Tanto Chef's Knife

Kitchen knives are a big part of my business; I've been thinking on this one for the last few months. Long, slender and sturdy enough to chop. I think the use for it is endless and very useful in the kitchen. I think I'm going to design a tanto set to match, of course I sell them as a single knife. It's 14 1/2 OAL with a 9" cutting blade on 1/8th 1075. I used gray / Black canvas micarta. This first one is mine, I hope to test it real good this week end. I'm pretty excited about this one.

Love that profile! That will be handy in the kitchen!

Excellent!

Great looking blade Bob.

Very nice.

Thanks all, I'm pretty sure this week end I'm going to come up with a set to match including the carving fork.

I like it! Not trying to start an argument, but isn’t that more of a reverse tanto since the angle at the tip
Is on top instead of on the cutting edge/bottom like a traditional tanto?

Agree!

Looks very handy....

I too really like that profile. Very nice work

sweet!

I like it!

Yep, I still like to call it that

I understand that.
What grind does it have?
Is it full flat grind from cutting edge to spine or partial? Looks to be partial but hard to tell. Or is it some other type of grind other than flat? Convex, hollow?

nicely done Bob

Yep hard to see on that pictures, it's 3/4 flat grind with a secondary bevel, no reason to do a full flat and deny structural integrity since it will also make a chopper. I don't hollow grinds on kitchen knives, I will do convex on choppers, and I'll will put my chopper against anyone' in the country.

I agree with your assessment and still like it all the same.

I can't find many knife jobs that a hollow grind is called for. But that's just me.

[/quote]

I can't find many knife jobs that a hollow grind is called for. But that's just me.[/quote]

Actually I prefer a high hollow ground on a skinner. Since it's hollow ground the blade is less likely to touch the skin meat making causing less restriction on drag. Each grind has it's own specific function. Certainly not as strong as a flat or saber grind, but works for what the knife is designed to do.

I can't find many knife jobs that a hollow grind is called for. But that's just me.[/quote]

Actually I prefer a high hollow ground on a skinner. Since it's hollow ground the blade is less likely to touch the skin meat making causing less restriction on drag. Each grind has it's own specific function. Certainly not as strong as a flat or saber grind, but works for what the knife is designed to do.
[/quote]

I agree with this. I’ve only been making knives a short time but have gained some valuable experience and learned a lot of lessons on tailoring the type of grind to the intended function of the knife. All these youtubers that like to show off how sharp their knives are at cutting paper have never used that knife for anything else... I will sacrifice “hair shaving sharp” for edge strength/resistance to chipping/deformation any day of the week. A damaged edge is worse than a dull one.

Actually I prefer a high hollow ground on a skinner. Since it's hollow ground the blade is less likely to touch the skin meat making causing less restriction on drag. Each grind has it's own specific function. Certainly not as strong as a flat or saber grind, but works for what the knife is designed to do.
[/quote]

I agree with this. I’ve only been making knives a short time but have gained some valuable experience and learned a lot of lessons on tailoring the type of grind to the intended function of the knife. All these youtubers that like to show off how sharp their knives are at cutting paper have never used that knife for anything else... I will sacrifice “hair shaving sharp” for edge strength/resistance to chipping/deformation any day of the week. A damaged edge is worse than a dull one.[/quote]


Good post.

Actually you can have the best of both worlds. This is what I do for a living and sell over 300 knives a year. I know we have guys on there that have of my knives, they can vouch for my work. I won't sell a knife that doesn't shave and I won't sell a knife that I don't first chop antler or bone with first before I install the handles. Heat treat is the heart and soul of the knife. Knowing when to start a secondary bevel, is the key to a hollow ground knife. Of course a flat grind can also be too thin and chip without a secondary bevel. A saber grind bevel to zero with plenty of stock behind it so it doesn't chip, I'm not a fan of that grind, meant more for bush craft knives. You'll hear some knife makers put down hollow grinds for the simple reason they can't do a hollow grind! I probably do 45 % flat ground and 45 hollow ground and the other 10 percent convex or slack belt grind for various choppers and some kitchen knives, depending on the intended use. and I do it all FREEHAND, no jigs.

I certainly agree you can have the best of both worlds and that is typically what you want.

I guess what I meant, is that if all you want to do is show how finely your knife can cut paper, then it likely has a thin edge that will chip/deform when performing other tasks besides slicing.

A totalitarian edge is best on a multi-purpose knife. Like your knife is a kitchen/chopper so it has an edge that can slice but also hold up to some chopping.
If it were just a pure slicer, you could run a finer edge to achieve greater slicing capability.