Rigging Knife Primary Bevel

W

Will Paterson

Joined
May 8, 2017
Messages
3
Hi there!
I'm in the process of making a rigging knife for traditional ship work. Will be used for general slicing and dicing, but also as a cleaver for chopping rope (the old mallet and chopping block technique), so will be pretty hefty.

Blade to be around 110mm long, 30mm high, and out of 4mm stock, sheep's foot point, with a 30 degree secondary bevel (nice and robust).

So my question: What angle for the primary bevel? I'd like the line where flat stock turns to primary bevel to be around 20mm from the knife edge, but I'm unsure of the thickness of material I want at the bottom of the primary bevel (where primary turns to secondary)

Any takers? How is this usually worked out?
Robustness is key.

Cheers,
Will.
 
Go with 1/4" thick and take the edge to .025. Then put your 30* on it.

That should do it.
 
Experience. That will make an edge that's quite durable in chopping.
 
The stock you described will work fine with a full flat grind and the geometry suggested by the other guys. The only reason to use thicker stock would be to make it easier on the mallet and not chew it up as bad.
I used to work on OSV's (Offshore supply vessels) in the gulf of Mexico so I've done a bit of rigging. I suggest making a Marlinspike from some 1/4" SS rod, adding a handle with the same material as the knife handle and adding a loop for it on the sheath. I didn't use mine very often but it was really nice to have it handy when the need arose.
 
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