Newbie question - New to traditional folders

A

adubbz

Joined
Nov 24, 2011
Messages
186
Hello everyone,

Really enjoying this forum, and how nice everyone is here.

I'm interested in traditional folders and looking to pick up my first one soon!

I just have one question...that I feel is really really stupid.

What's the purpose of multiple knife blades?

I understand, to cut different things, but are the different cuts and shapes of the blades made for different tasks?

Could you help me out a bit with that? Do you guys use both blades and what do you use them for?
 
Welcome here on the Dark Side ;) :D

Multiple blades for multiple tasks, thats right. I can just talk about me, right now. I really like jackknives (two bladed knife - two blades of different shape on one pivot).
Mostly are used clip or spear blades as mainblades. I use this blade for food prep or clean cuts.

The penblade (mostly secondary/short blade) is used to "dirty" works like opening packages, boxes etc (I don´t like to have rests of any tape in my food when "on the road"); so I use the penblade for this one.

The penblade is also good when a centered tip on blade is needed. The shorter length make it easier to get better control during the different cutting tasks.

On the three bladed knives (stockman - whittler etc) you have the choice for another bladeshape - that depends on your mood and what you want to do with it.

I hope this helps a little :)
 
Yes, the different blade shapes are good for different tasks. I usually carry a stockman, so I have:
A clip-point blade for general tasks such as opening packages and minor food prep.
A spey-point blade for tasks when penetration is bad, such as skinning or cutting open pocket flaps on new clothes.
A sheepsfoot blade with a leading edge for cutting through tough material like leather, or scoring materials like kydex.

I've grown to rely on the diversity that each of these blades affords me in my day-to-day tasks.
 
what they said :)
I used to wonder the same thing about all those blades on traditionals back my previous life as a SAK-nut.
Looking at the historical uses of the knife can be helpful - a trapper has a secondary blade with a straight edge curving up at the edge which is perfect for castrating cattle - the straight edge means it can be quickly re-sharpened, when a lot of cattle are being processed. The primary clip is used for everything else. The multi-blades on a whittling knife have an obvious function of facilitating different carving cuts in wood etc.
For personal use, I like having a second razor sharp blade handy as backup, something with some belly helps for slicing food etc, whereas a wharncliffe as a secondary is good for piercing cuts.
(edited to take into account newer posts)
 
Growing up in NYC, the three blade stockman had different uses than out on the range. The spay blade was for neutering members of rival gangs...the sheepfoot for slashing tires and the clip blade for making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. :p

As the other fellas have mentioned, each blade was designed with a specific (or general) use in mind though nowadays many of us don't use them specifically for those tasks.

I'm happy with anything from single to three bladed knives but one of the joys of the multi-blade (beyond the appreciation of the construction) is having the option of one blade for rough or dirty jobs while being able to maintain the other{s) for more delicate and cleaner tasks.

Stick around and you'll get a lot of great ideas from the members here.
 
Blues said:
Growing up in NYC, the three blade stockman had different uses than out on the range. The spay blade was for neutering members of rival gangs...the sheepfoot for slashing tires and the clip blade for making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. :p

.
Click to expand...

Now that is funny. Thank God I'm a Country Boy.

jwh
 
jwh said:
Now that is funny. Thank God I'm a Country Boy.

jwh
Click to expand...

You and me both...it took me a while to move to the country but I've never regretted it. :cool::thumbup:
 
Clip blade: Great food/steak knife, letter opener, and useful for 'pick & poke' tasks like investigating and/or retrieving stuff found on the ground, where a longer blade reach might be an advantage.

Sheepsfoot (or wharncliffe): Very versatile as a package & box opener. Perfect for plastic clamshell packaging. A well-sharpened tip on it makes all the difference.

