Push cutting paper

H

Hawkings

Joined
Mar 31, 2006
Messages
880
I would very much like to see a video of how to do a proper push cut into news paper.

As I understand it you take the paper and knife, hold them at 90 degree angel. letting the edge just "rest" on the paper, before you push it trough the paper.

In this link a guy has made a very fine looking knife:thumbup: :thumbup: that obviously is sharp, but it does not seem to me to be a push cut that he is doing.
http://s23.photobucket.com/albums/b370/SocialTransient87/?action=view&current=knifecut.flv
(Nor does he in any place say that it is what he is trying to do. I'm only using the link, because its the only one I could find with a guy cutting paper.)

So is that the way to do a push cut, or could you show me a link to where I can see a "True" paper push cut ???
 
Hmm, now that you mention it, i think maybe my thoughts on push cutting are incorrect as well...I understood it to mean what you describe...but maybe what he is doing is correctly called "push cutting" I'm interested to see what the experts say.
 
moving-van.jpg
 
I have always thought that a "true" paper push cut would be exactly as described by Hawkings. The problem is that I have never seen it done exactly as described. The best I've ever been able to do is just how the guy in the video did it.

I too am interested in what the experts say.
 
that guy is just slicing the paper, most relativly sharp knives can do that. push cutting is where you hold the paper and your knife so that they edge and the paper are creating a cross shape and your knife is held level to the page/sheet. then you proceed to push the knife downward and if it is sharp enough it should slide right through the paper with ease.
 
Here's my favorite method to do a paper cut - roll it up and cut it - this is a page from a phone book:

Picture009_0001.jpg
 
Broos said:
Here's my favorite method to do a paper cut - roll it up and cut it - this is a page from a phone book:

Picture009_0001.jpg
Click to expand...

Dang, I'm so intrigued by that photo. I'm not making fun of it, but I just gotta know. Does the roll stay intact for a few moments after you chop it and then slowly slide off at an angle? :)
 
Anyway. I'm a little skepticle of the video also. There is no way of knowing if the guy is drawing his blade or not, and if truth be known, the guy probably doesn't know either. I haven't had any luck with the method you describe, but I certainly think that would be the only true "push cut". Anything else, ie chopping, would be cheating. But that's just my wholely uneducated opinion.
 
Chopping is push cutting, right? Similar cutting tricks have been posted here a number of times by other members, also. You need a sharp polished edge to do this. If it can do this, it will push cut paper really good...

You can also just hold a piece of paper and push cut straight down, then measure how far from your hold you can get it to push cut the paper. This is the most common paper cut, and there are many posts on this topic here also. I just don't like it very much because I can't seem to get consistent results, and it ain't as fun as this test. Here's a video so you can believe it can be done and lose your "skepticism" :D

 
Well I have to admitt, I expected to see a three foot samuria sword, and not that dinky little thing you were using. :D

But seriously, I agree that your video showed a much cleaner push cut, but the video posted above sure looked like a chop that could have easily had some draw to it.

I stated my skepticism as I haven't seen an example yet of someone laying their blade against a piece of paper and succesfully pushing through the edge, and I might add that several sheets would seem to aid by adding ridgidity to the edge, but once again, this is all just off the top my head.
 
It's easier with a thin small blade than one like shown (an old Busse that has been fixed up after much abuse), and there are plenty of folks here who can get 'em sharp enough to cut paper with a push only. 1 piece of paper. Maybe someone else can post that, too.
 
Well I don't think my knife will do it with its factory grind, but I do have access to several knives at work that are ground quite thin. I don't know the exact term for the knives, but we refer to them as shoemakers knives and knick name them green handles. I think I'm going to make it a mission to get one of those to push cut with the blade resting on a piece of paper.
 
I would try harder to polish my edges but, I still want good slicing ability at the same time.

How well does a highly polished edge that push cuts paper work in the real world? Or is it only for show?

I sharpen my knives till they will cleanly shave hair on both sides of the blade with ease and the hair flys off my arm. I still havn't been able to push cut any different that the first video showed.
 
A polished blade isn't as useful as a ground blade, a ground blade holds its edge better and will cut everyday items better, a polished edge can only push cut because it lacks any serration created during sharpening.
 
There are some of us who appreciate a razor sharp, polished edges on a user, too. That knife will slice through a tomato like it is nothing, cuts cardboard like a champ, lop through a sapling like crazy, and push cut rope nicely for a loong time. I often hear where a polished edge can't slice a tomato, but I haven't found that to be the case in my experience. And if you do want to slice some poly rope with no backing, just give it a few passes on a coarse or fine diamond hone (or use your serrated Spydie). I do like a nice 600 - 100 grit edge on some, too, but I think the sharp polished edge does not get the credit it deserves sometimes.
 
If you push without slicing then it is a push cut.

On the other hand, the "push-cut test" refers to a specific method of testing sharpness. Hold paper between thumb and forefinger with the top edge of the paper horizontal. Set the knife edge on the paper edge and push-cut straight down. It's easy near the hold point because the paper is stiffened there by the grip. Far from the grip the paper is unsupported and rolls or buckles away from the knife requiring a much sharper edge to make the cut.

The test is not spectacular or showy, but can be useful to develop better sharpening skills since it provides a simple basis for judging success. Since paper characteristics vary from batch to batch and with humidity, the test is not perfect.

Notice in the first video that the guy starts his cut near the grip and cuts diagonally away. This puts the paper in tension which makes it much easier to cut. You can see that his knife is sharp but the perpendicular cut would be more challenging.

I use waste printer paper one sheet at a time for the test. My sharpened edges from a year ago would push cut at an inch from the hold point. Now they cut at 4 or 5 inches and sometimes 6. If I get better edges, I may switch to newspaper or phonebook paper.
 
Another method to use a true push cut is to take a piece of newspaper and fold 1/4 inch or so from the edge. Lay it down flat so that the folded 1/4 is pointing straight up. Push cut through that. Now you've just removed the "assist" of tension.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top