Sharp as a Peanut?

lutejones said:
hello,
in my opinion the blade geometry has a lot to do with the cutting capability, but only in cutting throught materials, because a blade too thick will wedge into the material instead of cleanly going throught it.
BUT... in push cutting paper I think It's only a matter of pure sharpness, for example my endura 4 saber grind finished with 6000 grit and strop cuts print and phonebook paper like mad, much better than a boker barlow finished with the ceramic side of a fallkniven dc4. However the Endura hasn't got any chance with an apple against the full flat grind less than 2mm thick blade of the barlow.

I've seen a gransfors&brooks axe push cut print paper with no effort in a ray mears video.
regards, Lute
Click to expand...

I use a kalamazoo 1SM to sharpen my axes, choppers, machetes, large fixed blades, lawn mower blades...etc.

It is easy to get any of the above to push cut newspaper. It really doesn't matter how thick the blade geometry is.

Here is a quick video of a thick thick chopper cutting thin hanging newspaper.

[video=youtube;umlkJh65pus]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umlkJh65pus[/video]

My GB splitting axes will do the same. Even cheap machetes and hardware store axes can be brought to this level easily.

With that said it shows how an edge is finished is key to sharpness. However, geometry still cuts.

It is my opinion that Opinels/peanuts are known for 'off the stone sharpness' for a couple reasons.

First the blade profile is so thin there is not much of an edge bevel. Therefore it takes little skill to make consistent contact with the cutting edge during honing.

Second, most people do not cut paper day to day, and like you said, when material separation comes into play, so does edge geometry.

:)
 
I'm going to ask a very naive question here, so please forgive me in advance.

If the thinner blades cut better, what is the benefit of a thicker blade? My White Owl has what I consider a "standard" pocket knife sized blade. By my eye, it looks the same thickness as an Alox SAK. And I've managed to get the blade as sharp as a new Vic right out of the box (which has always been sharp enough for me) and yet the peanut sails through paper and even clothesline much more smoothly than any other knife I've tried.

Why the thicker blades?
 
SubSpace said:
I'm going to ask a very naive question here, so please forgive me in advance.

If the thinner blades cut better, what is the benefit of a thicker blade? My White Owl has what I consider a "standard" pocket knife sized blade. By my eye, it looks the same thickness as an Alox SAK. And I've managed to get the blade as sharp as a new Vic right out of the box (which has always been sharp enough for me) and yet the peanut sails through paper and even clothesline much more smoothly than any other knife I've tried.

Why the thicker blades?
Click to expand...

I believe is has to do with what you are cutting. Thicker blades for tougher cutting tasks. Most wilderness knives are thick so you can hit the spine with something heavy to help split wood and such.
 
SubSpace said:
I'm going to ask a very naive question here, so please forgive me in advance.

If the thinner blades cut better, what is the benefit of a thicker blade? My White Owl has what I consider a "standard" pocket knife sized blade. By my eye, it looks the same thickness as an Alox SAK. And I've managed to get the blade as sharp as a new Vic right out of the box (which has always been sharp enough for me) and yet the peanut sails through paper and even clothesline much more smoothly than any other knife I've tried.

Why the thicker blades?
Click to expand...

Because a lot of people feel like they need a huge blade. Thin blades cut better and are easier to sharpen because you remove less metal. Try cutting with an opinel paring knife. The blade is very thin. The carbon steel one is easy to sharpen. Cuts like crazy.
 
Fanglekai said:
Because a lot of people feel like they need a huge blade. Thin blades cut better and are easier to sharpen because you remove less metal. Try cutting with an opinel paring knife. The blade is very thin. The carbon steel one is easy to sharpen. Cuts like crazy.
Click to expand...

:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top