Knife Anatomy -

Jack O'Neill

Jack O'Neill

Gold Member
Joined
Nov 15, 2007
Messages
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It drives me crazy when I see so many new makers not knowing their knife anatomy , especially the Choil . I see finger grooves constantly called Choils or Finger Choils . Has the anatomy changed and I missed it ?

The Choil is in front of the handle , where the blade ends .

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Thx for the diagram. I saved them for future reference. Is there a diagram #1 missing?
 
If you design a Choil to fit the index finger by choking up on a knife.... would that not be a Finger Choil? I agree that there are a lot of terms used incorrectly but I don't think it hurts to be a bit creative with descriptions.
 
Webster's Unabridged:
Definition of CHOIL
: the angle in a pocketknife blade at the junction of the wedge-shaped cutting part with the tang or the corresponding part of any knife.

I have been known to use the term "Finger Choil" when describing the finger groove to a new maker.....but technically, it is only the notch ( of whatever shape) where the edge meets the tang or ricasso.
 
RyanW said:
If you design a Choil to fit the index finger by choking up on a knife.... would that not be a Finger Choil? I agree that there are a lot of terms used incorrectly but I don't think it hurts to be a bit creative with descriptions.
Click to expand...

Hello Ryan , that is the choil , it is in the proper place . The ones I was referring to are those that do a high fore finger cut in the tang as part of the handle and calling that a finger choil " to prevent the hand from sliding onto the blade "

I have seen several makers , new and old , stating this .
 
RyanW said:
If you design a Choil to fit the index finger by choking up on a knife.... would that not be a Finger Choil? I agree that there are a lot of terms used incorrectly but I don't think it hurts to be a bit creative with descriptions.
Click to expand...

Hello Ryan , that is the choil , it is in the proper place . The ones I was referring to are those that do a high fore finger cut in the tang as part of the handle and calling that a finger choil " to prevent the hand from sliding onto the blade "

I have seen several makers , new and old , stating this .
 
I call a wide, deep cut-out in the tang/handle itself a "finger groove", and a little much smaller cut-out where the plunge meets the ricasso a "sharpening notch". Saves a lot of confusion. It simply hasn't come up in my work yet (I think they're silly) but I think it's perfectly reasonable to call the feature in Ryan's pic a "finger choil".

Next can we discuss a swedge/swage/false edge? I have pretty strong feelings on which term is correct for very specific meanings, but others interchange them freely. :p

Technical/historical definitions notwithstanding, we speak a living, evolving language.
 
Yes eric when I think of a "clip point" I usually think of it having a swedge or false edge. I would like to be set straight on the matter.
 
A clip is concave. A false edge is not sharpened. A swage is a forming die used by folks who forge. A swedge is a later variant of the word "swage", and in modern knife-related parlance may be used interchangeably with any of the above, depending on whom you ask.
 
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