Lack of Scandi blades?

SpookyPistolero

SpookyPistolero

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Dec 13, 2005
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Howdy folks-

Something has been on my mind lately and I was hoping I could go straight to the source for the answer. :D

We have a huge number of really talented makers around this place, producing lots of great blades. Obviously there is no lack of talent or knowledge. So is there a specific reason that almost no one produces blades with scandi grinds? Are they a pain to grind? Does it seem like there's no market, or that the market is already saturated? Just a distaste with perceived performance versus convex/flat?

Thanks for any thoughts!
 
Are you talking big blades or smalller EDC size. I know Koster makes some wicked scandi blades. In a big blade, I've done it but I think a lot of guys prefer either convex for chopping or flat for slicing. I don't find them particularily difficult to do. In fact, in a smaller blade I think scandi is a little easier to do than full flat or full convex.
 
Mainly small-medium sized blades, in the 3-5" range. I'd agree the convex would be quite preferable on big blades.
 
I don't do them because I'm not fond of the aesthetic

I like the look of a full convex and its a great profile for cutting
 
Yeah, they are aesthetically ugly, but perform beautifully. While I am definetly not a professional knife maker, I'd bet that they aren't as popular with the makers here because of the perception that only a small minority of buyers would like them, ...could it be true? Damn, after thinking about the time I first seen one I can remember thinking how awful they looked, they are ugly!:eek: But my cheapo Frosts, and Mora, are seriously some of my favorites. Dan Koster's looks amazing. And now their ugliness appeals to me.:D
 
Here in Finland the Puukko (aka scandi ground 3-5") are extremely popular. So much, in fact, that anything is else is difficult to find. Most of the ones I've seen here I thought were very nice, not ugly at all (some are though to be sure).

I suspect that it is a cultural thing. When we are growing up, at least back home in Texas, certain knife styles are predominant. They become, in our mind, the standard "what a knife is supposed to look like". In Texas, we didn't have any Mora's, Puukkos, etc. so they look a bit alien to me on an instinctual level. Growing up in Scandanavia, the same might be said for the Bowie. As a Finn told me once when we were talking knives "Yoo (yes), the bowie is cool, but is no puukko."

So, if you are making for a predominantly American customer base, the scandi grinds might not be very popular and thus not many make them. If you're going to make and show in (far) Northern Europe, your mix of styles should probably be the other way around.

Just my 2 euro :)
 
They're by far the easiest and fastest to grind if your using a file jig setup. Grinding them on a belt would be hard unless you had a way to hold a constant angle. I plan on making a few just to practice my fit and finish until i save up for a more efficient metal removing device.
 
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I don't think the scandi grinds are any more difficult on a grinder, it's just not a popular style around here. Many knives look like they just weren't completed when they have been "scandi" ground. It also makes the blades heavier and changes the cutting dynamic, so it only fits on certain knives.
 
I think they're much harder to grind on a belt grinder. You have to terminate the top of the grind symmetrically AND make sure you STOP GRINDING once the bevels meet at the edge.

I suppose my little rant about people being so disapproving of anything other than freehand grinding will seem a little ironic now, because I grind the Scandi bevels totally free-hand... LMAO.

Here's a thread from across the pond... used to be on about 4 sites, but can only find it on one now... of me doing some Scandi ground blades. :)

http://www.britishblades.com/home/articles.php?action=show&showarticle=40
 
I think it's a combination of things. Firstly, there's the cultural difference. We all like what we know because we grew up with it. The Northern Europeans tend to see and use Scandi ground blades from an early age, we use flat,s abre or convex ground blades. We all end up making what we know and love.

Secondly though, I think that the simplicity of the Scandi grind, and the ease of making it, whether by hand with a file, or on a grinder, leads to folks not thinking of this style of blade as being capable of showing off their own skills as a maker to the best advantage. No (or at least, very few) makers are going to make a 'showpiece' knife with the simplest grind they can think of. The maker wants others to view his/her work as something special, and will therefore tend to aim for something a little more difficult (and impressive) than a simple and straightforward Scandi ground blade.
 
My first blades (stock removal) were Scandi. As I advanced I couldn't give them away. I don't like Scandi grinds primarily because it's added weight (no matter how small) and wasted metal (just an opinion) for the most part.
 
Nick - I think I'm reading something wrong on your post because I have to make sure my grinds end symmetrically and stop at the centerline.
 
I took at as him meaning that because he grinds freehand and probibly has trouble getting them lined up on the center line. while with a matching consistent angle so they also match up at the top of the grind.
without any rounding on the grind or pushing the edge back because he keeps screwing up.
 
No, you're not reading it wrong, I may not have articulated my thoughts that well though.

If anybody is anal about their grind's being right, it's me... But even with that said. A full flat grind to the spine does not have the crisp grind line that runs parallel to the cutting edge. A scandi grind has to be ground with a rotation that follows the profile of the edge.

With this grind that bevel has to be perfectly flat as it's pulled around and you have to take the bevel right down to an edge WITHOUT grinding past the center.

That doesn't give you any wiggle room at all to nail the plunge cuts. Either you get them the first time around, or you screw the whole grind.

Maybe it's just me, I don't know :) I've ground somewhere around 150-160 of them, so I've had a little practice ;)
 
Nick,
I am a free hand grinder too, I wince whenever I hear someone start talking about grinding jigs. I don't know if you have thought about this, but for me I just scribe the line with my dial calipers(with the blade already profiled) and grind to the line for scandi blades, for me its similar to doing daggers.
I have a few blades under my belt as well (1000+)
Del
 
Hey Del-

That's how I do the scandi lay-out too. :thumbup: I think you can see the line marked in the pics in that link.

Are we talking all blades, or just scandi's? If we're talking blades in general, I get to multiply that number quite a lot ;) :D
 
Nick - I can see where you're coming from, you do indeed need a steady hand to keep a long grind line crisp and keep the edge consistent. Some people will frown on it, but when I do a flat grind, I grind on a wheel first. It's much easier for me to set a grind and get it how I want on a wheel, then it's just a matter of flatting the grind, far less material to remove and time to screw up. I didn't figure that out, I was taught it, one good friend told me he thought it was crazy ;)
 
Well, you won't see me frowning on it :) I grind my full flat ground blades on a 10" serrated wheel first. Gives faster material removal, and longer belt life. Even with my forged blades I do this now.

I've watched Tim Hancock do it as well :) :thumbup:
 
I was taught to flat grind the same way from a local guy that says he was taught by Herron. Didn't occur to me that anyone would "frown" over that?
 
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