Toughest Materials That You Cut Through

[Grantard]

Lots of dirt filled burlap and rope during spring/summer planting, dulls everything I've thrown at it.. But I got a serrated Tasman salt late in the season..needs a lil sharpening now but I've been impressed so far!
Also end up having to cut open a lot of plastic pots, some are pretty thick plastic and I've started to just use my root chopping hatchet instead

 

[Horsewright]

I cut leather for a living.

It can be very tough, but the right knife, properly sharpened, can handle it. These are bulldog tapaderos, stirrup covers, made from the butt section of a 13/15 oz side of saddle leather. This was the heaviest leather I have ever worked with. Had to stop and strop the knife a couple of times cutting these puppies out.

As a rancher too, I still cut leather for a living, just before it's tanned. Salty is making this bull calf a steer calf. I'm standing by with the branding iron, waiting for Salty to be finished.

All cattle are branded here by law.

Many ranches also have an "earmark" a design cut into one or both ears. We don't have one but both ranches on either side of us do. The earmarks are registered with the state just like a brand is. Earmarks can be visible at a much greater distance than a brand and they don't hair up in the winter time which can make seeing a brand difficult. Here the wife is cutting an ear mark helping out the neighbors. This ear leather is just TOUGH!

 

[rje58]

One time thing: PVC plumbing pipe to make an emergency repair. Ontario Rat 1 held it's own, came thru unscathed and the plumbing leak was permanently fixed.

 

[The Aflac Duck]

Dirty silt fence destroys edges almost instantly. Cut a bunch of that on a few jobs.

Cardboard that's been sitting around on a construction site is also pretty rough. It cakes up with concrete dust and other nasty abrasive stuff that will ruin an edge.

 

[navman]

sand bags (filled), Kevlar tow straps and nylon reinforced boat lines. All will dull a blade pretty quick. One of the reasons I am a HUGE fan of the aggressive cutting, high carbide stainless steels like 20CV, S90V and S110V. They will hold an aggressive edge for a long time and not rust working around salt/brackish water and caustic chemicals.

 

[Faiaoga]

wood, plastic, plaster, electric wires... this kind of things

Almost all of my cutting is household or classroom. Some cutting tasks should probably be left for dedicated shears, saws and other specialized tools. A pocket knife is usually not adequate.

 

[Todd21969]

Some cutting tasks should probably be left for dedicated shears, saws and other specialized tools. A pocket knife is usually not adequate.

I agree.

Though specialized tools are not always available. I'll misuse any tool to get the job done. Including my pocket knife.

Our machines have 3 man crews. If one goes down and I can't get it back up in a reasonable time well then 3 of my guys go home early. They have bills to pay.

 

[T. Erdelyi]

I cut leather for a living.

It can be very tough, but the right knife, properly sharpened, can handle it. These are bulldog tapaderos, stirrup covers, made from the butt section of a 13/15 oz side of saddle leather. This was the heaviest leather I have ever worked with. Had to stop and strop the knife a couple of times cutting these puppies out.

...

Very cool indeed, grew up around farms, mostly small 100-200 acres and there was always stuff available, certainly no shortage of things to dull a knife. From cleanin' out the horse's hooves to Cuttin' bailed hay to sacks of oats.

I think it's great that you cut leather for a livin'. I have a friend of mom's in CO who grows leather for a livin' just kiddin' with you. I really do know someone who grows cattle, whenever I see him he hands me a bucket of edged things to resharpen for him.

 

[Phixt]

Those damned stumps on those squashes n stuff; it's not like vegetation or dirt, it's like super compacted clay. And it's always right there where you want to split the gourd and keep the pockets to pile on the bacon n parm n stuff.

What do yinz do for the clay stumps?

 

[anthonycastorena2014]

Just wandering what some of the toughest stuff you guys cut through, either on a regular basis or just a one time thing. Im not talking cutting drywall but things that are actually practical to use an EDC knife for.
Some of the toughest stuff I have cut by far is some kydex foam a ordered a while back. I had just finished cutting out the out foam which was much easier to cut but did have some glue in it so my ffg manix in s30 wasn't hair popping sharp. But either way, that stuff felt like cutting through a tire. It was so dense and sticky it took a bunch of muscle. I even tried a razor blade but it wasn't any better, and the blade was not long enough.
Another really annoying material I have to cut on a regular basis is leather. JEEZ i would not expect that stuff to be so tough. Im not talking holding the leather up and push cutting it, I mean making controlled cuts when I am making a sheath. I actually modified a blade on one of my case knives just to cut leather before I got a good carpet knife which works much better.
So whats some tough materials you guys have to cut through?

This is an awesome thread. Ironically enough I really need a sheath made for my CS Recon scout. I would like a sheath similar to the Ontario hells bell sheath, is this something you can do? Please shoot me an email if you can.

Anthonycastorena2014@gmail.com

 

[buffalo01]

Parachute retarded fins off of Mk series bombs.
All sorts of super tough material.

First bomb was ok.
Second set was rough.
On the third bomb. PE section was toast
so I used the serrations and when I was done
cutting.
The blade was destroyed on my
740 Dejavoo.

The Dejavoo went into Benchmade for a blade swap.
Notice the teeth are almost flat.

Okay I think you win lol that was pretty badass.

 

[buffalo01]

I would like to add that for some reason some cardboard is super hard on an edge.. I think. I tried cutting into a cardboard tube that had some 105 steel in it that was super thick. I had a hair popping edge on my griptilian and it was completely dull by the time I made one cut through it. Im not sure if it was some kind of super cardboard or if I had a wire edge, but that thing would even grab my thumbnail when I finished.

 

[buffalo01]

This is an awesome thread. Ironically enough I really need a sheath made for my CS Recon scout. I would like a sheath similar to the Ontario hells bell sheath, is this something you can do? Please shoot me an email if you can.

Anthonycastorena2014@gmail.com

I was wanting to make it for a while but was not sure if it would pick up.
But Trust me their are better people for the job to make you a sheath haha I can make a decent sheath but I allways tell people I make knives, Im not a leatherworker!

 

[Phixt]

I would like to add that for some reason some cardboard is super hard on an edge.. I think. I tried cutting into a cardboard tube that had some 105 steel in it that was super thick. I had a hair popping edge on my griptilian and it was completely dull by the time I made one cut through it. Im not sure if it was some kind of super cardboard or if I had a wire edge, but that thing would even grab my thumbnail when I finished.

Steel is known to do that to hair popping edges!

 

[buffalo01]

Steel is known to do that to hair popping edges!

Haha that very well might have been what had happened. But either way I take extra care to debur when sharpening, especially on customers knives.

 

[Ajack60]

I would like to add that for some reason some cardboard is super hard on an edge.. I think. I tried cutting into a cardboard tube that had some 105 steel in it that was super thick. I had a hair popping edge on my griptilian and it was completely dull by the time I made one cut through it. Im not sure if it was some kind of super cardboard or if I had a wire edge, but that thing would even grab my thumbnail when I finished.

I've learned that some cardboards have binders that give it added strength. I've cut some cardboard that had string/twine embedded in it. I would think some cardboards are rated for different weights/stress for different applications.

 

[LG&M]

Asphalt shingles, tough & dirty, old carpet also. Cardboard is more common for me.