How sharp is sharp?

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jamiemackie	How sharp is sharp?	Lead	[-]
Posts: 691 (06/20/09 4:57 AM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	Tags : None So how sharp do you guys like your knives? Is it ok if it cuts stuff but doesnt shave hair? Do you like it to be shaving sharp? Is shaving sharp not sharp enough for you? For me personaly I like to have most knives shaving sharp, the only knife I get scarily sharp is a scandi I have, mainly because its easy to sharpen and I use it for fine work that demands a stupidly sharp edge. The large camp knife I made a while back is kept at a razor edge which is usefull when chopping fun stuff like 2x4s and golfballs but unless I was entering a cutting comp I couldnt see much use for having it any a sharper. So how sharp do you keep your knives and why? JAmie
SKIBO		#1	[-]
Posts: 130 (06/20/09 6:39 AM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	Cuts paper with ease it's sharp enough for me. To sharp and it may not hold it very long under rough cond?<>< The Church of God is an anvil that has worn out many hammers <><
CharlieMike		#2	[-]
Posts: 156 (06/20/09 10:49 AM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	I like to have shave sharp, but I usually just do the "fish hook test" if it catches on the surface of my fingernail then it is useable sharp. Bress
kellerknives		#3	[-]
Posts: 19 (06/20/09 3:52 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	I like for mine to be shaving sharp. Even my big camp knives i want to be able to shave cleanly with one pass. With proper heat treating the edge will hold through all kinds of abuse.
RC1947		#4	[-]
Posts: 18 (06/20/09 4:28 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	I have to side with Keller on this one. The sharper you begin with, and maintain before it gets dull, will usually need nothing more than stropping to tune up the edge. RC
MoonCat		#5	[-]
Posts: 40 (06/22/09 3:56 AM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	I agree with RC and Keller as well. Keep in mind that "a sharp knife is a safe knife". This may sound contradictory, but it makes perfect sense. If a knife is made to cut something, it should do it very well and with as little effort as is needed. The more strokes and effort it takes to cut something, the more chances you have of you hurting yourself. I'd like to keep all of my knives shaving sharp, if not a step above. My favorite level of sharp is when the hairs seem to "pop" when they're cut. You can almost let the weight of the hair be enough for the blade to cut it. THAT is sharp. The proper heat treat will keep your knives sharp for forever and a day, but blades like that could be brittle, in a way from being so "dense"... I say could, not will.
aerohydro.primalfires		#6	[-]
Posts: 1 (06/22/09 4:23 AM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	SKIBO wrote: Cuts paper with ease it's sharp enough for me. To sharp and it may not hold it very long under rough cond?<>< Not quite true, shrapness does not determine durability. Durability, as determined by other factors, will make a sharp edge last longer under rough conditions. A sharp edge is the intersection of two planes. Sharpness is how smooth and flat the planes are. The angle between the planes determines ease of cutting and durability, with a more acute angle cutting more easily and being less durable, better for softer materials. Think of the angle of a razor compared to a cold chisel. Some of the factors affecting durability are this angle, the hardness and toughness of the blade material and the surface finish. A finer polish will have fewer deep, stress raising scratches which can promote chipping or folding of the edge. I hope that makes sense. Leon.
Phoenix 1967		#7	[-]
Posts: 2032 (06/22/09 5:32 AM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	That's true Leon, just as ther is no perfect knife, just the perfect knife for a particular task.... I personally prefer 22 degrees for an all around knife... 15 degrees for a slicer... 25-30 degrees for a chopper. Some folks think you can't get 30 degrees sharp, but with work, a 45 will slice paper quite easily. Lawren http://phoenix1967.webs.com/index.htm
madcrow6969		#8	[-]
Posts: 205 (06/22/09 6:14 AM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	Like most of everybody else, it depends on the use of the knife. My pocket knives get a good 22 degree edge. The camp knives get around 30 - 35 degrees. My wood carving tools and whittling knives get a 10 degree edge. Unless I knick the edge, i just rehone those with some leather and buffing compound. As far as testing them for sharpness goes, I have shaved arms, legs, hooked a fingernail, and cut paper. I usually end up getting cut. Now I keep some dry oak laying around. When I think the blade is sharp, I try to slice through the end grain. If it leaves a smooth, shiny cut, it is sharp enough for whatever I would want to do with it. If it looks like the blade busted through the grain, I keep sharpening.
MoonCat		#9	[-]
Posts: 41 (06/22/09 3:07 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	That's an interesting test for sharpness, madcrow... Never heard of that one before.
aerohydro.primalfires		#10	[-]
Posts: 2 (06/22/09 7:12 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	I use straight edged woodworking tools like planes and chisels a fair bit, and using a jig it is very easy to achieve a very sharp edge on even quite obtuse edges. A mortice chisel for example can have an angle of 30-35° and still be polished very sharp. It's harder to freehand hone a knife with a fat angle as sharp, but it's just a matter of skill development. To test sharpness I find soft, chewy radiata pine end grain is a good indicator. It's so soft that the fibres bend and tear rather than cut if the edge needs more work.

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