The Fine Art of Cutting

J

Josh Feltman

Joined
Feb 12, 2001
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I know this is an odd question, and way too broad to answer, but is cutting an art? Is there a right way and a wrong way to cut things? I know that there are tons of variables here like edge geometry, blade shape, and blade size, not to mention the substance being cut. I ask this question in part because I have read comments about cutting freehanging manilla rope being a bad test of a blade's cutting ability, because the way in which the cut is made can affect the results. Is this just referring to a slicing cut versus a push cut of sorts? Can any of you folks out there offer any tips about improving cutting efficiency to a newbie?
--Josh
 
I'm no expert on rope cutting, but almost every time that I have done it I have learned something and improved. Needless to say, the angle of attack is pretty critical. It is also very important to make blade-to-rope contact at the right spot on the blade. My first few cuts with a bowie were too close to the tip and the knife sort of "slid off" the rope. I found that I needed to make contact much closer to the handle than one would assume.

The blade speed and follow through are also very important. If you have any tendency to hack, you won't get a good cut.

One very important thing is to keep your off hand against your chest or behind your back. Some inexperienced people have cut themselves on the follow through.

I'm sure there are many people with lots more experience than I who can add useful information on this subject.

DPD.
 
There IS an art to cutting!
I went to a Japanese restaurant and I was amazed at the quickness and precision and cutting acuracy the chef demonstrated.
I don't know about the hanging rope thing.
 
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