What is the bevel angle on a Scandinavian grind knife?

SpacemanSpiff23

SpacemanSpiff23

Joined
Feb 22, 2009
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I'm getting more and more confused the more I read. Is it about 22 degrees per side, giving it an overall angle of around 44 degrees? Or is it 11 degree per side, giving it an overall angle of 22 degrees?

I use to think it was around 40 overall, because that's what most knives are sharpened at for a durable working edge, but then I though about it and it just doesn't seem right for a grind with no secondary bevel.

So which is it?
 
There isn't one angle really but 22 degree inclusive (11 per side) is a typical swedish midway edge angle for a scandi grind. The angle can be anything from 15 - 25 depending on use. (This is with the steels and the heat treat typical for those knives, some steels may not be optimal for such acute edge angles).

The swedish and Norwegian grinds/edges are more obtuse than their Finnish counterparts. I believe the english bushcraft (woodlore being the most famous) knives that sport a scandi grind are based on swedish grinds but that's just because they're very similar.
 
Thanks guys. I'm making my first knife out of a file, and I was going to try to put a Scandi grind on it, and I was just getting really confused.

Do you think a 5mm thick blade with a scandi grind will work, or do I need to put a flat grind on it.
 
a 5mm blade would be a very robust for a scandi, they are typically more around 2 - 4mm, even 4mm is considered a little on the thick side on scandis. I think you'd need to take more concern over your file steel so it won't be too brittle for a scandi. Scandi grinds are rather acute in comparison with typical double bevels and like I said, may not work well with some steels which might result in unstable edge.

I think you might get some good answers about grinds and files in knife making and other info from the Shop Talk subforum that is more of a knifemaker talk area. Here's a link...

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=741
 
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Scandi's are more for slicing and skinning than rough field use. The'd make a great combination with a rough use survival knife but if you plan on going into the woods with a scandi to chop logs and make a shelter and dig a hole, you're wrong.
 
I wasn't really sure what I had planned for it. I just wanted to try to make a knife, and had a thick file to work with. I was going with a scandi grind because I assumed it would be the easiest grind to do. The more I've thought about it, the more I'm thinking about doing something else though.
 
I just bought a Hultafors GK (Heavy Duty) knife, in carbon steel. When it arrived in the post, I noticed straightaway that it had two different angles on the blade: your standard-looking scandi grind, and a small, secondary "micro bevel" on the edge. I wouldn't really call the edge angle a "micro" though, because it measures in at just over a millimeter wide. I'm seriously considering blending the two angles into a single convex edge. Another very well respected Swedish knife maker called Fällkniven uses a convex grind on most of their knives, and so I feel it would be a good compromise. At first I was concerned that it would be difficult to resharpen a convex edge myself, but a very experienced and knowledgeable knife sharpening chap here in the Portland, Oregon area uses this method on all his blades, and advised me as to the easiest method to use: start with a square piece of fine-grit sandpaper or emery cloth atop a foam rubber mouse pad -- lubricated with small amount of water -- and work your blade on that, pressing down (but not too hard!) whilst "drawing it to you" as you go. I have yet to test this, however.
 
Mora is listed as 11 per side but they’re also hollow ground so...;) They’re awesome whatever.

What some of the custom makers do is 12.5 degrees per side. I had one of these in 3v and it was pretty nice. Sharpened to a wonderful edge and was very feather stick-y. The maker claimed 3v was a bit of a benchmark for a true zero edge scandi at that thinness of angle and in my limited experience I believe him. Limited experience because it was 1/8 inch thick. So it moved on. Too thick for a scandi IMO. 3/32 is the limit for a scandi for me. Any thicker and I prefer a different grind.
 
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PayetteRucker said:
Scandi's are more for slicing and skinning than rough field use. The'd make a great combination with a rough use survival knife but if you plan on going into the woods with a scandi to chop logs and make a shelter and dig a hole, you're wrong.
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I would respectfully disagree. The Nordic peoples, esp the Sami, have been using puukko and leuku for exactly that for centuries. Puukko make excellent outdoor knives. I've crafted about a hundred of them; used them extensively when going on long haul backpacking in the mountains and never had an issue with one nor ever had one fail me. They are great field knives, just ask anyone from Finland, Sweden, Norway or Lapland region.
Rich
 
Rich S said:
I would respectfully disagree. The Nordic peoples, esp the Sami, have been using puukko and leuku for exactly that for centuries. Puukko make excellent outdoor knives. I've crafted about a hundred of them; used them extensively when going on long haul backpacking in the mountains and never had an issue with one nor ever had one fail me. They are great field knives, just ask anyone from Finland, Sweden, Norway or Lapland region.
Rich
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Yup. And I'd emphatically say that they're pretty bad at slicing except in very soft materials like flesh. They're literally the thickest grind you can have for a given edge angle and stock thickness, so for those parameters they're quite strong. It allows them to run low edge angles without the edge becoming overly delicate when it comes to resisting side loads.
 
