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Modified wharncliffe vs normal wharncliffe
- Thread starter kith
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- Jun 5, 2012
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Yeah. "Modified" is pretty vague. You'd have to give us the specific knife's name.
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- Dec 11, 2012
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do you have a particular knife in mind?
the only difference between a standard wharncliff and modified wharncliff should be the shape of the spine..
the cutting edge should still just be a straight edge, or nearly straight.
the only difference between a standard wharncliff and modified wharncliff should be the shape of the spine..
the cutting edge should still just be a straight edge, or nearly straight.
That's why I asked what he meant. Without specific examples, we have no way of knowing the extent or type of modification.
That's what I always thought the difference is. Wharncliffe has a straight edge (Like the Yojimbo); a modified wharncliffe has a very very slight belly (Like the Sebenza Insingo).
Is this not the case?
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I was thinking of a slight belly to a wharncliffe like i.e. the Insingo has.
I thought you might've been referring to the Insingo.
The addition of a slight belly allows the knife to make slicing cuts, opening up possibilities like food and game prep. (You could use a regular wharncliffe for those tasks as well, but the blade shape isn't meant for it.) The disadvantages are that you lose the super-fine tip seen on blades like the Yojimbo. So traditional "utility knife" stuff like cutting open boxes, cutting articles out of a newspaper, e.t.c, will be more difficult. So will carving or whittling.
Yeah, it's a compromise, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. It just depends on what you plan on using the knife for.
The addition of a slight belly allows the knife to make slicing cuts, opening up possibilities like food and game prep. (You could use a regular wharncliffe for those tasks as well, but the blade shape isn't meant for it.) The disadvantages are that you lose the super-fine tip seen on blades like the Yojimbo. So traditional "utility knife" stuff like cutting open boxes, cutting articles out of a newspaper, e.t.c, will be more difficult. So will carving or whittling.
Yeah, it's a compromise, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. It just depends on what you plan on using the knife for.
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Thanks!
I'm in the process of designing a small fixed knife, blade length about 7cm (2.75"), 4mm thickness (.15"). I've decided on a wharncliffe blade shape - Looks less threatening around non-knife people I think.
While I was drawing and drawing I thought there must be a reason Chris put a slight belly on the Insingo, perhaps it makes for a more versatile EDC... So your advice is needed, should I stick with a straight edge, or put a slight belly on it? I'll be using the knife for EDC, open boxes/letters, food prep, might use it for carving outdoors, etc. etc. whatnot...
I should mention I suck at sharpening...
I'm in the process of designing a small fixed knife, blade length about 7cm (2.75"), 4mm thickness (.15"). I've decided on a wharncliffe blade shape - Looks less threatening around non-knife people I think.
While I was drawing and drawing I thought there must be a reason Chris put a slight belly on the Insingo, perhaps it makes for a more versatile EDC... So your advice is needed, should I stick with a straight edge, or put a slight belly on it? I'll be using the knife for EDC, open boxes/letters, food prep, might use it for carving outdoors, etc. etc. whatnot...
I should mention I suck at sharpening...
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- Mar 8, 2008
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Yeah a modified wharncliffe or sheepsfoot often still has a profile remarkably similar to an unmodified one, but usually deviates from the standard pattern conformation by having a usually slight curvature to the edge rather than being strictly linear. This allows for easier cuts against flat or hollow surfaces, though an advantage of the linear edge is that if making a cut against a hard/damaging backing material like metal, stone, glass, etc. only the very tip will make contact with the backing material while the edge itself passes through the intended cutting medium without harm. The tip is then easily reshaped by working it from the spine.
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- Apr 16, 2012
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I see the main advantage of a wharncliffe or sheepsfoot blade as being that you cut with a leading point as opposed to a trailing one. By adding curvature to the blade, you certainly do lose that advantage, however you do gain different advantages. I suppose it comes down to personal preference and what you pan on doing with the blade. For general use and EDC, I would lean towards the modified wharncliffe. However if I know I'm going to be cutting a lot of tough material like leather (like when I'm making a sheath), I'll go with the standard blade shape.
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You're close to the mark, but I'd modify the statement to say that you may make a tip-focused cut at a much more shallow angle than would be otherwise be possible with a bellied blade. A bellied blade may still make such a cut, but would require a lifted angle to accomplish it.
Might wanna rethink your blade choice if that's your reason. The non-knife people I show my blades tend to find wharncliffe blades more threatening looking than something like most of the Kershaw budget line, the Tenacious and Endura, etc. They see a wharncliffe, and almost to a one the first comment I get from them is along the lines of "whoa, that looks like it's made with 1 thing in mind-stabbing someone".
Certainly wharncliff blade shapes like the Yojimbos or Dirk Pinkertons look very aggressive.
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I prefer the modified Wharncliffe for general use. Here's one of mine...
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