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Questions regarding edge angle on an RD7

H

hwyhobo

Joined
Jan 23, 2006
Messages
366
I am about to pull the trigger on an Orange Micarca 7" Ranger. I love the way they look and their apparant sturdiness. However, I have one concern. I've read on this forum repeatedly that the angle of the edge is rather wide, and it is hard to do fine cutting with it. I am not looking for a kitchen knife, but I am not looking for a sharpened club, either. I don't have any machines or tools that would allow me to reprofile the edge to what I like (which I have read a few people here did to get what they wanted).

To make sure we're on the same page, I've included a little drawing to illustrate what I mean. This to me is a 90 degree edge angle:

knifeangle.jpg


Here are my questions:

1. What is this angle on an RD7?
2. For comparison, does anyone know what this angle is on an BK7 (which is reputably a good cutter)?
3. What is a usable angle on such a knife to allow good slicing but not to weaken it too much?
4. Has anyone had Justin adjust/reprofile the edge? If so, how much did it cost (I am looking to buy from a retailer)?

Thanks.
 
I don't know the exact angle on my RD7, but it is *very* thick. I thinned out my Becker BK7 also down to about 25 deg, but the Ranger is much thicker than the Becker. I don't know if Justin would thin it out, or if so, how much it would cost. I'm going to do it myself, but it's going to take a while.
 
That angle on the BK7 I was was about 32, it was about 35 on the BK9, you also need to consider the thickness of the edge behind the bevel which will also significantly influence cutting ability. What is the hardest thing you want to do with your RD knife and not have it significantly damaged? Adjusting the angle is typically minutes on a belt sander. Justin has a forum on Knifeforums, you might want to ask him directly there. There are two distinct versions of the RD series, sabre hollow and full flat which ran a slimmer edge profile. Recently he has been offering wood working profiles in full flat which are more reduced still, basically custom ground.

-Cliff
 
Cliff Stamp said:
There are two distinct versions of the RD series, sabre hollow and full flat which ran a slimmer edge profile.
Click to expand...
I was looking at the full flat, or at least that's what the retailer told me it was.

I do not intend to use it full-time in a heavy duty fashion, but I do like something sturdy. I guess it fits my personality better. ;) I would like it to be able to chop and dig if necessary, but primarily to cut and slice. Full-flat grind is more visually appealing to me, too.
 
For just chopping, if you are just getting into it, and starting on not overly soft woods, I would recommend 0.025" x 15 degrees per side as a starting point. As you get more experienced you can reduce it, basically add a relief as you hone, but you have to be really skilled, or work on really soft woods to go much under either or those, and that profile will take a lot of work without signifiant harm.

If your wood is of really low quality, lots of knots, twisted grain, or just exceptionally dense you may want to run a micro-bevel at 20 (or similar) when you resharpen, just check the very edge and the extent of deformation. If you want to baton, move the thickness up to 0.030", 0.035" if you are above average in strength or aggression and want to chisel cut knots, the angle should likely be increased as well, have a macro-bevel at 20 about a mm or so wide.

For digging, the edge mainly gets damaged by direct impaction, so the edge angle is critical. If you are doing a lot of it, you will want the edge at above 15, maybe up to 25 as a marco-bevel at a mm or so wide, if the soil is bad and you are really aggressive, but generally with some thought to technique, and more precison and less raw strength, even 15 is enough to prevent significant damage and just require a few minutes on a stone to rehone the edge. The edge thickness generally isn't a concern with digging as wood chopping profiles are generally sturdy enough as you are more cutting the soil than chopping it.

-Cliff
 
I have an RD7 that started out hollow ground. After I used it for awhile and found the edge too thick for my needs. I contacted Justin about having it re-ground to flat and having the edge thinned and he gladly did the work. All I did was cover shipping. Works great now! In and out in about 2 weeks mostly from the UPS shipping time.
 
Give Justin a call. You can send him th eknife and he will fix it up for you if you want a thinner edge. He has done it for others and as far as I know only charges shipping. He is a great guy to deal with.
 
Thank you all for your kind and detailed advice. I will report on the results in the future.
 
Thanks again.

For comparison, I was thinking about edge angles on common combat knives. Are the angles typically smaller on those? 25 degrees?
 
Typical combat/tactical knives are fairly obtuse 20 to 25 degrees per side, a lot heavier than you need for wood working.

-Cliff
 
My flat-sabre ground orange micarta RD7(believe these are exclusive to sagecreekoutfitters-great people to deal with, btw) had an edge about .062" at the start of the bevel, which was narrow, and somewhere in the neighborhood of 80 degrees included.
Hopefully mine is not typical, but if it is, you better have a belt sander...
 
OwenM said:
My flat-sabre ground orange micarta RD7(believe these are exclusive to sagecreekoutfitters-great people to deal with, btw)
Click to expand...
That's the outfit I ordered mine from.

had an edge about .062" at the start of the bevel, which was narrow, and somewhere in the neighborhood of 80 degrees included.
Click to expand...
:eek:

Wow. I was under the impression it was a full-flat grind with a more narrow angle. 80 degrees that's a sharpened prybar.

Hopefully mine is not typical, but if it is, you better have a belt sander...
Click to expand...
I guess I better. :eek:
 
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