The "Ask Nathan a Question" Thread

ManOfSteel89 said:
@Jo the Machinist I'm DYING for some burlap scales. Think that'll ever happen? Some of that tangerine burlap on a NASK is what I need in my life!
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Previously on the fancy scales attempts for the FK and EDC, more than $1000 worth of ShadeTree ended up getting scrapped as it didn't work with their process for handles. I doubt Nathan or Jo will be looking to duplicate that anytime soon!!
 
JustinFournier said:
You know a guy who does well in wood. Maybe he would be interested in learning a cyanoacrylate finishing technique for the ShadeTree?
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I just spoke to him actually lol. We have to discuss what's involved. I love wood and micarta scales but that burlap is a different animal and is totally eye-catching IMO. I wish it was as "easy" as micarta. Idk if micarta is easy but apparently the shadetree stuff is a pain.
 
" Nathan "

Maybe this is just a simple question, but one I've always wondered about. On a saber ground knife, besides edge angle. What sets where the grind line is ?? I've seen some knife blades where it's almost half way near middle of the blade ? Some more near to the spine ? Just curious
Thanks
 
Im not Nathan Duramax, but one guess would be what thickness behind the edge the maker is aiming for. A grind starting in the middle would make a thicker edge and further up would make a thinner one. I also think blade height figures into the equation b/c a wider blade can taper more acutely than a skinny one assuming spine thickness is the same.

People used to say that a saber grind starting further toward the edge made a stronger knife as far as the abuse it could take. With today's available steels and HT protocols I would think that no longer applies. Beyond those reasons, it's probably aesthetic.
 
We're not generally driven by aesthetic considerations.

People sometimes think about these things from the wrong direction. There are two basic considerations about the primary grind geometry, everything else is driven by that. There is the primary grind angle and there is the thickness behind the edge (BTE).

Without going into specifics about geometry, lets say a particular knife needs a primary grind angle of a certain amount for particular cutting characteristics and durability. And the same concerns drive the BTE thickness. You end up with a certain geometry that starts behind the edge and extrapolates out from there. Where it intersects your flats is driven by your stock thickness. Sometimes it's high, like on a kitchen knife where bevel durability is unimportant compared to slicing ability, sometimes it's low like a machete where the stock is thin and the bevels are thick (obtuse).

Your stock thickness is driven by gross blade durability considerations and weight. Most knives are better light (and thin stock leads to saber grinds, at a given bevel angle), but choppers need weight in particular places to work well.

Things you can do to increase the strength of a knife are increase the stock thickness (all else being equal, this raises the grind) and increase the primary grind angles (lowers the grind) and increase the BTE thickness (lowers the grind).

When we think of thickness, we're actually thinking of both the BTE and the primary grind angle, and sometimes they can be somewhat interchangeable because both effect the meat behind the edge and up in the blade that resist deformation and damage from rough use and chopping. I tend to go for moderate bevel grind angles and thinner BTE because it's durable and cuts well. A similar level of durability can be had with a full flat grind, but it would require a thicker BTE to achieve the same bevel stability. The durability in chopping might be the same, but the thinner BTE knife will generally make smaller cuts better, all else being equal. And there is a sweet spot for chopping wood, not just for durability but for penetration and resistance to sticking, and it is not super acute. <--- which in moderate thickness leads to a saber grind.

Also, all else being equal, the sharp corners behind the FFG will tend to stick in wood if buried. If one does a FFG that's used for chopping it helps to have some relief behind the bevels at the spine to reduce this. <--- which gets you back to being a saber grind...

There are arguments for all grind types (including compound grinds, convex grinds and S grinds) but I have gravitated towards saber grinds. The thing to remember is, your angles and thickness are what's important, they're just difficult to see. The resulting intersection lines are as much a function of stock thickness as angles. Letting these arbitrary lines drive a design without consideration of the underlining geometry is letting the tail wag the dog.
 
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" Nathan "

Wow, I'm so glad I asked. Thank you so much for taking the time out to answer and explain this. Very much appreciated. I'm starting to look at knives I own in a different way now lol. It really gives me a greater understanding of what it must take to get a knife where you want it.
Thanks again !!!


" Ratman79 "
Thank you also for your explanation on this
:-)
 
Hey Nathan.

I've been seeing some things written lately about a newer stainless steel for hard use knives called Nitro V. It's supposedly similar to AEB-L with some minor additions to the alloy that improve it greatly. All the usual next big thing, "it'll stiffen your thread and leaven your bread" stuff. I was just wondering what you knew and thought about it and if it's a steel you might experiment with in the future for your own knives.

Thanks.
 
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