Wharncliffe blade?

glamdring

glamdring

Joined
Dec 13, 2003
Messages
289
It seems that over the past few years that the wharncliffe blade has become increasingly popular. What use was this blade type designed for?
 
I have also noticed the increase in popularity of this style. Not sure what is was origanally designed for, but it is pretty handy to use and a breeze to sharpen, I still prefer a good clip or spear point myself.
 
Seems like it'd be a good shape for opening cardboard boxes and slicing through tape. I usually use a sheepsfoot blade for those tasks, but a wharncliffe looks like it'd be even better.
 
I heard it was designed for use on old sailing ships, so people diddent accidentally stab through there work/friends, not sure though
 
I appreciate wharnies for the sharpening ease. Blade is a straight edge, no tip fussing. They will grow on you too, just wait and see......I still love clips and spears too.
 
From what I have seen in British knife manufactures

A Sheepsfoot blade is parallel and ends in a sharp angle (British army clasp knive, or Farmers knife, or the blade in a stockman)
A Lambsfoot blade is parallel and ends with a curve, and narrower than a Sheepsfoot.

So...
When does a blade become a traditional Wharncliff?
 
The Wharncliffe has a much more 'streamlined' swept angle than the Sheepfoot, the latter ends abruptly at the end of the blade.

Wharncliffes may have become popular for aesthetic reasons, they look good and unusual! Moreover, they are practical cutters and slicers rather than gutters or stabbers.

The history of the origins of the blade are rather debatble. The Lord Wharncliffe as a title appeared in the 1820s as a reward for a rich and ambitious entrepreneur who had connexions with the cutlery industry in Sheffield,later on his descendants were big railway builders&owners. One of these Wharncliffes allegedly wanted a pocket knife with a blade stouter and thicker than the usual designs, a blade capable of heavier splitting/whittling work too. I have heard it said that early examples have been seen in catalogues from Sheffield from the 1850s but I suspect the design was around for a decade or two prior to this. It's interesting to see how the blade has indeed become more popular lately,both in fixed and folding forms. The next CASE/Bose collaboration will be featuring a Wharncliffe blade too and the pictures I've seen of it look fabulous.
 
Willgoy can you post a site that shows the pictures?
 
Tony Bose popularized the blade back when Jim Parker was over Case. Tony would modify the spey blade of the latest trapper he was carrying by grinding it down to a Wharncliffe shape, which was a more useful blade to him for cleaning game. When he started making the Bose Wharncliffe Trapper, he sent some to Parker in trade for damascus billets. Parker TOOK the pattern and started manufacturing them and it's the only Bose pattern that Case makes today without the standard "TB" pattern designation.

We can thank Tony for the renaissance of the Wharncliffe blade. ;)
 
Standard utility blades (i.e. box cutter or drywall knife) are wharncliffe style. There's no denying that it's a useful profile. Being easier to sharpen or manufacture is a bonus.
 
KnifeHead said:
Tony Bose popularized the blade back when Jim Parker was over Case. Tony would modify the spey blade of the latest trapper he was carrying by grinding it down to a Wharncliffe shape, which was a more useful blade to him for cleaning game. When he started making the Bose Wharncliffe Trapper, he sent some to Parker in trade for damascus billets. Parker TOOK the pattern and started manufacturing them and it's the only Bose pattern that Case makes today without the standard "TB" pattern designation.

We can thank Tony for the renaissance of the Wharncliffe blade. ;)
Click to expand...

Lol sounds like Parker.

Aside. The wharnie blade allows mininm contact with the cutting board when cutting. This keeps the blade from dulling quick. You notice this when cutting on a cermanic plate.
 
kidwholaughs said:
The wharnie blade allows mininm contact with the cutting board when cutting. This keeps the blade from dulling quick. You notice this when cutting on a cermanic plate.
Click to expand...

Actually, a wharncliffe blade allows you to have the full edge in contact with a cutting surface (such as a cutting board) unless you intend to only use the tip.
 
So what is the difference between a very old blade type the Lambsfoot and the Wharncliffe?
 
The best way to see the difference is with a picture.

Sheepsfoot
1611.jpg



Wharncliff:
31x8OY7TZfL._SL500_AA280_.jpg
 
Sheeps foot = spine and edge are parallel straight lines
Lambs foot = spine and edge are at a slight taper but straight lines
Wharncliffe = spine has a gentle arc and edge is straight
 
KnifeHead said:
Sheeps foot = spine and edge are parallel straight lines
Lambs foot = spine and edge are at a slight taper but straight lines
Wharncliffe = spine has a gentle arc and edge is straight
Click to expand...


What about the length of a true Warncliffe? Tony stated his blade was a modified Warncliffe, which I believe to be correct.
Sheffield Cutlery Co's. also put what they called modified Warncliffe's in knives, some of them were almost what we call spear blades today...

a_warncliffe_blade.jpg
 
Blues said:
Actually, a wharncliffe blade allows you to have the full edge in contact with a cutting surface (such as a cutting board) unless you intend to only use the tip.
Click to expand...

Exactly, most of the time, I tip the tip forward when slicing to keep the whole of the edge from dulling so that only the tip of the blade is in contact with the cutting board.
 
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kidwholaughs said:
Exactly, most of the time, I tip the tip forward wehen slicing to keep the who edge from dulling.
Click to expand...

Yea but by doin' that doesn't the leading/forward edge eventually through resharpening
develop a radius?

Doesn't this kinda defeat the whole purpose of a Wharncliffe type blade?
perfBurl.jpg


If you want to use the point for any kinda precise cuttin' I would think a hawk bill/pruner would make a better choice for that kinda chore it even lends it's self to maintaining the point by havin' a flat face that you can touch up on a stone or belt to keep the point.
wi559d.jpg


Even a Sheepsfoot would be better for tip cuttin' versus the Wharncliffe.
695marlinspike.jpg


JMHO
 
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Here's a nice old Schrade sheepsfoot florists' knife I got from Mr. A.G. Russell's cuttingedge collection.
IMG_1455.jpg
 
T. Erdelyi said:
Yea but by doin' that doesn't the leading/forward edge eventually through resharpening
develop a radius?

Doesn't this kinda defeat the whole purpose of a Wharncliffe type blade?

JMHO
Click to expand...

You are absolutely right in saying that using the tip of the edge would dull it more. What I meant was cutting by leading with the tip and cutting with the whole blade. For example, if I where to cut a nice steak on china with a regular knife, the whole front of the blade edge to have to contact the plate. With an wharnie blade, only the tip of the blade would be in contact.

Another nice feature is that, if the tip gets too worn, I can always grind the tip down and still have a wharnie blade ;)

God Bless
 
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