what blade thickness for what knife?!

SHOKR

SHOKR

Well-Known Member
hello it's me again! the man with million billion questions


what blade thickness is appropriate for what knives? now i know that this is probably objective and subject to personal preference, but was looking to know the general guidelines

and i am asking for all, EDC, tactical, combat, kitchen, neck, utility, bowie, hunting etc.
 
Very subjective....and it will vary widely from Maker to Maker. Personally, here are my thoughts:
EDC: Usually these are smaller, full time carry blades, so I tend to lean towards .140" or less
Tactical: These blades are expected to see harsh use, and above all simply cannot fail. Depending on blade size, I go with 1/4" or more for straight blades, and around .155" for folders
Combat: Same as Tactical
Kitchen: The thinner the better. The major concern with kitchen blades is ease of cutting for the user, and a long lasting edge
Neck: Just by virtue of how this type of blade is carried, it needs to be light in weight, so for me it's 1/8" or less.
Bowie: 3/16" and up, depending on the size of the blade
Utility: Generally 1/8"-1/4", again, depending on the blade size (length)
Hunter: I almost always start with 1/4"....but again, it depends on the specific blade, it's length, and intended use.

The common theme across the board is that the Maker should use the thickness appropriate for the given blade. All that being said, and the fact that 90% of what I do are forged blades, nearly everything has a distal taper....meaning that the blade is it's thickest at the ricasso, and tapers to the point, and again to the end of the tang. Distal tapers are a big key to giving a knife a "light" and "fast" feel in the hand. Distal tapered blades are also lighter and (this might raise some eyebrows).... stronger, then a blade of a single/given thickness throughout it's length.
 
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thanks a lot Ed, that actually helped a lot and corrected some of ideas

and i watched your video, so i know distal taper distributes stress :)

does distal taper work with stock removal too or just forging?
 
SHokr,

Distal taper is equally important in all knives. Doesn't matter if you beat it and then grind it or just grind it.
It still have the same effect distributing stress.

What Ed has given as a run down of ideal blade type thickness is true except for one point I wish to make about Culinary/Kitchen knives.

The thinner the better is correct for most, I use 1/16" 3/32 and 1/8", but you also need a thick cleaver for going thru leg bone , I use 1/4" 3/8" thick steel.

You also want a thicker blade at the edge Euro pattern blade for busting open Squash and going chicken rib bone etc. for those I use 1/8" and 1/4"

So I recommend three thickness ranges of steel for culinary knives.

Laurence

www.rhinoknives.com
 
but you also need a thick cleaver for going thru leg bone , I use 1/4" 3/8" thick steel.

You also want a thicker blade at the edge Euro pattern blade for busting open Squash and going chicken rib bone etc. for those I use 1/8" and 1/4
Click to expand...
"

I totally agree! Fantastic input that narrows down those "nuances" that "make or break" a knife!

does distal taper work with stock removal too or just forging?
Click to expand...

Works equally well on both....it's just a lot more work, and a lot more belts doing it on a stock removal blade.
 
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thats great

thanks a lot Laurence and Ed

i was actually thinking about giving kitchen knives a shot

also need to buy steel (my first time) so have to decide on some thicknesses!

Ed, i would love to forge actually, but its not an option at the moment (long story)
 
Kitchen cutlery can be challenging.....especially the larger "Chef's" type blades. After fighting a lot of blades of that type that warped during heat treat, I now only profile, then heat treat, and do all the bevel grinding after heat treat.....doing it in that order has saved me a lot of grief.

OH! And on the subject of steel, make sure you look around. Tracy carries a lot of good stuff, but you can also check with Aldo Bruno (AKA: The New Jersey Steel Baron). Once you find a steel you like (as well as a source), wherever it comes from....buy as much of it as you can afford! It won't go bad on the shelf, and if you're lucky, you will get steel all from the same batch, which means that once you figure out the heat treat for it, you're good to go. MANY times over the years I have purchased small quantities of steel, then purchased what was suppose to be "the same" steel a year later.....and had to reinvent the wheel when it came to heat treating. Now when I find steel that I like, I buy as much as I can.
 
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thanks Ed

well, here lies the problem (aka the long story)
till now all i used are leaf springs and few billets of O1 that i got along with grinder when i bought it used.
living where i live i cant find a single local source that has any good steel. either not the specs or ok specs but not the size (minimum 8mm thickness)
i contacted a LOT of suppliers in the region but seems i dont register on their radar. the local guy from Bohler (does all my HT so far) told me he can get me what i want from bohler along with their imports, however he contacted the main co. twice and never got a reply back, that was more than a month ago, maybe even two. so i started looking to buy steel online (which is really not the best idea taking into account i am not making money so far and shipping would bleed me dry). i contacted couple of ppl in US, none replied (i am guessing they think its not worth the hassle?) including Aldo Bruno, whom i contacted again couple of days ago but someone reminded me that they were hit by the hurricane so im waiting. so far i have a source in south africa(almost bought from it but after bit of calculation found out it woukd cost me close to 4 times the local price IF i was able to get it) and maybe one in portugal.

as for steel type i wanted to experiment since im really new so not sure what to buy exactly so was going for O1, D2 for carbon steel and N690 and N695(440c) (all 4 steels are sold by bohler, so i was hoping i can get them if things worked out) for stainless. there reason im leaning toward stainless is this country is HUMID, and so far the culture of taking care of a knife is almost none existant, so for most people i am guessing if i sell a carbon steel knife they will return after couple of days telling me 'the knife is bad, its rusting!' i mean i know that and im making them and still i get light layers of rust if im careless while doing the finish work on a knife.

the portugal supplier works with RWL34 which is equivalent to 154CM

sorry this was too long, and i know you dont work much with stainless but just thought you might have good advice regarding the whole situation...
 
I didn't realize your location.....that in itself is going to make acquiring steel somewhat difficult and expensive. Even here in the States there is almost nobody who has a "local source"...with the exception of a lucky few. Most of us are forced to have knife steels "shipped in". This might be a case of you using the steel(s) that you can acquire, versus trying a bunch of different ones, then making a decision. There's no doubt that buying from a source in the states, then paying the shipping will get expensive. I think in the end you will just have to do whatever works best for you.
 
im unable to edit posts from my tab, wanted to add that their might be good news, called Assab today and found they carry 2379, which is D2 basicly in 6mm, so i have something to work with till i find a better source... will have some big knives to make!
 
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