Making a bread knife-how?

[Brian.Evans]

I have a customer that wants a bread knife. This is way outside my range. I don't know how or of I can even make one. Any ideas? I'm stuck.

 

[rincan]

basically its just a long blade with thin profile, and seratted all the way down the blade

 

[zhyla]

I've read that back in the old days they used some kind of checkering file to put minute serrations on bread knives. Probably works better than the awful serrated things in most knife sets.

 

[tinman207]

I was recently looking at the same thing, and it seems more complicated to sharpen the larger serrations. I was wondering if something like a back swept tooth would increase surface area but on a thinner blade, so much shallower. Kind of like the ones cut in this knife above....but way thinner steel of course. Curious if that would work, or just mutilate bread.

 

[Brian.Evans]

basically its just a long blade with thin profile, and seratted all the way down the blade

No kidding?

I meant how do I make one, specifically how do I do the serrations by hand? I understand what I bread knife is. I was hoping one of the experienced makers would stop by and offer some advice.

 

[synthesist]

3/8" round chain saw file.

 

[CUTS LIKE A KRIS]

Why have serrations?

Not all traditional bread knives had them, talk the client out of it.

 

[elementfe]

Thin, sharp slicing knives do a fine job cutting even crusty bread, as KRIS points out.
The serrations really aren't that hard to do with a round file, practice on a piece of scrap. I make them fairly regularly, but the people who will pay good money for a bread knife are pretty far apart.

 

[Chris Larrikin]

I have never made a bread knife but I have sharpened a lot of chainsaws by hand. It's only a matter of a good file guide and practice to get consistent angles. You should be able to sort out a jig/guide to make it easier. It will probably take a while. ..

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

I post it about every six months:

To make small close serrations-
Get a chain saw file in the desired size serration ( get several)
Get a brass rod the same size as the chain saw file.
Make the first serration with the file.
Tape the file to the brass rod at the top and bottom.
Place the brass rod in the first serration and file the second....place the brass rod in the third and file the fourth.....repeat.

After HT use a diamond file, a ceramic rod, or a rotary cylinder burr to clean up and sharpen the serrations.

Alternatives:
1) Have just a long thin blade with a 15-20° edge bevel.

2) Have large "scalloped" serrations along the edge. This is easier than it looks.
Make a long thin blade from 1/16" ( .060") stock. Taper it to an edge thickness about .020" ( no distal taper). BTW, this is a great application for the pre beveled 420 blade stock.
Put a small wheel on the grinder, say a 1" wheel. Mark the blade with a marker every 1" Make scallops in the edge at each line. This will make a blade with points every inch. ( you can make then closer with a 3/4" wheel and spacing) After HT use the same wheel and a 120 grit belt to make these scallops have an edge ( and make the points sharp). Hold the blade at about 15-20° to the small wheel so it grinds the scallop to give each scallop an edge bevel. This will also make each point sharp. Touch up with a 220 or 400 grit belt and you are done. Done right it will slay a loaf of bread or a wedding cake.

 

[Brian.Evans]

3/8" round chain saw file.

Why have serrations?

Not all traditional bread knives had them, talk the client out of it.

Thin, sharp slicing knives do a fine job cutting even crusty bread, as KRIS points out.
The serrations really aren't that hard to do with a round file, practice on a piece of scrap. I make them fairly regularly, but the people who will pay good money for a bread knife are pretty far apart.

I have never made a bread knife but I have sharpened a lot of chainsaws by hand. It's only a matter of a good file guide and practice to get consistent angles. You should be able to sort out a jig/guide to make it easier. It will probably take a while. ..

I post it about every six months:

To make small close serrations-
Get a chain saw file in the desired size serration ( get several)
Get a brass rod the same size as the chain saw file.
Make the first serration with the file.
Tape the file to the brass rod at the top and bottom.
Place the brass rod in the first serration and file the second....place the brass rod in the third and file the fourth.....repeat.

