time for a little lesson (err i got a question)

Rsmith_77

Rsmith_77

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Jun 4, 2010
Messages
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I keep seeing people talking about jacknives.
so i am curious, what makes a folder a jacknive and how is it different from other folders

thanks in advance
 
I believe a Jacknife is a 2 bladed slipjoint in which both blades open at the same end. I could be wrong though.
 
Thanks for the confirmation, Carl.

So I guess that means that there are many patterns that fall under the Jacknife classification but are not commonly referred to as Jacknives? Paterns like the Peanut, Trapper, Barlow, etc?
 
Railsplitter said:
Thanks for the confirmation, Carl.

So I guess that means that there are many patterns that fall under the Jacknife classification but are not commonly referred to as Jacknives? Paterns like the Peanut, Trapper, Barlow, etc?
Click to expand...

Correct -- basically a jack knife in most general terms is just a folding knife that has all it blades pivoted at one end. This can be one blade or a dozen blades - still a jack knife. Now to confuse things, there are the various patterns called "jacks" which are jack knives, but not all jack knives are "jacks" -- thus we get into all the special pattern names.
 
I've sort of wondered too, about how specific the term 'jackknife' is. Depending upon where I've looked up a 'definition', it ranges from simply 'a large pocketknife' to something a little more specific, like 'a pocketknife with one or more blades, designed to fold into a recess in the handle'.

I generally associate the term with a one or two-bladed folder (large or small), with the pivot at one end only.
 
hehe
so yeah, lots of knives are technically jacknives..who knew
strange i dont have one :/
 
Interesting topic. I did not know that single bladed slippies were Jacknives.

I'm learning something here.:thumbup:
 
There are two general families of traditional folding knives - jack knives, which have all their blades pivoting at one end; and pen knives, which have blades pivoting at both ends. This is the "technical" definition, when you're wanting to classify patterns -- BRL breaks it down this way. Then there are specific patterns that are called "jacks" and other specific patterns that are called "pens" -- but these are just more specific patterns that fall within their respective families.
 
I am assuming this term only applies to slip joints and not lock backs or other locking blade knives? i.e. frame locks, liner locks, etc.?
 
This topic has been discuss before (of course) ;) Here http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=621393
The backspring folding knife was invented in 1711 by a French man named Jacque de Liege. Folding knives had been around for a very long time but the backspring (to keep the blade either opened or closed was the real improvement)
So anyway the backspring folding knife was called a 'Jack" after the inventor. So really any inward folding backspring knife is a "Jack" but over time the interpretation of the word has changed.

Dave
 
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nice info! so the trapper I've got here is a Jack knife! wow, good to know!

tought it was a 2 bladed knife, both blades at an end but one big one small (clip and pen blade eg)
like this one, called "serpentine jack"
DSCN0629.jpg


BUT I see I was wrong, goood to know
Maxx
 
This was very informative for me. I've always wondered the same thing but wasn't sure about how to ask it. :)
 
Mad_Maxx said:
nice info! so the trapper I've got here is a Jack knife! wow, good to know!

tought it was a 2 bladed knife, both blades at an end but one big one small (clip and pen blade eg)
like this one, called "serpentine jack"
DSCN0629.jpg


BUT I see I was wrong, goood to know
Maxx
Click to expand...
You're not wrong! Just not fully correct, since there are more variations that also fall into the same category.
 
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