Wharncliffe Blades

Joined
Jan 24, 2009
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What is the purpose of the wharncliffe design? It seems like a functional configuration and looks very easy to sharpen, but what other advantages does this blade offer over spearpoint, tanto, recurve, etc?
 
It offers good point control for fine work. It's plenty versatile; as evidence consider the Stanley knife.
 
Good for very controlled cutting. As AfterTFD mentioned, much like a Stanley knife cutter.

Another good thing about it is, if you reach into a cramped space to cut something, you have more control over what is going to be cut, as the edge only faces one direction.
 
I carry a stockman a lot, and I find the blade I pull out the most frequently is the sheepsfoot -- a fat wharncliffe. :)

Precise cuts because it's easy to see where the blade is touching down, unlike a bellied blade. Yes, sharpening is easier. More convenient than a blade with a more complicated back (like a clip point) if you need to push down on it.
 
I could never remember whether it was Lord Wharncliffe or Lord Sandwich who invented the custom of eating a slice of meat between two pieces of bread, and which one of them invented the Hawaiian Islands? :confused:
 
Likewise if you are forced to cut against a surface like a glass or steel plate (something that would dull your blade to s***) only the tip of a wharncliffe will be dulled while the rest of the blade is free to pass through the cutting medium unharmed. The tip is then easily reshaped by filing along the spine.
 
They are great in the leather shop for cutting out leather! Very controllable. I use this one for just about every thing you can imagine.

Its' the Loveless Authorized Full Integral Stiff Horn. In fact, I'm shipping one out to the Riverside shop for Jim Merritt ( the Shop Partner Of RW Loveless), next week.

Mike
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During my younger years long before the days of the easy one hand opening and closing pocket clip equipped folders like we see all over today I carried either some sort of an easy open plucker like a tear drop jack if I could find one and if not that I often times had something like a three blade stockman pattern folder. Over time, even though at the time I didn't know or much care to look up the names of the various blades, I did notice that the one I seemed to prefer the most and use the most often was the middle blade which is the sheefsfoot pattern. All that straight edge and the way I could reshape the tip some to make it more pointed really appealed to me. Later on I discoverd the modified Wharncliffe shape and now its far and away my favorite blade shape.

I like the Spear point blade also which in many ways is a modified Wharncliffe looking blade but with more upsweep usually at the tip. Either of these really cover most of my personal carry knife needs. I grew up with my dad literally using a Stanley utility knife for most everything from skinning squirrels and rabbits among other game to carrying it on his belt in a sheath because they gave them away free where he worked at the paper mill. Growing up near Luke Maryland, home of the no longer named Westvaco pulp and paper company as I did he was not alone because most all the folks I knew carried and used replaceable blade stanley knives on their belts and used them like regular everyday pocket knives get used by guys like us. These are really just smaller examples of Wharny blades and that was what we were used to using so when I found a Spyderco Yojimbo it was almost akin to finding the super Stanley blade for doing anything you needed to do. :D Ironically I don't have one now but most of my carry knives and collection of other safe queens includes many Wharny blade shapes.

STR
 
The wharncliffe is my favorite blade shape. I have several fixed blades so configured (including Mike's elegant integral City Knife).

My latest, a desk knife from Kerry Hampton...

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I bought one Wharncliffe lock back here used that became one I really liked a lot but found to be too small. Its like Kiwi sized but flawless. I carried it quite a bit regardless but finally decided to get in touch with the maker Peter Bald, President of the Australian Knife Makers Guild and commission another one in October of 08 only made to my specs. Peter was most pleased to make me one of the same model but bigger which he had never done before. Basically it is the same exact thing only larger all around. I picked ATS-34 for blade steel on the one he made me. The first one seen here to the right of the new one is 440C. Both have natural linen micarta scales, nickel silver pins and bolsters and are flawless perfection in knife making. I searched for a good while trying to find a Wharncliffe lockback that I liked a lot and found that you don't find a Wharny in a lock back very often. Takes quite a bit of close tolerance to pull one of these off but Peter did it with his design here and I really like this one a lot. The quick scan here does not do it justice but its all I have to show it.

STR
 
I'm not particularly sure of how it would be well suited for rope...forward curving blades excel in that department.
 
I have a Murray Carter wharncliffe, and it's a razor. I've noticed if you're doing a forward push type cut (say a piece of cardboard) you can make a longer cut in one stroke compared to a blade with a traditional drop point.
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