Single bevel knife

[lloveless]

I am not sure why they cut the way they do, but if they are meant to cut meat then they should shine as a tactical knife. On the other hand I use my pocket knife for many uses. Most require a straight cut hence my need for a double bevel. What are the pros/cons of the Emerson vs CRKT knives. Cost, size?
lloveless

 

[bigger hammer]

They're quite expensive, but if you want a quality chisel–ground knife that cuts, get one from Phill Hartsfield.

HERE.

 

[jbkebert]

Here is a couple pict's of my CRKT Stiff KISS knife my wife bought me maybe 8-9 years ago. OAL of 7 1/2" and a ton of mounting options. I orginally thought it was a cheap POS. After giving it a try I really like the knife. I use is mainly for fishing and hiking, or mountain biking. I carry it SOB and it is easily reached while sitting in my rowboat, or while on a bike. The hilt doesn't dig into my side like a typical sheath knife. Super sharp edge that holds up pretty well. Great for cutting fishing line, trimming bait, even gutting a trout. Cost around $40 another fav knife is the M16 series by CRKT in a tactical folder. For the money they are great knives.

 

[Gordon]

Riddle me this Bat Man:How does the blood and rotting juices or greasy stuff come out of that para cord handle?

 

[jbkebert]

Well Robin I can't say that I haven't rewrapped that handle a time or two. If I am not mistaken it is also available in a zytel handle. I like the cord wrap very slim lined. Easy to conceal given the configuration of the kydex sheath. Not a perfect but sure not bad either.

 

[RatDrall]

Emerson makes fantastic chisel ground knives.

I couldn't do without my Super CQC-7.

Those who say they don't cut straight are doing something wrong. Fancy sushi chefs use them because a chisel grind is the only way to get a straight cut. The end of the whatever that is cut with the flat side of the blade will be perfectly straight, the end of the target on the ground side of the blade will deform, leaving one side with a perfect cut.

The chisel grind is fine for opening packaging or slicing up an apple. I can't imagine what you would need to do that wouldn't be possible because of the grind of a knife.

 

[curlyme]

crkt has a few like the side hog and cold steel makes the gov-tac i believe it's called

 

[average_shooter]

From my experience, I spent a year studying violin repair (think: extreme woodworking) where tolerances are measured by how much light you can see through spaces too small for the calipers to measure. Rarely, if ever, did I have use for a double-bevel blade. All the blades I received/purchased in the course of my study were single-bevel. I never had a problem cutting straight lines in wood or leather that I would attribute to the knife instead of operator error.

And they are also hands down the sharpest, most controllable knives I have ever worked with.

 

[SeekHer]

average_shooter -- Rarely, if ever, did I have use for a double-bevel blade. All the blades I received/purchased in the course of my study were single-bevel. I never had a problem cutting straight lines in wood or leather that I would attribute to the knife instead of operator error.

And they are also hands down the sharpest, most controllable knives I have ever worked with.

Like your luthier tools all of my marking (Western & Japanese) knives that I used in woodworking, primarily cabinetmaking (& toys) were either right or left hand single bevel and you had to be able to get a straight line--albeit using a ruler for the flat side of the blade support...

Most of the carver's tools are all single bevel...

You succinctly answered my original question "What I don't understand is why everyone says they don't cut straight"--thank you!

 

[lloveless]

OK, I had a foster tactical knife that was single bevel and nearly cut my finger off trying to use it to cut veggies. Gave it to a buddy who goes through knives about like he changes underwear. So how come it wouldn't cut straight? I assumed it was the single bevel. I had another knife of unknown origin, again single bevel with the same cutting characteristics. I swore off single bevel knives at that point. I refuse to buy $40.00 knives anymore. I hate to lose that much money when they disappear (people borrow and don't return, you lay it down and someone picks it up etc.)
ll

 

[ArfinGreebly]

Force Vectors

I've used a couple of single-bevel knives for common tasks.

The one that made me a little nuts was cutting apples. I have the devil's own time getting a nice straight cut. Why? Because of what I'm used to doing with a knife.

You see, a symmetrical grind allows you to hold the knife at a 90 degree angle (directly vertical) to the work (apple) and the vertical orientation bisects the grind. This means the force applied outward from the bevel is symmetrical, and given symmetrical resistance from the work (apple of uniform consistency), the guided knife will travel more or less straight down and you'll get a clean cut and matching halves.

Years of this kind of use leads to "motor memory" and force application habits that are appropriate to that grind geometry.

Now you pick up a knife where half the accustomed geometry is missing and attempt to apply the same forces to it that you used on symmetrically ground tools. What a surprise. The forces acting on the knife -- resulting vectors from force application, angles of attack, and work resistance -- cause it to turn one way or the other.

It's not the fault of the tool. You have learned a set of techniques that are appropriate to using a tool where vertical hold bisects the grind angle and the new tool doesn't have that characteristic.

Now you have to learn a hold and force application that's correct for that tool shape.

In using specialized woodworking tools with asymmetrical grinds, we learn to apply force properly to achieve straight cuts. We're quite comfortable with that.

When the asymmetrical tool looks like a knife -- and we all "know" how knives behave -- we apply forces the way we would for a symmetrical tool. And the tool "misbehaves" in our hands.

It's not the tool.

It's how you use the tool.

That may mean learning something new.

 

[lloveless]

Thanks AG, I knew there was a reason. There are plenty of decent double ground knives to play with and I don't see needing to go through the hassle of relearning everything I already know to use something that is only half done. The rest of ya have at it.
ll