Long Narrow Blade, Uses?

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Oct 8, 1998
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So,

Looking at some knife images, and I came across the Ranger SissiPuuko.

And the question posed itself....

What tasks does a long narrow blade lend itself to? And are those tasks essential?

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Thank you,
Marion David Poff aka Eye mdpoff@hotmail.com

My website, guided links, talonite/cobalt alloy info, etc....
http://www.geocities.com/mdpoff

>>--->Bill Siegle Custom Knives<---<<
-http://www.geocities.com/siegleknives-

"To wait for luck is the same as waiting for death." -Japanese Proverb

"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." Lao Tzu

"We will either find a way, or make one." Hannibal, 210 B.C.
 
If the blade is very thin and a little flexible, then you have a classic fillet knife. If it is thicker and stiff, then consider that one of its intended functions (another clue might be the "ranger" in its name) is military, specifically sentry elimination. Another military application perhaps favoring a longer narrow blade might be mine detection/deactivation, I don't know if it is still possible to do this (to modern mines) with a knife.

Getting back to utility applications, a longer narrow blade is better for meat carving and bread cutting, deboning, etc., but in those applications you also want a fairly thin blade, though not as flexible as you might want in a fillet knife.



[This message has been edited by matthew rapaport (edited 05-22-2001).]
 
I have one knife with a really long, thin blade and it is a Japanese melon knife. I don't know what sorts of melons are indigenous to Japan, but mine works well on cantaloupe, cranshaws, honeydews, etc.

DPD.
 
Hi Eye,
I was intially concerned about the geometery of the Ranger Pukko but after playing with one a little I was impressed, it had a very sharp edge that would have excelled at wood carving (for not too delicate tasks.) I believe that the primaryblanking of the knife is done by Fiskars.
I would have purchasedon had it not been for the rubber gripped handle (I much prefer micarta)>
Stay Sharp,
Chad

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Wicked Knife Co.
Hoods Woods
chad234@email.com
 
Boning. If you're boning fish the bones are often delicate so you use a thinner boning knife and call it filleting. If you're boning something larger the blade is usually a little thicker and the point is more rounded.
 
All, Thanks.

The sentry-elimination/combat uses occurred to me, the mine use had not. Luckily for me, none of those activities are in my agenda
smile.gif


For boning/fileting, I think the SissiPuuko would be way to thick.

Any other uses?

MDP
 
A narrow blade allow the user to turn it during a cut. Core an apple for example with a 1/2" wide paring knife and then try use your favorite 1" wide tactical folder. Regardless of how well the wider blade will cut, it is very difficult to turn.

There is also of course the lower drag because of the reduced surface area of the flats, but unless the stock thickness is very thin, cutting ability in general would go up with a wider blade to reduce the slope of the profile.

It is in general a trade off of cutting performance for a greater ability to change direction / distort during a cut, reduced weight etc. .

-Cliff
 
<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Marion David Poff:
Looking at some knife images, and I came across the Ranger SissiPuuko.
What tasks does a long narrow blade lend itself to? And are those tasks essential?
</font>
<a href="http://www.canit.se/%7Egriffon/knives/m95/sissipuukko_m95.html"><img src="http://www.canit.se/%7Egriffon/knives/m95/_spm95d.jpg" align=right alt=""></a>This one's really made by and for people who spend a lot of time in the forest. A longer edge means it will take you fewer strokes to cut. It's long enough that you can do light chopping with it as it is, the spine is long enough that you you can pound on the protruding part (with another piece of wood) when splitting wood or using it as a substitute axe.
Essential? A matter of opinion I'd say. I brought my F1 and W11 for the survival course and they were perfectly all right, but some things would have been <em>easier</em> with a longer blade. Enough that I might consider taking the M.95 and S1 the next time to see if they're better.



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Urban Fredriksson www.canit.se/%7Egriffon/
 
Cliff- That makes sense.

Griffon- I had one, but not my cup of tea, a nice knife though, with a really great sheath.

Sender- I wish I had to do that
smile.gif


------------------
Thank you,
Marion David Poff aka Eye mdpoff@hotmail.com

My website, guided links, talonite/cobalt alloy info, etc....
http://www.geocities.com/mdpoff

&gt;&gt;---&gt;Bill Siegle Custom Knives&lt;---&lt;&lt;
-http://www.geocities.com/siegleknives-

"To wait for luck is the same as waiting for death." -Japanese Proverb

"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." Lao Tzu

"We will either find a way, or make one." Hannibal, 210 B.C.
 
My favorite knives are puukkos with 11-13 cm blades. 13 cm bladed puukko is quite narrow as it normally only gains length - it is as narrow as puukko with 9 cm blade. Extra length (from about 10cm to 12cm) comes handy when one coarse whittles or handles fish.

http://www.hut.fi/~renkku/karhunpaa.jpg
Shorter blade 10 cm longer 13,5 cm.

M-95 is based on finnish military bayonet (bayonet for assaultrifle rk-92 (further developed ak-47)). Designer wanted to desingn a knife that could be converted to bayonet or vice versa with wery minor modifications.
This is a military knife that should be able to handle shelter building -chopping, digging etc.- but also be handy for us finns that are used with puukkos. Actually the thick flatground balde is not wery puukkoish.


M-95 would be better (for me) if it was 1 inch shorter (It would also look better). Now I feel this is in same class as Fällkniven A1. M-95 has noticeably better handle and sheat but it is uglyer(if that counts) and of carbonsteel(but covered with teflon). A1 is propably better chopper but worse in whittling etc. An inch shorter m-95 would be in same size class as S1 and again it would have better handle.



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"Good tools to sustain life, or at least make life more convenient"
-James Mattis
 
...eating watermelons
smile.gif


With all respect to tactical considerations,

HM

PS: Sorry, it popped up in my mind last night and could not resist to mention.
 

..looking at Griffons picture sent me running to my knife drawer..and voila a boning knife from my days in the slaughterhouse. Very similar to Pukko, struck me what a great multipurpose knife these might make, mine is a black handled Frosts (from Sweden we were told), have used Moras and others. Chopping is out, but blade is semi flexible 6" with pukko shape, easy to sharpen,stainless and the handle is comfortable and- gives good grip, in four years never saw one broken,except for grounddown spike blades, and camp hygiene would be easy..anyone familiar with these blades..big problem just occured to me..sheathing them,...Normark?
ps. Is Frosts and Moras same firm, saw that on other post?

[This message has been edited by hillslikewhiteelephants (edited 05-30-2001).]
 
<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by hillslikewhiteelephants:
ps. Is Frosts and Moras same firm, saw that on other post?
</font>
There's some confusion here: Mora is the name of the town which used to have several makers making "Mora knives". Now KJ Eriksson (founded in 1912) and Frost (founded in 1891) are left, the first owns 36% of the other.



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Urban Fredriksson www.canit.se/%7Egriffon/
 
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