Necro'd thread.

The OP changed his mind about doing this back in 2009. No need to post about a Hultafors, or other brand name when the knife doesn't even have a "scandi" grind. From the sounds of it, the knife has a normal "flat saber" grind, secondary and primary bevels.

That being said, mouse pads, balsa wood, hard plastic sanding blocks with a hard foam backer, all will work, and some will have less give, allowing for easier control and more feedback from the knife.
 
Sooo.... If one is making a 5mm thick scandi knife, like the op, what IS a desirable edge grind angle? Single bevels that is.
 
White Warrior said:
Sooo.... If one is making a 5mm thick scandi knife, like the op, what IS a desirable edge grind angle? Single bevels that is.
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"Sooo...." This type of question would be best posited in the knifemakers section. I would suggest editing your comment and removing the content. Then start a separate (new) thread in the knifemakers section.

Necroposting is discouraged and is against the rules that you agreed to abide. This is the second necro-post in this thread.

Best of luck in your search. I cannot help directly, but many in the knifemakers section can.
 
I appreciate your tidings of "luck". Try not to bowl all new members over with such tidings, not everyone likes to be talked down to. Especially when A, Im basically brand new, and B there's no call or necessity to talk down to anyone. Is it much harder to politely pm an obviously new member than it is to do your best to make them look like an idiot publicly? I read the rules. I missed the 1.5 x .08 inch piece where you said "Necro'd thread". I was scanning the page for an actual answer to ops question. I run a multi million dollar company, it is laughable that anyone in power in ANY business (yes, this website is a business) in my line of work would ever be allowed to publicly dishevel and talk down to the potential customer. Liiiike me. As well as all the other good folks i regularly see spoken to like theyre 12 on this forum, (and Im basically brand new here!!) while all they are trying to do is gather resources and information to produce and procure the one thing that supposedly bonds people here together. Ban me for saying this, whatever. Just stop treating good people like worthless vermin, over SIMPLE beginner mistakes, while they subscribe to YOUR product.
 
White Warrior said:
I appreciate your tidings of "luck". Try not to bowl all new members over with such tidings, not everyone likes to be talked down to. Especially when A, Im basically brand new, and B there's no call or necessity to talk down to anyone. Is it much harder to politely pm an obviously new member than it is to do your best to make them look like an idiot publicly? I read the rules. I missed the 1.5 x .08 inch piece where you said "Necro'd thread". I was scanning the page for an actual answer to ops question. I run a multi million dollar company, it is laughable that anyone in power in ANY business (yes, this website is a business) in my line of work would ever be allowed to publicly dishevel and talk down to the potential customer. Liiiike me. As well as all the other good folks i regularly see spoken to like theyre 12 on this forum, (and Im basically brand new here!!) while all they are trying to do is gather resources and information to produce and procure the one thing that supposedly bonds people here together. Ban me for saying this, whatever. Just stop treating good people like worthless vermin, over SIMPLE beginner mistakes, while they subscribe to YOUR product.
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Best shit I’ve seen in the long time! Thanks for your time in posting this and I hope your not banned!
 
I dont find scandi useful for anything other than wood whittling.Otherwise have no use for them,besides mora knives that are inexpensive and excellend for money.I regrind all of them to full convex or raise the existing grind almost to the top like it is on finnish knives and give them slight secondary edge.This way they perform way better,cut and slice hard and soft materials and are also easier to sharpen than regular scandi grinds.I think these scandi grinds are more marketing than anything else becaose on a lot of these scandinavian knives they have full flat,convex or high scandi grinds or rombic cross section,and a lot of original scandi blades have thinner stock,like mora clipper and that is way different performance.If you have 5mm thick blade or more and low scandi grind like on a lot of modern survival bushcraft knives these knives are more prybars and perform like one.
 
In my experience Scandi grinds work best with thin blades. To me, if the blade is 5mm thick, it's not the right material for a Scandi grind.

If you convex or microbevel...it's not a really a Scandi grind. It's pretty easy to maintain that 1/4" of flat grind to a zero edge with a stone. The ease of sharpening makes it popular too.

I have a friend who keeps a Mora and maintains the Scandi grind for tomatoes :)
 
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