Knife angles.

[sammakins]

Hi everyone,
Quick question, does a bevel angle refer to both sides added together or the angle of just one side of the blade?
Secondly what angle do you recommend for general bushcraft use?
I'm using a lansky system to get a better bevel, then going to follow up with waterstones and strop for the final polish.

 

[zornt]

The way I understand it it is for one side of the blade. eg, 20 deg angle woule be 40 deg total. least that is what my protractor shows on my Lansky jig.

Please note that my sharpening skills suck monkey poop, so don;t let me sound like an expert.

 

[sammakins]

Wow, that was a quick reply! Cheers tenderfoot, thats what i thought it was aswell.

 

[mick91]

I keep my knives between 17 and 15° and that serves me just fine. One little super sharp I keep at a single 17° chisel grind and it's like a scalpel. Machete go for about 20 25° and you won't go far wrong ime

 

[Robson Valley]

I call it the "total included bevel angle." My kitchen bone cleaver is 40 degrees, 20 on each face. Leonard Lee (The Complete Guide To Sharpening) explains that the edge needs to have enough steel behind it to support the edge in service. Years ago, I decided to have a set list of bevel angles for my wood carving tools. For example, spoke shaves are 28, elbow adze, D adze, draw knife are 25, gouges are 20 and all knife edges, crooked or straight, are 12 degrees total included bevel. With steady use, I hone the edge about every 30-40 minutes.

 

[demographic]

I call it the "total included bevel angle." My kitchen bone cleaver is 40 degrees, 20 on each face. Leonard Lee (The Complete Guide To Sharpening) explains that the edge needs to have enough steel behind it to support the edge in service. Years ago, I decided to have a set list of bevel angles for my wood carving tools. For example, spoke shaves are 28, elbow adze, D adze, draw knife are 25, gouges are 20 and all knife edges, crooked or straight, are 12 degrees total included bevel. With steady use, I hone the edge about every 30-40 minutes.

That^. Excellent book for the woodworker that explains why different edge angles work on different types of wood.

 

[petrochemicals]

The angles are dependent on the blade material type, the work intended for, and the ammount of refinement you will put into sharpening it on a regular basis. Narrower angles are easier to cut with and easier to blunt.

If from the same material:

A wide angle will support the edge more, if the edge is less cohesive because it is rough, or cutting harder more brittle materials such as plastics. If the blade is going to see heavy or rough use that will require frequent sharpening a wider angle allows for a quicker sharpen.

Narrower angles are for more refined edges that have been worked more carefully as the blade edge is more integrated , used on softer or less damaging materials. If infrequent or light sharpening is invisaged as the blade is not going to see heavy or rough use a narrower angle.

The balancing act is between the blade material, the work type and work ammount intended for and the and the ammount of time you wish to spend sharpening. Also are you going to take an axe with you, or will it be a general all round dogsbody knife like a woodlore ?

 

[HillBill]

When i tell the people the angle of the knives i make... i always tell the combined angle. So if said its 22º.... thats 11º per side.

 

[sammakins]

Thanks for the help everyone, I'll have a look for the Leonard Lee book.

Petrochemicals, I'll probably take an axe for longer trips but just take the knife for overnighters so need it to be a general all round blade really. I'm thinking i might go for 25 degrees total included bevel?

Also has anyone got a mora about they could measure as they state 23 degrees for the bevel and wondered if that was total or one side, as they seem quite steep?

Sam

 

[HillBill]

That will be total. No doubt about it.

 

[sammakins]

Cool, cheers Hillbill.

 

[HillBill]

No worries. The Original Mora, with the wooden handle had just short of an 18º total angle.... they are great working with wood. I've made a few knives on that spec and the owners are happy with the performance. How would that opinion change if using a bevel angle like some companies do at 40º total for example..... Thats why Moras are well regarded..... they just cut well.