seeking advice on a set of steak knives please

Your fit and finish looks nice, but I like steak knives to be a bit longer, the handle you have would barely fit inside my clenched fist, and I don't hold knives with a clenched fist. Same with the blade, I would find it awkward to cut a piece of meat with a blade that short.
Also serration is only for bread.
Congrats on the order.
 
Tell her she should only use Melamine/Texas Wear plates for carving up her steaks. ;)
 
Why does everyone assume that a steak knife has to have a curved cutting edge?
I recently made a set for a cook- they're very thin (about .050) and the cutting edge is straight, like a sheeps foot or wharncliffe blade.
That way only the tip touches the plate- see it as a sacrificial point.
My wife saw them and declared that they won't work (I think because they don't LOOK like a steak knife), but they do.
 
elementfe said:
Why does everyone assume that a steak knife has to have a curved cutting edge?
I recently made a set for a cook- they're very thin (about .050) and the cutting edge is straight, like a sheeps foot or wharncliffe blade.
That way only the tip touches the plate- see it as a sacrificial point.
My wife saw them and declared that they won't work (I think because they don't LOOK like a steak knife), but they do.
Click to expand...

I like a small curve near the tip for cutting fat or gristle. Are there any commercial versions of what you did?
 
bladsmth said:
My thoughts on serrated table knives, "If you need serrations to cut your steak....you are cooking the steak wrong,.... or sharpening your knife wrong,....or both."


Seriously, serrations on a table knife or steak knife are usually there for looks only. If they are actually meant to cut with, they should be on the tip 1/3, as Strig pointed out.
Click to expand...

Amen brother, I happen to despise serrations FWIW....
 
Crawddady, just a little more input on length, the steak knives I have are Henckels, that I ground the serrations off of, and their cutting edge is 4"--I wish it was a little longer--I would shoot for your mail lady's to be around 4 1/2" cutting edge just an FYI
 
elementfe said:
Why does everyone assume that a steak knife has to have a curved cutting edge?
I recently made a set for a cook- they're very thin (about .050) and the cutting edge is straight, like a sheeps foot or wharncliffe blade.
That way only the tip touches the plate- see it as a sacrificial point.
My wife saw them and declared that they won't work (I think because they don't LOOK like a steak knife), but they do.
Click to expand...

Got any pics?

I think a wharncliffe/sheepsfoot would work well. The thing about the profile (I own many, made a couple) is that the handle ergos are critical. You must fashion the handle in such a way as to allow the full cutting edge to either get parallel to the cutting surface, or pretty close (if intend to sacrifice the tip). The wharncliffe is far and away my favorite pattern, but it doesn't always work if you have to rap your knuckles against something in order to use the full cutting edge. Not as important with a utility design where you cut hanging substrate, or boxes and such.

If you got the pics I'd love to see it. :)
 
The curve in a meat cutting blade is part of the physics of cutting. Here is a very basic explanation of the principles:

A wharncliffe or other straight edge is designed to dig in on the cut. This is great for whittling, cutting rope/string, flower stems, cardboard, etc. Usually, the blade is not moved along the surface of the object and the cut is only at the contact spot. This is because the objects usually cut are separated by shearing. The hand usually is pushed away from the user and directly perpendicular to the object, or moves parallel in a slitting motion. In either case, the motion is usually unidirectional and not in an arc. Such blades are designed to deliver force. While very efficient at cutting, this type cut has little control. It is also relegated into cutting in a straight line.

A curved blade is intended to slide along the object (meat in this case) and cut with as much of the edge as possible. The sliding cut severs individual fibers as it goes ( as opposed to shearing them en-masse). The curved tip (and entire edge in butcher knives) allows the hand to move in an arc, making the edge slide in a curve....severing as many fibers with as much of the blade surface as possible. This allows the cut to be done with lower force and higher control. In the case of a steak knife, the user is seated and it is not advantageous to move the entire arm in long forceful cuts, nor is leverage high. Thus the wrist is turned as the arm moves back slightly, causing a curved/arced cut ( mainly with the lower blade portion and curved tip). The curved tip also allows the cut to follow a bone or line in the meat at curves, and not just cut straight. This creates a highly controlled cut.
 
the only advantage of sheeps foot blade in a steak knife is that only the point hits the plate cause of how you have to cut the meat therefore 99% of the blade stays off the plate and is not so quickly blunted. on a curved blade much more edge area finds its wy to the plate for blunting. proper cutting technique and a curved edge is much better in the long haul tho.
if eating at home and taking your steak dinner serous wooden steak plates are the way to go (i have 2 an dneed to make more when i get a largre wood lathe)
 
Or...just stop bearing down on the plate when cutting. Think about it, plates and steak knives have been working happily together for a very long time with no problems until the foodie folks started saying you needed special plates, etc. I do what has been done by professionals who deal with these problems ......sharpen them when the get dull.

Funny, but I am old enough to remember people saying to be careful when cutting meat so as not to scratch the plates :)
 
bladsmth said:
Funny, but I am old enough to remember people saying to be careful when cutting meat so as not to scratch the plates :)
Click to expand...

Yeah, now that you mention it, I remember eating off "the good china" (Haviland "Bird of Paradise" pattern) and being told not to scratch the plate.

Long ago.... far, far away. Nobody cares if you scratch the Fiesta plates. It's expected. It adds character. ;)
 
Stacy, very cool summary of how meat cutting knives work. Look at any butcher's favorite working knife, and there you have it.

Strig, I don't have photos of the knives, sorry- just imagine a 4" straight edge blade with a handle that's dropped somewhat so that the cutting edge is at an angle to the plate. That way you get a cutting action similar to a shear, as it were.

We're really talking about two different things here, though- the best way to cut meat on a china plate, and how most people do it.
Watch people in a restaurant. What I see is people with their wrists at an uncomfortable angle, lifting the handle way up and sawing away with the outer third of a serrated knife. 95% straight cuts, just sawing off a bite.
The set I made recently was an effort to get back to a simple slicing motion with a good sharp edge, with the hand in a comfortable position.
When I order steak in a restaurant, out comes my 3" D2 mini skinner, nothing but curve, and it barely touches the plate :)

I'll make a set for home and watch people use it, and see if they like how it cuts.
 
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