SCANDI grind users input wanted

I like the Scandi knives very much an duse them almost exclusively--hard to find a better slicer because of the thin, fine edge they have. That being said I have used then for splitting wood with a baton and have not suffered and damage to the edge--they still hold an edge after this use.I tend to perefer the 1095, but the Sandvik stainless is very excellent becauseofit's fie grain and purity.

Natural-Outlaw
 
It's funny hearing people say that Scani's are hard to sharpen. In my opinion they are the EASIEST to sharpen. It takes no time at all to keep my blades sharp, my scandi's are the easiest and quickest knives I have to sharpen. But, I don't let them get super dull either.
 
Stingray.. I find scandis and convex ground knives easy to sharpen..but scandi is basically idiot proof.. I think from a maker prospective it's hard to sharpen as they have to hog off alot of steel.. for me a min or 2 on with a dmt and a piece of leather and I'm in buisness.
 
Make sure the bevel is one grind. I get frustrated when trying to sharpen a blade that has a few humps and valleys - I have to grind those out myself.

Looks like a good start for sure!

TF
 
Looks great to me bro but the easiest way to test it is to get outside and try cutting some wood !!!!
 
Thanks everyone for the compliments and input. This one is already sold to RescueRiley, he really liked it and it will be going to him some time next week. So thanks again and still feel free to give me your all important input on this blade. Doug
 
takes me about 10 minutes on a coote 2x72. I do a really rough removal with 36, then watch my angles closely with 60,120,220 grits. I generally get down to 1/32 on the edge, then clean up a touch on a stone (another 5 minutes) before going in for heat treat. After heat treat it's vinegar soak and then 320 grit on the belt and a finish with the apex sharpener- about another 15 minutes on the edge. (the apex isn't strictly necessary, but is nice for evening up angles on each side a touch and for getting that 1500 grit finish.

My angles are 11 degrees on a side, I've done a few at 9 degrees. All are freehand - 11 is my "natural" and 9 is what I end up with when I go thin.

Yours looks great.

Most traditional scandi grinds I've seen from production either have a secondary bevel or are noticeably convex. Not as noticeable as my "signature" (?) scandi-styled convex edge, but noticeable if you get out a guided sharpener.
 
Looks great, Doug! I just bought my first Scandi, a Frost's Craftsman (740) from Ben's Backwoods, can't wait to see how the grind performs after all I've heard about them. Yours looks great, and I hope you'll be offering more like it!

And just for all those having sharpening trouble, I stumbled across these on YouTube. There is some good info in these vids. There's a third part as well, which covers some basic knife usage and grips.

Ray Mears Bushcraft - 1

Ray Mears Bushcraft - 2
 
I have a Ray Mears/Alan Wood Woodlore Bushcrafter and a Mick Wardell Bushcrafter and both do not retain their edge very long if you give them a chisel grind.....sharpening by holding flat on the bevel. The bevel angles are too shallow to enable a long lasting edge to remain. It easily rolls....the bevels from memory are about 16 to 17 degrees ......which are more obtuse than the 10 degrees mentioned....but this only gives a final edge of 32 degrees to 34 degrees .....which is scalpel edge geometry.

You need to give a bit of a secondary more obtuse edge for it to retain its edge
in my experience.....Spyderco experimented with the best long lasting and sharpest edge geometry and came up with a 30 degree secondary and a 40 degree primary angle for best results. This is why the sharpmaker has these two angles....

If you watch the full video of Ray Mears sharpening his knife he does flat grind like a chisel and then he runs the blade along a landrover window at a steeper angle than the Scandi grind.....giving the pinnacle a probable 40 degree final edge. For me I use the Sharpmaker at 40 degrees after using the waterstones as Ray does.....this gives me by far a much longer lasting edge. Many people seem to think that the Scandi grind should be easy to sharpen because you hold it flat to the stone and you are then good to go.....

Try it and you will see what I mean....it is too thin an edge at what would be 20 degrees in total.....
 
The grinds are both at about 10 degrees +/-. The blade is made of 1/8" 1095.

This looks good. If the grind is 10 degrees (the V is 20) then you need to grind up to 9 mm along the side. It looks a little less.

A Mora is about 22 degrees. (The whole V)
A Finnish puukko can be less than 20 degrees, with a small microbevel.
 
Yer Blade looks good. I have used Scandi grind knives almost exclusively for the past 15-yrs or so. I find them one of the EASIEST blades to sharpen for two reasons. First having a single bevel one does not have to work to keep the bevel correct on the stone or daimond plate--it finds it intuitivly with the entire bevel being layed upon your stone. Secondly the 1095 or Sandvik 12C27 commonly used, holds a great edge and resharpens very easily.
 
I think there might be a misunderstanding about the scandinavian concept of microbevel. It is established after the grind has been sharpened. After the sharpening, it's a few very light passes on the stone on steeper angle, it's not a double bevel in the sense that you would only sharpen the bevel. I agree that it weakens the blade's performance on wood, but only slightly, unnoticeable to most, while giving strength for a hunter's blade to work meat, tendons and bones and the such. It will also make a scandi grind very much useable for edc.

As to sharpening a scandi grind, I have not come across any problems in sharpening it (in comparison with other grinds), haven't ever noticed it requiring more time or effort. The larger flat does help in keeping the angle correct and therefore keeping the blade's performance good for a long time. Most mistakes occur when wrong sharpening tools with very little knowledge of technique is used on these blades, but that goes for any grind. In my opinion biggest differences in sharpening come from the steel and it's heat treat. As with all blade edges, if you let it get real dull, it will require a lot of effort to get back to shaving sharp.
 
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