After HT use a diamond file, a ceramic rod, or a rotary cylinder burr to clean up and sharpen the serrations.

Alternatives:
1) Have just a long thin blade with a 15-20° edge bevel.

2) Have large "scalloped" serrations along the edge. This is easier than it looks.
Make a long thin blade from 1/16" ( .060") stock. Taper it to an edge thickness about .020" ( no distal taper). BTW, this is a great application for the pre beveled 420 blade stock.
Put a small wheel on the grinder, say a 1" wheel. Mark the blade with a marker every 1" Make scallops in the edge at each line. This will make a blade with points every inch. ( you can make then closer with a 3/4" wheel and spacing) After HT use the same wheel and a 120 grit belt to make these scallops have an edge ( and make the points sharp). Hold the blade at about 15-20° to the small wheel so it grinds the scallop to give each scallop an edge bevel. This will also make each point sharp. Touch up with a 220 or 400 grit belt and you are done. Done right it will slay a loaf of bread or a wedding cake.

THIS is what I needed! Thanks! I have some 1/16" 15n20 I'm not doing anything with. I'll play with it.

 

[Bo T]

I get in a discussion with my wife about this subject every time we have a get together at our house where we serve French bread. I use a boning knife sharpened with a 120 grit belt. I do not see enough difference using the serrated blades to make the extra work worth while.

 

[tinman207]

I get in a discussion with my wife about this subject every time we have a get together at our house where we serve French bread. I use a boning knife sharpened with a 120 grit belt. I do not see enough difference using the serrated blades to make the extra work worth while.

The key there is you said your knife is sharpened. The bonus of serrated is that most knives sitting in average persons kitchen block are dull and not performing like your knife that gets maintained properly. Serrated bread knives maintain the ability to slice bread well far longer without maintenance, so that would be a logical design choice I think if you were trying to bulk sell cutlery as a business.

 

[Hesparus]

Bo T,
It seems that your method produces microserrations rather than macroserrations. I have only ever used the latter, but I'll have to give your method a try.

Chris

 

[tim37a]

Buy a Prestige SS606 blade from Jantz and put your own handle on it. You will lose your ass trying to make a bread knife and make money on it because customers will not pay what it is worth. Just MHO.

Tim

 

[Brian.Evans]

Buy a Prestige SS606 blade from Jantz and put your own handle on it. You will lose your ass trying to make a bread knife and make money on it because customers will not pay what it is worth. Just MHO.

Tim

You're forgetting the part where I don't make the knife before the customer accepts the quote. I'm not making one just to throw against the wall and see if it sticks, this is a custom request. If they don't want to pay the money, then I don't make the knife.

 

[C_Claycomb]

I cut all my bread with my Hitachi Blue steel Santoku. I reckon that D2 would work pretty well if ground thin, even without serrations. Leaves a nice clean cut.

I used my rotary tool and 1/2" sanding drums to regrind my folk's old macro serrated bread knife, doing much as Stacy suggested with marking the blade at intervals. It worked.

 

[tim37a]

Sorry, Brian,
I was being facetious. Add the cost of the blade from Jantz, epoxy, handle material, labor to make and attach handle, multiply by 4, and quote that to customer. Don't forget to add freight and ins. Or, estimate the cost of making the blade using Stacy's method, add epoxy.... and quote the customer. My rule of thumb for making what are essentially one off knives is Cost times 4 to cover overhead and a reasonable profit.
Tim

 

[olpappy]

In my personal experience a sharp straight edged knife will cut most kinds of bread with a lot less crumbs and breakage than my serrated bread knives. However there are some people who eat a lot of hard crusted breads like focaccia who will still want a serrated knife, I don't eat a lot of those so I don't know if the need is genuine or not. If I'm worried about really hard crust I use a slightly thicker carbon blade instead of a thin stainless one.

 

[Brian.Evans]

Yeah, he owns an Italian restaurant, so I'm assuming it's A LOT of hard crust bread.