Looking for some guidance on making kitchen knives

S

Sprayman

Joined
Nov 15, 2014
Messages
257
Hello, bladesmiths:
I'm going to start a batch of kitchen knives soon--chef's knives, to be more precise. I'll be using 1084, which I understand is not the ideal steel for kitchen knives, but I like working with it, as it's a pretty forgiving material and is well suited to my skill level and heat-treating abilities. The knives will probably have brass bolsters, as well.

I'm open to any insight you might have, from the beginning of the process to the end. Most specifically, I'd like to know the following:

1. What is the ideal width? I feel like the thinner the better, but I don't want the blades to be too flexible. The last set of kitchen knives I made with 1084 are too thick. They're great for cutting meat, but not much else.

2. Likewise, with the brass for bolsters, should I order the same thickness of stock, or get some brass that's a bit thicker, thus giving myself some "wiggle room?"


Thanks in advance!
 
3/32" is a good all purpose width. 1/16" for slicers, and 1/8" for heavy duty applications.
 
a knife for ever buyer. in the end its all baut user needs and likes
i like 3/32 for everything. its all in how you grind it depending on the blade shape size and use
nothing wrong with 1084 lots of carbon knives used back in the day and also carbon steels are beeign used alot in Japanese knives. i like O1 but im a stock removal guy and can just buy sheet in the thickness i want to use (also have used 52100)
my true go to tho is XHP stainless steel but you woudl need to send out for HT or have a kiln and LN tank for cryo to get the most out of it
 
I like 3/32 or thicker, 2" or taller at the heel for 8"+ chefs. I tend to make my knives kinda big...
Spine width doesnt matter as much as yoy would think as long as it is thin in the right places ;).
 
I'm also a stock removal guy. One of the reasons I like 1084 is because it's easy to work with. I like to heat treat my blades myself, and 1084 is pretty forgiving in that aspect. I don't have the patience to send my blades out for heat treating.
 
You know what they say about firewood. Think you have enough, go back and get twice as much..Same with kitchen knives. think you have it thin enough? go back and half it. Laser edges, kitchen knife customers are some of the most picky there is..Everyone of them I know think that anything with a thickness of more than .007 behind the edge is a club.
 
I make a lot of kitchen knives. The big ones start with .090" stock. Most are in .060". The hieght varies, but 1.5 to 2" is good for a larger chef's blade. Flex is about geometry. Too much distal taper will amke a kmife flex toward the tip.
 
Kentucky is right. I take mine down to .003" then take them to zero on waterstones or sanding then add a microbevel for strength.
 
Some of the most beloved old school carbon steel kitchen knives are the classic French Sabatiers. Many people think that they are left too soft by modern standards, but they use plain carbon steel like 10XX and you can sure leave the blade harder than they do with little or no fear.. Grind AFTER HT.
 
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