WIP AEB-L Chefs Knife

chavez556

chavez556

Joined
Jan 10, 2011
Messages
1,448
This is a chef knife that I'm making for a friend as a wedding gift.

It's made with .110 thick AEB-L steel. The steel supplier says that this steel is the best push cutting steel on the market. I have cut out the rough shape and once my belts get in I will get to grinding.

Please give me any tips on working with this steel, or any tips on chef knives.


20130621_232410.jpg
 
You have way too much belly on that blade if you intend on it push cutting. Also, 210mm or around 8" is minimum blade length recommended for any decent Chef's knife. Anything smaller and prep work becomes far too difficult and uncomfortable. I would look to Japanese Gyuto designs from such makers as Shigefusa, Heiji, Masamoto, and Suisen just to name a few. Also look at what Michael Rader, Devin Thomas, Pierre Rodrigue and Bill Burke have made. Last but certainly not any less important, the grind is not the same as your typical bush knife or hunting knife. Complex geometry is necessary for great kitchen cutlery.
 
As was mentioned, there is way too much belly. Drop the tip a bit and that might fix the problem. Make sure you heat treat it before you grind it to minimize warps.

All it takes is making one proper Chef knife to realize why custom kitchen cutlery is so expensive... they are a lot of work and grinding a hardened blade to a final edge thickness of .007 is a headache because it can easily overheat.
 
Wow. I might be in over my head.

How about we just call it a kitchen knife. I do agree with you on the belly. I cut this out with a angle grinder, so I didn't get the desired shape. Thank you for the input.
 
As others have said, lower the tip. Murray Carter has a great new book out and he includes many of his kitchen knife patterns for any and all to use. It's a great investment.

Take the edge down very, very thin. Be sure and cyro treat the AEB-L. I love this steel, but it needs to be cryo'd for optimum performance. If you're not set-up for it, then send it to Peters!
 
To me, as a casual observer, that looks not at all dissimilar to the first couple in this thread: http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1080972-Kitchen-knife-kick

If you make it a drop point and shape the handle, maybe even do a hidden tang, I for one would not throw it out of the kitchen.

Edit to add: I dont agree at all with the 8" is minimum comment. If a knife clears the knuckles I think a 5" blade can be a joy to use for casual cocking. It wouldnt be my first choice for working in a kitchen but at home it has several advantages over a longer knife. It is fast and nimble, it dosent take up unnecessary space on the cutting board or work space when not in use and it makes it easy to switch between in-hand cutting and the board. To me its like having a chefs knife, a petty and a paring knife, all in one.
 
Last edited:
jawilder said:
All it takes is making one proper Chef knife to realize why custom kitchen cutlery is so expensive... they are a lot of work and grinding a hardened blade to a final edge thickness of .007 is a headache because it can easily overheat.
Click to expand...

Visions of sticking the blade to an aluminum block with thermal double sided tape flash in my head. Anyone tried it?

-Sandow
 
Got your handle figured out yet? If is is a gift for someone with knife skills, the grip used for most kitchen knives bears no resemblance to how a camp knife would be used but the grips tend to be designed the same anyway.

Try gripping it like this:
http://allacucina.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Knife10.png

The thing I want in my cooking knives is for the front of the grip to be fairly thin and well rounded. The bottom and spine of the blade being rounded is nice too.

-Sandow
 
Chavez,

To properly use that knife to rock chop with that much belly, the user's wrist/arm will be torqued at an extremely high/awkward angle. Look at the picture Sandow linked and hold your knife like that, now try a rock chop. How does it feel? Now try rock chopping for 2-3 minutes straight, how does it feel now?

Call me crazy but I would turn that knife into something more outdoors style, and start with a fresh profile. I am excited regardless to see how this WIP turns out!
 
Last edited:
I think there is still plenty of material there to make a good kitchen knife. I think if you constrain your labeling to chefs knife, that is a pretty specific thing in how it is meant to be used.

The stuff I cook lends its self to japanese style knives and this: (http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/global-5-inch-utility-knife/?) ends up being my most used knife despite being useless for chopping.

Don't know how you plan on doing the handle but the taper of it looks good for a forward grip so far.

-Sandow
 
stereo.pete said:
Chavez,

Do properly use that knife to rock chop with that much belly, the user's wrist/arm will be torqued at an extremely high/awkward angle. Look at the picture Sandow linked and hold your knife like that, now try a rock chop. How does it feel? Now try rock chopping for 2-3 minutes straight, how does it feel now?

Call me crazy but I would turn that knife into something more outdoors style, and start with a fresh profile. I am excited regardless to see how this WIP turns out!
Click to expand...



I'm not going to scrap this one, but I will take your advice and trim down the belly some more. This is all new to me, so thank you for going easy on me ;)
 
I'd also round the heel just a tad and round that inside corner where the handle meets the blade. I'd probably do it with a small round file. I don't like 90 degree corners on my blades!
 
Have you looked at any other chefs' knives? Your point needs to come dow to at least the center of the blade. then you need to take some or the curve out of the edge near the tip. after that the handle angle will possibly need straightend a bit. look at the first couple of knives in Ben.r.t's thread linked above. Bens designs are ok european style knives, dropping the point on them would make them better IMO but they are not bad as is. also notice the relationship of the angle of the handle to the blade, It is very good.

Ben, if you read this I am not trying to pick on you, just trying to make a point. (NPI)
 
So after grinding the blade, I quickly realized that this one needs to get scrapped. I have only ground around 10 blades so far, and this one is my first large knife. All I have to work with is a CM 2x42 so the speed is high and my control isn't quite there. I'm going to finish the blade and keep it for my self to toss in my camping box.

I'm going to start over. What other steels could I consider for this type of knife ?
 

Attachments

  • 20130625_230732.jpg
    20130625_230732.jpg
    46.1 KB · Views: 46
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top