What is a "reverse distal taper"?

D

DaQo'tah Forge

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I was reading my copy of the December 2003 BLADE mag and saw something I didnt understand on page 42.

The artical I was reading was about a knife maker named Ed Schempp and his knife that he used to win a cutting competition.

The curved blade is said to have a "reverse distal taper"..well....thats an odd thing read,,,what does this mean?
 
Only thing I can think of would be thinner at the ricasso, and spine slowly getting thicker as it approaches the point.
 
etp777 describe it well. It is used to put more weight out on the end of the blade. The weight right at the end helps with chopping/slicing power but you can keep the overall weight of the knife down with the taper. Also the taper can be used to make a thinner cross section which would also help with the cutting. I am sure that other will chime in and have a better way to put it. :D
 
I'm not sure I can define "distal" without a dictionary, but I can describe a distal taper. It is a gradual narrowing of the spine starting at the ricasso and going all the way to the tip. It makes for a stronger blade.
 
I wonder if it means a complex taper including a bevel toward the edge and a length wise taper that would be called the distal (???). BUT that is just a guess. The term 'distal' sounds pretty geometric to me so maybe our math masters could tell us.

RL
 
"distal" is similar to "distant"

A distal taper starts at the beginning of the blade and runs the whole way.

IMHO, "reverse distal taper" is sort of a cowboy term...too much freedom with the english language.

But what it's supposed to mean is a taper that ends at the beginning of the blade and thickens all the way to the end.

The knife you refer to was not a true (complete) "reverse distal taper" because it tapered yet again a few inches from the tip (notice I did not say point) :D

The knife I took to the NECKA hammer-in had a similar tapering, but again, not a true "reverse distal taper".

It's not an easy thing to do - I found out the hard way...:(

And it doesn't make for a pretty knife either...:p
 
A straight distal taper is thought by many to be the great blade. All too many times it ends up with a tip that is too thin to do much real work with. The reverse distal taper is a fun knife to make, you can have it all, strength, tough and cut with the momentum all up front where it needs to be. Ed Schemp does it well and is a true champion when it comes to cutting huge bundles of rope. Many knives achieve the same quality by making the forward third of the blade wider (spine to edge). Catch him at a show some time and you will get an education in blade geometry for a specific purpose.

There are no limits to creativity and purpose to those who follow what for.
Take Care
 
At the Northwest Knife Collectors show last October, Ed Schempp cut eleven one inch hemp ropes with one swing. A truly remarkable feat. As far as I know it is the record. By the time the contest was at seven ropes all the other competitors had been eliminated.

Ed also won every rope cutting contest at the Oregon show, (I think five times). At the 2003 Oregon show the last two contestants were Ed and his son Martin.

Maybe it is genetic? ;)
 
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