Scandi , I guess I just don't get it .

hank_rearden said:
you're talking about a blade that's basically flat on both sides but with a very prominent bevel grind near the edge that can easily be sharpened just by laying that bevel surface flat on the stone, right?
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Not exactly A "scandi" grind invented by the British "bushcrafters" (according to Scandinavian and Finn makers) is a saber grind with no secondary bevel. YOu can lay the single bevel on the stone to sharpen the knife. It is also called the "Zero edge" due to the lack of a secondary bevel.

Almost all knives made in Scandinavia and Finland have a secondary bevel.

Ideas are powerful.
 
BTW: scandi on my custom Leu. It wasn't my first choice of grind, but he pays homage to Hartsfield and so scandi it was.

62.5 HRC a2
harkanto.jpg

The burned looking area is actually Leu's reflection.
 
knifenut1013 said:
They work great on wood, actually they excel at cutting wood for all sorts of bushcraft needs.
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I have examined several dozen knives used and sharpened by professional wood carvers and all had a secondary convex grind on full flat primary grinds. Most were of the Sloyd pattern.

But what would they know? 0___0
 
Thomas Linton said:
I have examined several dozen knives used and sharpened by professional wood carvers and all had a secondary convex grind on full flat primary grinds. Most were of the Sloyd pattern.

But what would they know? 0___0
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I said it excelled at cutting wood not that it was the best edge configuration for the task.
 
Trying to explain it scientifically is a waste of time IMHO.

A classic laminated Mora and a large piece of wood is your ticket to understanding the scandi grind.

Try to carve a stake or spear tip, or just carve away at the wood until it is gone.

If you still don't understand why people like it after that, then I will offer to buy it from you for what you paid. (buy the classic, its my favorite and less than $30 all day:D)

My experience with them: Pertaining to wood cutting/ carving
They carve wood like butter and are more easily controlled than convex grinds IMO. I am able to get deeper cuts with scandi knives and shear much more material than with other grinds. The only thing that comes close are thin convex grinds, but they do not have the same stability in mid-cut that scandi blades do (they have more of a tendency to bite deeper than you can cut, or to push out of the cut -cutting short).

EDIT: about convexed scandi knives -after using a fresh scandi knife for a while, it will need sharpening. I sharpen freehand and even with the large bevel, I am sure that I get a little bit of a convex curve to it. I still consider this a scandi grind. A saber convex grind would have more of a pronounced curve.
 
I don't get the scandi grind hype either.I like a convex on my fixed blades.BTW big fan of your designs Ken,ever thought of swinging back through the Anderson area? Maybe a new design release at Grady's?
 
The Scandinavian moderator of the Scandi Forum at British Blades tried for years to dissuade members there of the notions that what they called the "Scandi grind" was either desirable or from Scandinavia. He gave up and seems to have left the forum. I have two of his custom knives. Saber ground with secondary bevel.

Calling the secondary bevel a "microbevel" rather than a "secondary bevel," which it is, seems to be an effort to claim that "She's only a little pregnant." "Almost a zero edge"?
 
they work well when you want to whittle or shape a piece of soft wood or carve something into it.

I don't know why but they do. the grind probably makes the knife stronger than a flat ground or hollow ground knife of the same stock - for prying or other hard use tasks.

imho, overall the scandi grind is an inferior grind that's still being used because of tradition and looks.
 
Well , Now i am intrigued . I have whittled a good bit in my day and have set enough deadfalls and snares to know what I'm doing and have carved enough axe handles with a spokeshave to last a lifetime . I am starting to understand the purpose of having a small fixed blade knife for shaping tools, weapons and traps . I like the idea of a knife that will work like a spokeshave /chisel and skive . So it makes sense to me so far to have a tool to do these tasks in the field. I can see it as a tool to keep in the backpack for those specialty purposes. Of course I'm just old enough and set in my ways enough to make sure I have what I need to live in the woods for a spell without having to carve a fork. But for those that want the experience of minimalist out door survival experience . I am starting to get the picture. Now I'm gonna have to make one and see how well it works . I have a few rems of some CPM M4 to make a pretty nasty cutter .

I appreciate all your input, I'm still not sold but I am looking forward to the ride. I'll be checking in regularly to see if there is still anything i am missing .
 
That Leu knife is actually the only knife in my possession that scares me in terms of getting cut. It's that frighteningly sharp. All my knives are hair whittling sharp, but this takes sharp to another level. It cuts cardboard surprisingly well considering the blade stock is 3/16.
 
monger4142 said:
they work well when you want to whittle or shape a piece of soft wood or carve something into it.

I don't know why but they do. the grind probably makes the knife stronger than a flat ground or hollow ground knife of the same stock - for prying or other hard use tasks.

imho, overall the scandi grind is an inferior grind that's still being used because of tradition and looks.
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Tradition in the UK of maybe ten-years standing.
 
Ken,

you could just get a simple Mora and try one out, but I'd recommend trying a handmade one if you really want to get the full spectrum. Mora- and Hultafors knives, for example, are a little bit too steeply grinded for the steel they use imho, so the edge chips or rolls. If you get one which is made by a reputable maker I'm sure you would see what all the fuss is about.

I like all sorts of grinds for different purposes, for bushcraft it is the zero scandi grind and above all, the zero convex grind. I really don't understand why people are using hollowgrinds at all (except for straights -- spine acts like a jig and the hollow bevel does not touch the stone). I can't use them for much, yet my hollow-ground knives are hair-poppin', like all my other blades. My hollowgrind knives just seem to wedge into everything, especially food or wood. So, you're not the only one who doesn't understand a particular grind, but I'm sure someone will enlighten me on this forum eventually.
 
Thomas Linton said:
The Scandinavian moderator of the Scandi Forum at British Blades tried for years to dissuade members there of the notions that what they called the "Scandi grind" was either desirable or from Scandinavia. He gave up and seems to have left the forum. I have two of his custom knives. Saber ground with secondary bevel.

Calling the secondary bevel a "microbevel" rather than a "secondary bevel," which it is, seems to be an effort to claim that "She's only a little pregnant." "Almost a zero edge"?
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Yes, many do put a secondary bevel on calling it a micro. I on the other hand have a decent idea of what a microbevel is and at what point its no longer micro.
 
Stoffi , I think I know a guy that can handle the build . He is a handsome SOB with a bit of a bad attitude and a lousy slow dancer .;)
 
rickc71 said:
I don't get the scandi grind hype either.
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Hypes are like watches down. They give the right time twice a day.

Thomas Linton said:
Calling the secondary bevel a "microbevel" rather than a "secondary bevel," which it is, seems to be an effort to claim that "She's only a little pregnant." "Almost a zero edge"?
Click to expand...

If there is a primary bevel then any other bevel can be said "secondary". So a microbevel is a secondary bevel. The use of the word "microbevel" is just there to indicate the size and the fact that it's a completion which increases the stability of the edge without changing really the cutting ability of the edge shaped by the primary bevels.

dantzk.
 
That particular grind has worked out pretty good for our needs over here , and has so for a long time now .

Personally I like all kinds of grinds , it depends on the application , oh and one funny thing I read here ,(I think it was here) was some guy saying his
Mora was cutting to deep.


My tip.
Normal use , no micro-bevel & for hard use , tiny tiny micro-bevel , like the first two weeks of pregnancy tiny.

1234,,,,,:D

PS , seems the Swedes have similar opinions , Stoffi ! :thumbup::D
 
I should clarify, a deeper longer shearing cut with the grain.;)

Not just depth, but the most depth while maintaining a long continuous shear.
 
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