Variable Grind for Chopper

[Sam Wilson]

Has anyone done a variable type grind for a chopper before? And what I mean is this: On a large blade (8"-9"), about two inches or so forward of the ricasso, thin the grind down at the spine, and then gradually taper it back out toward the tip, and then distally taper the tip out as normal? I'm not sure if that makes sense, but on 1/4" stock, it would be 1/4" thick for about 2", taper down to slightly under 1/4", and then taper back out to full thickness before the tip. I know that sounds different, but I did it on a test blade, and it gives the knife a more weight-forward balance, and that thing chops like a demon. It almost has the balance of a recurve, but with a straight blade.

I would be interested to hear thoughts on this. I'm sure I'm not the only one who has thought of this, so if anyone has any experience with it I would be particularly interested to hear about it. But feel free to chime in with thoughts or suggestions. I can't think of any reason this would weaken the blade, or cause any potential problems, but I'm obviously very new to this. If there are potential pitfalls to doing this, by all means, please let me know. Thank you,

Sam :thumbup:

 

[james terrio]

Yes, it has been done, and yes, it's a valid way to provide a thinner edge near the handle and a more robust grind out near the tip for chopping. It's also a good way to deal with issues of balance.

Go for it. :thumbup:

 

[Sam Wilson]

Yes, it has been done, and yes, it's a valid way to provide a thinner edge near the handle and a more robust grind out near the tip for chopping. It's also a good way to deal with issues of balance.

Go for it. :thumbup:

Thank you, James. Glad to know I'm not crazy. I did a full flat grind on the blade, and basically varied the thickness at the spine, to make it a little lighter in the middle of the blade, and shift the weight toward the tip. I will continue to work with it, but so far, I am very impressed at the weight-forward feel of the blade. Thanks for the input. :thumbup: