What exactly is the difference between a sheepsfoot and lambsfoot blade?

Shaggy said:
Is there any benefit to using a Lambsfoot vs a Sheepsfoot blade, or is it more of a style consideration?
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The most apparent advantage I can see is the lambsfoot is not as tall in profile as a sheepfoot and makes for a more compact knife when closed.
 
I think one advantage might be that the when the blade is held flat on a cutting surface, the handle is slightly raised. It's slight but it may allow a more ergonomic grip. Just a guess though.

I like both.
 
waynorth said:
Both viewed from the side:
A sheepfoot blade has an edge that is parallel to the spine or back of the blade. A lambfoot has a distinct distal taper, making the tip narrower than the area meeting the tang.
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THANK YOU Sir, for the info and great illustrations!

kamagong said:
We've got a bit of a conundrum here. Distal taper, at least when used to refer to fixed blades, is what you see when looking at a blade from the spine. The spine is thicker at the guard, and thins as it goes towards the point. That is how to make big knives like the bowie nimble and agile, instead of sharpened heavy clubs.
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Not to add to the confusion, but among custom knives, especially makers, distal taper almost always refers to a fixed blade tang that tapers away, thinner at the pomel end--not to the blade taper. :)
 
I'd say a great advantage of the lambsfoot would be, as it seems they are generally narrower, that they will fit into smaller spaces, or feel/seem nimbler, easier to move the tip in general. Like a wharncliffe, only with less of a fine point, and (I'd bet) stronger tipped. (Good "best of both worlds" between sheepsfoot and wharncliffe?)

-G.
 
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Thanks for the infromation about the distal taper!

My question about the curve was focussing more on the shape of the cutting edge.
I completely missed that there is one, and used my normal sharpening stones, with the result that I finally reduced the blade width about 1mm (0,04 inches).:eek:
Are there different styles of cutting edges on the lambsfoot? The ones posted on the first page seem to be straight...?

For comparison see this picture of my sharpened and unsharpened ancient tc.

 
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It seems like the confusion stems from the ordinary meaning of the word "distal". It is used in all kinds of references including and especially anatomy. It simply means away from the point of attachment or away from the "main body".
 
Will Power said:
Yes, I'm surprised that people hadn't seen Jack's definitive thread on the LF. It's all there in black&white and colour :D

Don't think it was a proposal, just some people thinking aloud, excitedly ;) But I suppose 'The Ancient' has something of the LF about it?

Another aspect is I suppose, the Lambfoot is a particularly English blade, not seen (or rarely) on American or other knives whereas the Sheepfoot is more universal and very typical of the Stockman.
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I've read the Lambsfoot thread. I must have missed the definition or difference when it was given.
 
Quote Originally Posted by pmek5 View Post
Great thread by the OP.
I know realize the difference between a Sheeps foot & a Lambs foot if I'm correct. If not please educate me.
Thank you.
Thanks Hopefully the pics will make it clear, but I think an important point is that on a Real Lambsfoot the spine and edge are not parallel, like on a Sheepsfoot, rather there is a subtle slope to the spine as it drops down towards the point

Last edited by Jack Black; 06-26-2016 at 08:56 PM. Reason: Typo


I think post No.2 and 29 do state it and there are a lot of interesting photos throughout the thread too.

Regards, Will
 
Thank you for making this clear!
I will start reading now "Guardians of the Lambsfoot".:o

mat
 
kamagong said:
Charlie, I think the lambsfoot has a profile taper, not distal.
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Going way back into this thread, I see Kamagong's point!! I believe the profile taper is distal on a Lambfoot, as well as the taper as seen from the spine!!!😲
As an aside, some of the Sheepfoot blades have the reverse of a distal profile taper, actually widening in profile toward the point!!! Kind of like Bill's
"Ramfoot"blade (below)!!! But they still have a distal "spine" taper, as any blade should!!!! It's complicated!!! 😂
Two tapers for some blades!! Profile and spine!!!

Ramsfoot 1.jpg
 
waynorth said:
Going way back into this thread, I see Kamagong's point!! I believe the profile taper is distal on a Lambfoot, as well as the taper as seen from the spine!!!😲
As an aside, some of the Sheepfoot blades have the reverse of a distal profile taper, actually widening in profile toward the point!!! Kind of like Bill's
"Ramfoot"blade (below)!!! But they still have a distal "spine" taper, as any blade should!!!! It's complicated!!! 😂
Two tapers for some blades!! Profile and spine!!!

View attachment 3060698
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With swords, "profile taper" refers to any taper of the blade as seen from the side, "distal taper" refers to any taper as seen looking down at the spine.

Applying this to knives, my Victorinox Alox Solo has little profile taper (it's a spearpoint with parallel spine and edge) but a lot of distal taper (the blade near the tip is significantly thinner than the blade near the handle). None of my lambsfoot knives have much distal taper, but their distinctive profile taper is what makes them lambsfeet.

Edited to add: distal taper is very important in swords - it's the difference between something that feels and moves like a sharpened leaf spring and something that handles like a real sword. Antiques and well-made replicas have a lot of distal taper, cheap beaters and "SLOs" (sword like objects) generally have zero distal taper. This is a widely discussed aspect of training swords among martial artists. I don’t see pocket knife collectors talking about it much, and many very high quality knives have little to no distal taper. Victorinox knives tend to have a lot, and I do appreciate how this makes them good slicers.
 
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waynorth said:
Going way back into this thread, I see Kamagong's point!! I believe the profile taper is distal on a Lambfoot, as well as the taper as seen from the spine!!!😲
As an aside, some of the Sheepfoot blades have the reverse of a distal profile taper, actually widening in profile toward the point!!! Kind of like Bill's
"Ramfoot"blade (below)!!! But they still have a distal "spine" taper, as any blade should!!!! It's complicated!!! 😂
Two tapers for some blades!! Profile and spine!!!

View attachment 3060698
Click to expand...
What made you think of this Charlie?! :D I have these sort of thoughts, usually around 4am, sometimes 🤣 Nice photo buddy :) :thumbsup:
 
Sheepsfoot has a spine that drops down very abruptly and almost straight to the tip, creating a strong, defined point, while a Lambsfoot has a more gentle, continuous, rounded curve from spine to edge, resembling a sheep's foot, making it less aggressive and great for detail work.
 
Jack Black said:
I have these sort of thoughts, usually around 4am, sometimes 🤣
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I once lost some sleep at 3 am, wondering what my chances would be if a bear got in my house. Would he come straight up the stairs, or would he go for the peanut butter in the mousetrap downstairs first? Oh, and what would be my criminal and civil defenses if I shot through the bear with my military hardball, and hit somebody across the street?
So I slept with a spear instead of loading a rifle.
There's always a rational way forward.
DSCF3003.JPG
 
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