When referring to edge thickness?

amroc

amroc

Joined
Jan 4, 2009
Messages
433
I've seen a few people asking about edge thickness, and that's really the only part of a knife I'm not sure how to measure/know much about. I understand all the other terms and measurements, but how do you determine edge thickness?

I've seen people refer to it when talking about a Kreign regrind.

Thanks in advance!
 
It all depends on what you are going to do with the blade.

Most people make way too much of a big deal out of it IMO.
 
Exactly--the thickness at the edge shoulder. Just pinch it with a caliper. :)
 
In my mind I was thinking it meant behind the grind line, like, the main bevel. Then I thought about a ZFG, which has no main bevel... I understand the basics, like on a Strider it has a much thicker edge than say, a Kershaw Leek would. Just wondering if there was a define point. Thanks!
 
My understanding is that it is the thickness at the back of the edge bevel. This is not the main bevel but the one that you actually sharpen. So if you sharpen a knife at 30 degrees inclusive and you measure it at the back of the cutting edge, you can compare it to other knives sharpened the same way to know how thick the main grind is comparatively.
 
When you either hollow or flat grind your blade, you will have a finished thickness at the business edge of the blade, after final sanding and polishing, but before you sharpen it. If I read your post right that's the edge thickness.
 
windyridge said:
When you either hollow or flat grind your blade, you will have a finished thickness at the business edge of the blade, after final sanding and polishing, but before you sharpen it. If I read your post right that's the edge thickness.
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I agree. The edge thickness is the thickness of the edge before grinding the edge bevel. Unfortunately, this is impossible to measure on a finished blade. A good approximation is to measure right behind the edge bevel.
 
Yup what he said^^. I use a digital caliper to measure just behind the sharpened bevel of my knives if ever I'm curious of the thickness. This gives a good aproximation that you can compare to others. Of coarse this measurement is not the only factor in how good a blade will slice. It also greatly depends on the stock thickness, grind stlye, and angle of you secondary bevel.
 
I've found over the years that no dial or digital caliper is quite as accurate as a good micrometer, if ultra precision is a necessity.
 
windyridge said:
I've found over the years that no dial or digital caliper is quite as accurate as a good micrometer, if ultra precision is a necessity.
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I have a Mitutoyo micrometer and a Mitutoyo digital caliper. I've never had an instance where the two disagree on a measurement. The versatility of the calipers have made them a staple in my shop, while the mic went to live with my Mother. It's true that you can interpolate a little better on the mic, but 1/10000" isn't going to make a difference when edge thickness is concerned.
 
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