Best steel for a large meat cleaver

S

skatetokil

Joined
Jan 31, 2008
Messages
4
Hey all,

Great forums, already learned a lot but I have a pretty specific question.

I'm only on my third knife, and this is the first I'm making for somebody else with steel I've paid for so I want to get it right.

Anyway, I'm making a large meat cleaver for a friend. I have the template drawn up, planning stock removal method, and it's about 15 inches long, 11 of that blade.

He's kind of a mad scientist in the kitchen, and described what he wanted as a "kitchen axe" for cutting up whole chickens bone in and other heavy duty tasks where a normal chef's knife wouldn't do.

In other words, big and heavy.

I was thinking about working with 440c but the thickest I can find is 1/4 inch (might not be heavy enough) and it's pretty pricey. I can get o-1 thicker than that at a better price, but I'm told it will rust pretty instantly in a kitchen. From what I've read, it seems like a better steel in terms of durability under that kind of abuse though.

I can get the 18x6x1/4 440c plate from admiral steel for $90+ and i think I saw a 5/16th or thicker plate of o-1 around the same dimensions for $60+. Am I missing some supplier who can do better on either one? Is there some other steel I should be looking at? Any guidance is appreciated.
 
Check prices at use-enco.com. I have bought O-1 from them and found them to be cheaper. For the cleaver, I would think 1/4 would be plenty strong. As for the rusting, I have several knives I forged from the O-1 that we use all the time in kitchen. If you wash it off after use, it just gets a blue-grey patina. Looks antique and classy. Stainless is great for kitchen knives, but difficult to home heat treat without controlled temp.
Chip Kunkle
 
I like stainless for kitchen knives, but something like 1080 would be better for a cleaver i think.
 
I have made a number of cleavers from 3/16"x4" O1 and they are heavy enough.

cleaver.jpg



Mike
 
Chickens are hardly a challenge for cleavers !!! In fact my small one I call my "chicken cleaver" .The large one you want is sutable for chopping through beef bones ! 1/4" is all you need. 5160 ,1084 ,O-1 and others will work fine .
 
mike, how do you get the bevel on that cleaver? looks like that might be my next project...i just got some 1/4 x 4 inch 01 . and just finished my kmg clone, and just set up my band saw.....
 
440C is a very poor choice for a cleaver and 01 does not rust instantly in the kitchen.
If a carbon steel blade is rinsed and dried after use, it will not rust.
 
1/4" is mighty thick :)

1/8 is more than plenty, IMO. If he's truly a dear friend, do consider D1 - this one is nearly stainless.

If you're going with carbon steels (10xx, Ox), you can etch some designs into the blade to make it more interesting . These steel can also be differentially hardened (quench only the edge, .5"-1" of it).

For a heavy duty choppers also consider convex grind (vi hollow or flat). It will be a b1tch to resharpen though :)
 
Ordered 5/16 0-1 plate this morning, so my friend should be dismembering carcasses any time now. . . hopefully for food purposes.
 
oldold442,I did a flat grind about 1 3/4" with a convex edge. The blade was differentially quenched. It was ground on a 2"x72" Coote grinder.

Mike
 
Given the width of a cleaver 3/16-inch is plenty thick enough. I think O1 is a great choice, but you're giving him a battle axe to work with.
 
I have to post my opinion on O-1 as a kitchen use knife. IF you use the cleaver, rinse and dry almost immediately, it wont rust. It WILL however turn dark on the areas where it contacts food products. I have a santoku knife that i made from O-1, i used it to cut some steaks, washed it, dried and noticed that it had a patina from the acids in the meat.If the patina isn't an issue, than its great strong steel to use for a chopper when properly heat treated. Stays wicked sharp also.....just my 2 cents...
 
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