Kevin Cashen showed people what...

HTMD

HTMD

Joined
Feb 15, 2002
Messages
1,705
a properly conceived and executed cutting blade should be able to do. On Friday August 25th at the ABS Mid-America Hammer-In and Knife Show, Kevin took charge and put on an in-depth clinic covering all aspects of cutting blades, the various challenges to the cutter and his/her blade and wowed the crowd with his own abilities. I noticed his damascus blade was nicely finished and wicked sharp. Earlier he'd made clear it was to be for sale at the show on Saturday. A couple of water bottles was no obstacle as Kevin worked through the various common cutting challenges. This is one of those animated two frame things so let it load until you see the water fly.

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This was amazing. Look at that 1 1/2 inch rope Kevin brought with him for the demonstration. It's truly monster rope - very tough. Kevin cut the single strand, all the while explaining to the crowd every nuance and detail of anything impacting the chances of successfully cutting the rope. Then he doubled up the rope and sliced through both strands cleanly. Some folks squealed like dilerious pigs. I was trying to hang on to some of the constant stream of wisdom Kevin was sharing. He likened what he was doing to a magician revealing that guild's secrets so as to ultimately push the envelope

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Here is Kevin's special magic blade. Even though he says it's all metallurgy and design, I still think what he did was magic. Stay tuned for more pictures.

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Buddy,
:cool: seeing your flash on the trusses in the water bottle cutting,
STOUT rope!
Awesome knife!! :D
Thanks for pics. :thumbup:
More to come? :eek: :)

Love examples of Kevin's knives I've seen/viewed.
Did I say thanks for the awesome pics? :confused: :D

Doug :)
 
It goes without saying the Kevin Cashen is among the most respected and accomplished figures in modern bladesmithery. I always enjoy seeing his work and hearing his words. Thanks for sharing, Buddy.
 
Wow, that is something; amazing!! I loved that!! Thank you for sharing!
 
Glad ya'll enjoy this. Here's Kevin slicing the paper tube, which I colored for ease of viewing.

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excellent pictures! thank you for sharing, buddy!

i hope you and the other readers do not mind if i hijack this thread to add a picture of a somewhat similar cutter by kevin cashen. O1/L6 twist damascus, fossil walrus ivory handle, oal 15''. needless to say that i love mr cashen's work!

thanks,
brightred

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I have been greatly educated by reading many articles written by Kevin. Both the knives pictured in this thread are exceptional.

Thanks for the photos and the description of what took place.
 
Great thread and terrific knives. I echo Keith's comments - I have learned a TON from Kevin's writings and admire him quite a lot as a maker and a just a plain old good guy. The knives shown are fan-freakin'-tastic!

Roger
 
Kevin explained his approach to the 2X4 chop test by emphasizing starting with wide cuts, progressively narrowing the cuts the deeper the blade goes into the wood so as to avoid getting the blade trapped in a too thin groove - and counting the number of cuts needed to get all the way through the board. He revealed that in practice at home before a contest he focused on these two variables, not speed. Then when speed was called for his accuracy per chop was consistent and the number of ineffective chops kept to a minimum. His demonstration then drove the point home for the crowd. Smart!

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Although I hate to admit it to Kevin, I really respect the man for his work and what he's done for the knifemaking community. :p ;) :)

Seriously, I've been one of his biggest fans, since I first met him at the Blade show many years ago. There's not many makers out there, who give you as much knife for the money.
 
brightred - Wow! That's a beautiful "KC Cutter." Thanks for posting it - nice lines and very sharp image.

Even though Kevin denounced the falling paper cut as "fluff" it was impressive to see that his blade still had the edge to pull it off. This is a 2 frame animation and may take a moment to load so you can see the action.

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One thing I learned watching Kevin was that there does not need to be a 'cutting contest' per se to generate interest, excitement and crowd involvement. The 'educational approach' now being embraced by the ABS, as so ably demonstrated by Kevin Cashen, is a viable alternative to the competition format which, while successful, was also creating liability issues for the ABS. Thanks to Kevin for doing a great job!

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It is always a pleasure to talk with Kevin and am sorry I didn't get to make it there this year. Kevin is a continous fountain of informatiom of which I frequent as much as I can.
Great going Kevin and "Thanks for the pics Buddy"
 
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