Spey: As was intended in it's original design, it's great for slicing stuff in tight places where avoiding poking/piercing/snagging with the tip is important. I also use mine for more 'surgical' type tasks, like trimming nails or those pesky little bits of dry skin next to the fingernails. Another task well-suited for it, performed recently, was when I was cutting a large piece of synthetic chamois. Initially tried a pair of scissors, and they wouldn't cut the material. I folded the piece in half, and used my spey (on a Schrade 8OT stockman) to slice along the fold from underneath. The rounded tip profile of the spey was ideal, in that it wouldn't snag in the material as I was cutting.

Pen: Smaller & narrower pen blades are great for piercing & cutting small-diameter holes in material, where the narrowness (spine to edge) of the blade makes it easier to turn or 'steer' the blade in a small radius. Sort of the same philosophy as the long, narrow blade of a 'melon tester' knife, used for cutting sample 'plugs' from fruit, but the pen blade is shorter.

The main advantage of having multiple blades available in one package, as I see it, is that it's much less worrisome if you happen to dull or damage one blade. Still have another (or two) available for 'backup' use. Just keep them all sharp, and you'll have no worries. :)
 
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All of this is true.

But not necessary for carrying a traditional. Plenty of single blade traditionals too.
 
All has been said before...but there are also rumours that the variety of blade styles and combinations is just to keep our attention up and widen the range of our choices.
Like putting many bright colors on candies...no child can resist the temptation of choosing one (or more :D)
Welcome to the club...once you feel the lure, you're doomed :rolleyes:

Fausto
:cool:
 
As the others have mentioned, a spey blade is great for more surgical tasks, because the tip won't catch like a spear blade and it doesn't end abruptly like a sheepsfoot. A sheepsfoot, to me, is for push cuts, opening packages, and when I need to do some small scale batoning (like pushing into the endgrain of a stick to make a fishing spear). Sheepsfoot blades are also nice because they sharpen up easy and fast. Knives with multiple copies of blades, like a congress, would be nice to have different grinds on each copy of a blade, like having a stong and wide grind on one sheepsfoot, while having a thin and scalpel sharp gring on the other.

Save yourself while you still can :D,
Connor
 
All the guys said is true, I only want to add that you can sharpen differently the different blades, I usually carry a jack knife in which I keep the main blade with a razor polish edge with a low angle while I keep the pen blade with a roughest edge and more obtuse or viceversa.
mateo
 
lutejones said:
All the guys said is true, I only want to add that you can sharpen differently the different blades, I usually carry a jack knife in which I keep the main blade with a razor polish edge with a low angle while I keep the pen blade with a roughest edge and more obtuse or viceversa.
mateo
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That makes sense. I couldn't have ever guessed all these reasons you guys are coming up with...but it makes much more sense now. Thanks.
 
I also had to look up about 8 different blade types. So...I learned something else new, and I thank you again.
 
Now that you've received helpful and knowledgeable replies, I'll add that I like more than one blade because much of the pleasure I derive from my pocketknives is in opening and closing the blades, seeing how the different pieces fit together, contemplating the design decisions and execution that result not only in the knife's appearance (the first impression) but how it feels in hand when each of its different blades are in use (including, how the unopened blade or blades feel in my grip).

I'm an inveterate fiddler, and prefer a minimum of two blades.

:)

~ P.
 
pertinux said:
Now that you've received helpful and knowledgeable replies, I'll add that I like more than one blade because much of the pleasure I derive from my pocketknives is in opening and closing the blades, seeing how the different pieces fit together, contemplating the design decisions and execution that result not only in the knife's appearance (the first impression) but how it feels in hand when each of its different blades are in use (including, how the unopened blade or blades feel in my grip).

I'm an inveterate fiddler, and prefer a minimum of two blades.

:)

~ P.
Click to expand...

Knife pornography to say it shortly ;)
 
lutejones said:
Knife pornography to say it shortly ;)
Click to expand...

th_huh.gif



th_sly.gif



Urm....


Uh, no.


:rolleyes:


(Maybe it's a guy thing? ;))


~ P.
 
It should be, hehe. :)

Sometimes I forget you are a woman, sorry.

Anyway, I call knife pornography to look so closely at all construction details, etc.
Regards,
Mateo
 
Harrumph.
Lets watch the comments, gentlemen.
 
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