/4" is twice the thickness you want for a hunting/skinning knife. Try 1/8" stock next time....you will be much happier. IMHO, 1/4" is too thick for all but the biggest camp choppers.

Go to the sporting goods store and measure a few of the top hunting and skinning knives. Many are 1/16" thick.
 
bladsmth said:
1/4" is twice the thickness you want for a hunting/skinning knife. Try 1/8" stock next time....you will be much happier. IMHO, 1/4" is too thick for all but the biggest camp choppers.
Click to expand...

Absolutely. 1/8" stock is more than tough enough for that kind of work... Thinner cuts better, and that's what you need to open up a game animal or fish.

In addition to looking at the most popular hunting knives, take a long hard look at the blades used by people who skin, process and butcher animals (and vegetables, for that matter) all day long for a living. They work fast and they don't bash their edges against bone if they can possibly help it.

As for actually cutting bone... that's what saws are for ;)
 
yep I'm new! think I will try a couple blades from a sawmill blade I got! its 3/16 but by the time the pitting is gone it should be 1/8" like you suggested ! I'm learning so I lean on you guys a bit! thanks for your patience !:)
 
I can't stress the value of a known steel for a new maker. The saw mill blade might seem like a great steel....but you don't know. Get a bar of known steel, or at a minimum a steel from an object of known assay. I would strongly suggest that you order steel from a knife supplier and start with that. With as many variables and other things that can cause problems for a new maker, do you really want to toss in a big question mark on the single most important item....the steel?

FWIW, saw mill blades are seldom ideal knife steel.
 
Ya this seems to be solid advice! I'm using recycled steel for now to keep cost near 0 dollars! I test the crap out of the knives I make, pass them to friends! some day I will splurge and buy some known steels stainless for example. money vs inspiration right now. At least I will have played with the recycled stuff when I get a good result from something like the mill blade I will charge for it. and it seems to be those who have had a chance to put it to work who are willing to spend some bucks!
 
bladsmth is right and steel is actually pretty cheap sticking to simple carbon steels is even cheaper i got a 1/8'' x 1 1/2'' x 48'' of 1084 (which is easiest to heat treat for begginers like me) shipped to my house for under $30. 48'' of good steel can be quite a few knifes
 
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