is it hard to cut straight with a Flat Grind???

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Feb 6, 2011
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someone had told me once that a flat grinded knife takes to one side if you are cutting certain things like leather, fabric, paper, etc

it definitely makes sense, but is it really enough to make it difficult to cut straight?

and how does a double bevel on a flat grind effect cutting a straight line?


ooo
 
someone had told me once that a flat grinded knife takes to one side if you are cutting certain things like leather, fabric, paper, etc

it definitely makes sense, but is it really enough to make it difficult to cut straight?

and how does a double bevel on a flat grind effect cutting a straight line?

ooo

Any grind which is the same on both sides of the blade cuts straight regardless of the number of bevels and micro-bevels. A blade which has different grinds on each side may not cut straight. The chisel grind, which only has one side ground, is difficult. To cut straight you need to tilt the blade to the side at an angle.
 
It's hard to cut straight without a ruler, that's for sure. It's easier to cut square with a chisel grind (kiridashi)
 
It depends on the cut. A chisel will tend to cut square if it's an end cut with a small section being removed. Center cuts on a larger item will generally cause the chisel to push to the side. It's part of why you have right and left chisel grinds.
Flat grinds will get equal friction from both sides.
 
I use chisel ground knives a lot around the shop and in the yard. If you pay attention to a long cut you can cut straight just fine. It is all about edge control. If you quickly sweep a chisel ground blade through material it will tend to sweep to one side.

This is what Mike Snody has to say about chisel grinds.....Gotta love Mike he is one of the nicest guys in the industry

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hmHno2Takk4&context=C3c9905aADOEgsToPDskIH_r5RivaRyP7eKkuarU_u
 
If cutting in the middle of something with some depth (as opposed to something thin enough it's only the actual edge in the material) a chisel grind pushes away from the bevel. On an edge cut it tends to cut straight and peel off a slice, assuming the material is flexible enough to do so, such as meat or cheese... A double bevel blade actually has MORE trouble cutting straight in this situation, because it is also being pushed away from the material on the side of the cut with more bulk behind it. For example, slicing pepperoni, if you want thin slices a chisel grind with the angle toward the slice you're removing will give a straighter cut than a double bevel, it will essentially use the bulk of the meat as a guide and the slice will peel off to the side. If you're cutting the stick in half the double bevel will more easily cut straight because you have roughly equal resistance on both sides.

Most slicers at the deli are a thin chisel grind with the flat side up where the meat or cheese is placed for slicing due to just this reason. For the same reason, an axe is double bevel so you don't get torque to one side or the other assuming a straight on hit.
 
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