lets talk serrations!

Guindesigns

Guindesigns

Well-Known Member
I was thinking about adding some serrations to a few hunting knives I'm working on. Problem is I've never done them before. How would I go about learning this and would I use files or can I use my grinder. Help please.
 
Cutting serrations by hand, with files is super time consuming, and hit-n-miss at best. I tried doing to for years that way. I once got a huge order from the American Quater Horse Association to make what we termed "wreck knives"......to be carried by riders, for when a "wreck" occurred, and they needed to cut off a halter, saddle, or whatever without injuring the animal..... the catch was that the blades were to be serrated. I searched and searched, and found this....... https://www.knifekits.com/vcom/serration-wheel-diamond-coated-usa-made-shark-bite-1295-p-2607.html It's spendy, but it makes the most consistent, best cutting, longest lasting serrations of anything I've ever tried.
 
Daniel Macina said:
Off topic but why would you want serrations on a hunting blade? I don't like serrations on any blade but especially one I'll use for hunting.
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I don't really like them myself. BUT... People don't understand there real use and want them on some blades. Not full length serrations but on like the back half.
 
I always try to educate people on serrations, meaning....talk them out of them. In my opinion, serrations are a gimmick for those that can't/won't sharpen or maintain a blade.

I've heard all the standard stuff about "serrations are better at cutting rope and strapping" or "serrations are better for cutting bread". I call BS.

Serrations are capable of making ragged, tearing cuts for a long time but in my experience, NOTHING outcuts a properly heat treated and sharpened/honed smooth edge with proper slicing geometry.

The best way to change minds is show someone how a keen fine smooth edge SAILS through rope, seatbelts and bread.

Your mileage may vary.
 
In the kitchen, and I’m talking pro chefs here, it is a widely held belief that bread knives and tomato knives should be serrated. The reason this is almost universally believed is because with bread you cut it by sawing to avoid crushing it or deforming it if it is very soft. On crusty breads it is sometimes difficult to get a non-serrated edge to bite.

On tomatoes it is also sometimes difficult to get a polished edge to bite. Also, acidic foods dull an edge quickly.

NONE of these make a serrated knife better. A well done edge will beat a serrated knife every time. But a serrated knife does make cutting breads and tomatoes easier, and for tomatoes you don’t have to continually wipe your blade on a wet towel to get the acids off that are eating the edge.

I talk everyone I can out of serrated knives, but serrated knives do have some utility. But in these cases I recommend the person go get a serrated slicer at Walmart. A serrated knife is intended to be a beater knife and there’s no reason to custom make one from a quality perspective. (read as: I’d much rather make you a fantastic chef knife where the cutting performance and edge retention is night and day versus making you a knife where you can’t tell the difference.)

It goes exactly to what John Doyle said: serrations are a crutch for those who don’t want to sharpen. But in real life sometimes a crutch is useful, non-perfection aside.
 
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John Wilson said:
In the kitchen, and I’m talking pro chefs here, it is a widely held belief that bread knives and tomato knives should be serrated. The reason this is almost universally believed is because with bread you cut it by sawing to avoid crushing it or deforming it if it is very soft. On crusty breads it is sometimes difficult to get a non-serrated edge to bite.

On tomatoes it is also sometimes difficult to get a polished edge to bite. Also, acidic foods dull an edge quickly.

NONE of these make a serrated knife better. A well done edge will beat a serrated knife every time. But a serrated knife does make cutting breads and tomatoes easier, and for tomatoes you don’t have to continually wipe your blade on a wet towel to get the acids off that are eating the edge.

I talk everyone I can out of serrated knives, but serrated knives do have some utility. But in these cases I recommend the person go get a serrated slicer at Walmart. A serrated knife is intended to be a beater knife and there’s no reason to custom make one from a quality perspective. (read as: I’d much rather make you a fantastic chef knife where the cutting performance and edge retention is night and day versus making you a knife where you can’t tell the difference.)

It goes exactly to what John Doyle said: serrations are a crutch for those who don’t want to sharpen. But in real life sometimes a crutch is useful, non-perfection aside.
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Ok I can see that.
 
A quick and dirty way to do simple serrations is to use a 1/4” small wheel and grind them in. I imagine with a properly set jig and some reference marks, you could make them look pretty nice.
 
Aikenn said:
500$ gor the wheel just seem extreeme.
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Yes, that's a lot of money. Until you divide that cost over 100 knives, at which point $5 a knife to save yourself 100 hours with no wrecked blades is really, really cheap.

Not aimed at you, but for any new maker reading this: It might take a hobby maker five years to make that many knives. But the wheel is paid for, and your time isn't free. Imagine what you could do with 100 extra hours in that time. You could make ten more knives at $300 each. Suddenly the wheel is a money maker instead of a cost- and that's the secret of how to decide where to spend your money. Will you make 100 serrated knives? How about ten, would it still be worth it? How valuable something is, is entirely dependent upon how much you use it. I personally don't have a serrated wheel because I don't offer serrated knives. I certainly don't ever plan on making 100 of them, which is why I don't have a wheel. But if somebody ever throws an order for 100 handmade serrated knives at $350 each at me, I'll buy two of those wheels before I even hang up the phone.
 
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