About 'Balance'

Johan Nel

Well-Known Member
I have started on a new knife which I am making for my daughter. She requested something small that she could use in the kitchen for peeling & working vegetables, so I started on a paring knife of sorts. After I cut out and refined the shape, I started on the bevel of the blade. At one point I checked the balance point between the blade and the tang and established that the equilibrium point is quite far back on the handle. My plan is to shorten the tang (full tang). My daughter has much smaller hands than I do and the tang is generous even in my hands, so there is room for shortening the tang. I also think from own experience that much of the work done with that kind of knife is done by almost pinching the rear back of the blade in the proximity of the ricasso and even halfway up the blade toward thepoint of the blade.
This had me starting to contemplate the whole issue of 'balance' on a knife. I have a vague idea that there is much more to it than just the balance point between the blade and the tang or handle. Aesthetics for instance, play a role. Also "balance" can be different from one category of knife to another. Kitchen type knifes differ from a chopper or a machete in terms of the balance, both physical and otherwise and I suspect the type of work to be done with it will play a role.
I have done a cursory search and did not find any thread dedicated to this subject as a discussion point. So, as a total rookie who has much to learn, I am requesting some input from other more experienced knife makers, to share their opinions and experiences as to what exactly balance refers to in terms of knifes, and the different aspects to consider when building different kinds of knifes. I am eager to hear what is important to consider when building a specific kind of knife as opposed another kind of knife. If I just consider the different categories of knifes listed on the forum, e.g. swords, tactical blades, the different kinds & styles of kitchen knifes, folders, bowies, etc. balance can be different from the one to the other.
Eagerly awaiting all input...:biggrin:
 
On a kitchen knife, most chefs prefer a knife that is handle heavy. A knife with most of the weight in the handle feels more nimble in the hand and gives you more control. Having the weight in the hand reduces hand fatigue because a blade-heavy knife forces you to support the load out in front of your wrist.

A blade-heavy knife is desirable in big, heavy choppers because the weight of the blade does the work instead of the wrist. This would be for large cleavers and the like.

In kitchen knives, the handle is as much a counterweight to the blade as it is something to hold onto.

Obviously, the smaller and lighter the knife the less any of this matters.




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on a kitchen knife, especially a paring knife, I try to put the balance point where the handle meets the blade. I also try to keep total weight 3oz or less. I use different woods to help. Maple seems to be the lightest, then walnut, hickory, oak, locust, then dogwood. I would also make the tang the same width all the way back
 
On cooking boards, I've read that the standard for the balance point is an inch behind (away from the blade) the point where the blade becomes the handle.

There's at least one brand of knives that build their handles hollow, then fill them with sand until they meet that standard and seal them.
 
"Balance" in a knife can be a very subjective thing. In culinary knives, it tends to be all in what the particular individual has been exposed to, and personally likes. I've had many different clients request different points of balance in the knives they've ordered. After asking the same questions to most of them, about why they choose a certainly balance point in a knife, the answer is often.... "Because I have a knife that really feels good, and it balances on my index finger right at XXXX". The conclusion that I've drawn is that it differs from person to person, and rightly so....we're all a bit different.

When it comes to hunters, bowies, fighters, etc. IF those type of knives are built with correct distal tapers, then it's difficult for them NOT to come out "balanced", unless the maker does something strange....like hang a thick/heavy buttcap off the back. :)
 
But nothing screams quality like a vinyl sheath and a piece of granite for a sharpening stone. I mean, with all that awesomeness who cares about the balance?


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A compass! A compass! I forgot the damn compass! AND BIG OLE TEETH, BIGGER IS FASTER SAWIN'! AND A SHARPENING STONE THAT WEIGHS THREE POUNDS (and will break the first time you jump off a cliff onto a wildcat) IN IT'S OWN CUTE LITTLE MINI-SHEATH!
 
You guys are killing me!
So, based on most of the comments so far, balance (especially visual) is like "Beauty" that "lies in the eye of the beholder" so to speak. Kitchen knife tend to be more blade heavy with the exact point of balance dependent on the perceptions or preferences of the user. Smaller knives tend to balance more or less between the blade and tang, but does not necessarily have an major influence on the workability of the knife. Visual appearance or balance is up to the beholder. Right so far?
 
Kitchen knife tend to be more blade heavy with the exact point of balance dependent on the perceptions or preferences of the user.

The people I make knives for want the opposite of this. They want the handle to be heavier, which makes the blade feel very light. But it all depends on the user, and the purpose of the knife.

Smaller knives tend to balance more or less between the blade and tang, but does not necessarily have an major influence on the workability of the knife. Visual appearance or balance is up to the beholder. Right so far?

For a knife where the blade and the tang are about the same size, the balance will almost always work out to be the center. The weight of the scales being the only difference.
 
The people I make knives for want the opposite of this. They want the handle to be heavier, which makes the blade feel very light. But it all depends on the user, and the purpose of the knife.

Sorry John, I was not paying attention. Ed had referred to the bigger camping-, chopper- & Bowie knifes tend to be heavier in the blade. We then concur that the kitchen knives will have lighter blades.
Again, I assume that the smaller paring knifes will not matter so much?
 
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Oh, I'm sorry. Yes you are correct.

And I agree, with any kitchen knife that has a blade shorter than 4 inches (10 cm) it will never matter.
 
We have here locally what is referred to as "cane knifes". These are used as chopping knives to chop down suger cane.
I have looked at this knife for use in the garden for chopping cutting down heavier vegetation. However, the blade is a bit light and doesn't seem to have the momentum/weight I think it requires for the task envisioned. My thoughts were to duplicate the basic shape of the blade on a thicker portion of steel. I am just concerned that the wielding/chopping action with the heavier blade my come at the cost of quicker fatigue and the inability to accurately place the point of impact. The handle on the sample knife is also fairly big but light. So, does it go to reason that the handle should be proportionally made heavier to better balance the wielding of the knife? The handle of the sample knife is quite long, so it makes provision for different points of holding, which in theory should also enable the user to get a better point of balance when wielding the knife.
 
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