Problems with a chisel edge.

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yepimonfire

Joined
Nov 7, 2013
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My brother just got an emerson and neither of us for the life of us can figure out how to cut certain things without it either binding or forcing us to cut at a weird angle. Any tips?
 
What exactly are you trying to cut that you're having problems with. While I was initially taken aback with my first Emerson Mini CQC-7's chisel grind, research led me to conclude there is a valid rationale for such a grind; that said, I haven't had any issues cutting rope, meats, veggies, and cardboard during my initial personal knife evaluation.
 
Veggies were the worst offender actually. Things like carrots or potatoes just split rather then cut. Cardboard did fine once I figured how to get a straight cut, things like tubing would never cut at a 90 degree angle.
 
You might not be using the correct tool for the job. I've not had any issues cutting certain things with a chisel edge, the entire blade being chisel ground is an entirely different thing. What knife are you using exactly, you didn't make any mention of it.If you want to slice something into thin pieces, then you want something with a very thin behind the edge type of knife. Most Western kitchen knives are either full flat, high flat, saber, or convex ground edge. I don't use my pocket knives for kitchen duty though. You'd have better results using a kitchen knife. ;)
 
Yes, if you're at home using a chisel ground folder for culinary duties, you're going to be disappointed in that your produce will not be evenly sliced, diced and pretty...but most importantly, you're using the wrong tool; unless of course your folding knife is the only knife in your home. Insofar as using the knife in food prep while camping, I don't think anybody really cares if a carrot is split or cut.:)
 
Emerson chisel grinds are made to cut flesh.
Many production knives, like Emerson, Spyderco, etc have the secondary bevel sharpened as a chisel edge, while the main grind is a "V" type. I have no problem cutting with these types of edges...maybe practice makes perfect?
OTOH, I have several Japanese kitchen knives that are chisel ground, although the opposite side from an Emerson blade. They work wonderfully for kitchen prep.
 
Yester5 said:
Emerson chisel grinds are made to cut flesh.
Many production knives, like Emerson, Spyderco, etc have the secondary bevel sharpened as a chisel edge, while the main grind is a "V" type. I have no problem cutting with these types of edges...maybe practice makes perfect?
OTOH, I have several Japanese kitchen knives that are chisel ground, although the opposite side from an Emerson blade. They work wonderfully for kitchen prep.
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Indeed, they are thin stock, and very tall and have a very low angle on the grind.
 
Nothing ruins a perfectly good apple quite like an Emerson. Get an Opinel and slice away!😄
 
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I actually prefer to use my chisel-ground Emersons whenever I have apples.
 
Which Emerson did your brother get? Knowing if the knife is a full chisel or V ground with chisel secondary bevel makes some difference. In terms of the full chisel ground knives, the grinds are backwards compared to Japanese chisel ground kitchen knives. They would work well doing food prep for a left handed person potentially, but are still not exactly the right tool for the job. A V ground knife with chisel secondary is less pronounced, but still tends to cut to the side as you've discovered.
 
It's a kershaw collab cqc8k full chisel ground. Does anyone know if all the kershaw collabs are chisels? I really love the way the knife looks and feels in the hand. It is full chisel on the primary grind
 
I believe the CQC-8K is the only one that's chisel ground of the Kershaw-Emerson collabs. All the rest have a V grind.
 
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