Steel Thickness

[Willie71]

This has been interesting for me to read through, as I have recently been doing mental battle with this stock thickness question as i have been learning and trying different profiles. While I have been focusing mostly on kitchen knives, here is what I got:

first steel I ever bought was 0.06 O1. From that made a cleaver, a petty, a long slicer (sushi knife), and a modified paring knife. Worked ok for the smaller blades, but actually seems TOO thin for the slicer (too light to the feel, but a wonderful sharp blade). Also JT had some significant warpage issues with this stock. Overall thought - too thin.

made a couple skinners out of 0.12 ... while seemed to work ok, still seemed too heavy in the hand. Nice stiff blade ... but a skinner is not used as a hatchet, and should not be used as a pry-bar, right? Conclusion - too thick

WIP is a Yanagiba out of ~0.12. Still need to finish it, but I am worried it feels too heavy ..
Basically think it is too thick.

several styles (santoku, petty, paring knife) made from 0.09. Not bad. Users love them ... but even with a FFG grind, feel to me like they are too thick in the spine. Might be better on larger knives (western chefs knife, yanagiba, or gyuto), but too thick for others)

currently moving into the 0.07 range for (in progress) western chefs knife, santoku, western “utility” knife, and more of the paring knives. Will see on this, but I have high hopes for this thickness of stock (I wish it were more widely available in the alloys I want to try).

Trying to translate these thoughts to non kitchen knives ... styles that are used more for slicing rather than chopping without a lot of prying motion (skinners, filet, bird-and-trout), why not go with 0.07 - 0.09”? Something that is going to see more rugged use (EDC or bushcraft), maybe go up to the 0.09 -0.12 range?

FWIW...

I went through a very similar process. I rarely make a knife over 0.100” anymore. Even 5,5” hunters are 0.100”.

 

[Hubert S.]

To C Cushing H. 's analysis, I'd like to add the following data points:

I made a santoku from 0.08" and my wife does not like it, she says it's too light and feels flimsy. My daughter has been using it daily since March and recently picked up the Zwilling my wife normally uses because I was using the santoku. She said the Zwilling feels "clunky".

I have a cheap commercial santoku knife, don't remember the brand, that is about 0.08" as well, but has very little distal taper. It is very heavy compared to the one I made even though roughly the same thickness. My wife likes it even though it does not cut near as well.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that aside from the thickness, the distal taper and the end user can make all the difference...

 

[Josh K]

I always suggest that a new maker go to a sporting goods shop with a plastic micrometer.

Excellent advice. I measured my kitchen knives a few years ago and use that primarily to avoid buying new (thicker and less useful) kitchen knives

What’s a plastic micrometer though?

 

[Hubert S.]

Excellent advice. I measured my kitchen knives a few years ago and use that primarily to avoid buying new (thicker and less useful) kitchen knives

What’s a plastic micrometer though?

He probably meant plastic calipers.

 

[Josh K]

He probably meant plastic calipers.

That does make more sense. But I did google and apparently someone sells something plastic that looks a bit like a micrometer

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071RG2Z44/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_hE5yFbZVG6JEP

 

[Cushing H.]

So ... to add just a little to this .... That Yanagiba I mentioned above is based on stock of 0.15" thick. Having never held a Yanagiba in my life, I looked at a few commercial examples:
https://japanesechefsknife.com/coll...lue-steel-no-2-yanagiba-240mm-to-300mm-3sizes

which list blade thickness in the 0.13-0.15" range, so I bought the 0.15 (it is spicy white steel). I dont know .... maybe what I turn out will turn out ok .... but right now (profiled, partially ground, and heat treated) it just feels heavy. Maybe Stacy will have something to say about that...... ??

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

Harbor freight, $2.00 or $10

 

[Cushing H.]

Harbor freight, $2.00 or $10

BTW - at work we once did a series of gauge R&R analyses on these cheap plastic calipers .... and they actually turn out to be amazingly accurate and reproducible.....

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

One big plus besides being almost disposable is they don't rust or get ruined when using in wet/damp conditions. I don't think I would use a several hundred dollar micrometer/caliper in the grinding room.

 

[JTknives]

Harbor freight, $2.00 or $10

$900-$1000 for these 12” starrett calipers. But by far one of my favorites I own.

 

[Willie71]

One big plus besides being almost disposable is they don't rust or get ruined when using in wet/damp conditions. I don't think I would use a several hundred dollar micrometer/caliper in the grinding room.

I have a “better one” and it has a broken glass face, and is quite hard to read now. It wasn’t starrett, but not cheap either. For my workshops, I have a bunch of plastic ones at different work stations.

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

Same here. I have them sticking out of every pencil/pen cup, laying on all the benches, by the computer, and in the car. I buy 5 when they are on sale.

The Starrett and Mitutoyo calipers and micrometers rarely get taken out of the cabinet.