WIP Cleaver 5/32 1095

[mjderstine]

Hey guys, been working on this cleaver for a couple days now and have a question. I am getting the bevels about done and wanted to know how high you think the bevels should go. now they are at about 1"+. they should get a little higher when i get the bevels done, but do i need to take them higher to be a cleaver?

any advice would be really helpful.

thanks guys.,

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

If you intend it to be used for actual cleaver work where it'll be seeing hard impact with bone then the bevels actually look like they might be too thin already. The traditional edge for a cleaver is less knife-like and more of an appleseed with a secondary bevel that resembles that of a cold chisel. Note that that doesn't mean blunt--it's still quite sharp--but the edge angle and bevel geometry itself must be thick enough to withstand such punishing impacts.

 

[Hesparus]

It's impossible to answer your question without knowing more about what you're going for.

- Chris

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

Also the visual bevel width is less useful to know than the actual bevel angle--what angle is the grind at?

 

[mjderstine]

It's impossible to answer your question without knowing more about what you're going for.

- Chris

hey chris,

right you are. the plan is use it for everything from chicken to cow butchering.

Also the visual bevel width is less useful to know than the actual bevel angle--what angle is the grind at?

just checked the angles. its around 4-4.5 degrees. the edge thickness is still at .05". i am not sure if that is thick enough to make the convex edge that should stand up to the work. but if you guys think it wount i suppose i can take the edge back some, or just start over.

If you intend it to be used for actual cleaver work where it'll be seeing hard impact with bone then the bevels actually look like they might be too thin already. The traditional edge for a cleaver is less knife-like and more of an appleseed with a secondary bevel that resembles that of a cold chisel. Note that that doesn't mean blunt--it's still quite sharp--but the edge angle and bevel geometry itself must be thick enough to withstand such punishing impacts.

thanks man. this is what i was thinking.

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

If you apply a thick chisel-like secondary bevel it should help out. Try getting some chicken on the bone and chopping it to see how it holds up before moving up to the thicker stuff like beef or pork bones. That stuff is like chopping rock.

Alternatively, you could designate that as a squash and hardy root vegetable cleaver. Things like rutabagas and acorn squash are a pain in the arse to cut through and a cleaver does the trick nicely. I have a Friedrich Dick Swiss-pattern cleaver that I thinned the edge on for woods work and I tried it out on an acorn squash, expecting firm resistance like when using a chef's knife, and this was the result:

 

[mjderstine]

ok, cool. thanks for the help. i think i should be ok. if it really is too narrow i can always take a little off it.

love that vegi cleaver too.