O1 For a Leuku?

[Stonedog]

Few things first:

I live in Kentucky, the land of thick briers and hardwoods.

I also have a dandy Plumb BSA that I am going to re-handle and a Bahco Laplander Saw.....heck, I even carry a curled up bucksaw blade in a tin....and a Mora with a 3" blade as a neck knife. So, as you can see....I believe in redundancy.....mayb e a bit too much....but better safe than fracked! To quote Starbuck and Admiral Adama....did I mention my SOG Powerlock as well?

So....I have a great bush axe, but I also want a big knife.....now when I say big knife I am not talking about something that is half-a-sword. I have a Busse, a Condor Golok (modded into a parang) and a short thick parang I made myself.....I am a hobby knife maker.....a grinder. They are all awesome....but long AND heavy.

When I say big knife....I am talking about a "Leuku". I really like the 9" Stromeng....this knife will be for butchering and light chopping....more so if I need to limb saplings or small diameter trees....anything over wrist thickness gets the axe or saw....and usually the saw....it's safer.

OK....whew...I am a windbag.....

I have some O1 here at the house....1/8" thick and 1 1/2" wide.....what are your thoughts on 1/8" thick O1 for a light chopper? If I need to baton....it will be small stuff to get a hot fire going in order to burn the big or wet stuff.

Also, scandi grind or full flat with a convex?

If not O1... then what steel and what thickness? I really want to avoid 1/4" thick stuff....it puts me right back in the same boat as a heavy blade that won't out chop my axe....

 

[robevs73]

You could put a high scandi with a micro bevel on a 1/8" thick blade.

 

[big_swede]

I think my samiknife (9") is less than 1/8". O1 would work fine. Full out scandi is what I have on mine.

 

[Aussiepom]

O1 should be fine; it's a basic high carbon tool steel with very few alloying elements. Just increase the tempering temperature over what you would use for a smaller blade, so that the larger blade ends up less brittle and can cope with impact.

Grinds can be a bit personal. I wouldn't go with a conventional scandi grind for a chopping blade. These typically only have about 30 deg included angle, sometimes less, and I see this as too fragile. Perhaps a sabre grind, (this is the old name for a style of grind which it seems to have become fashionable to call a 'flandi' or 'high scandi'), or even a full flat - with either style, add a convex secondary.

On reflection, the sabre grind might serve you better in a battoning role.

 

[Frederick89]

If you take a look at leukus forged by finnish blacksmiths you'll find out that they're usually 4-5 mm (0.158''-0.197'') thick. In my experience a leuku that thick with 8''-9'' blade usually weights between 350-450 g (12.3-15.8 oz), still light enough to be carried easily, but obviously more powerful.

Bevels are usually 1/3 of total blade height; can be convex, flat with microbevel or flat with convex edge. I personally prefer this last.

The steel most frequently used is spring steel with 0,6-0,7% C as lower carbon contet steels are less prone to damage in hard uses.
Handforged blades are usually differencially treated with a "partial quenching" so to have harder edge and way softer spine. With partial quenching I mean sinking the blade in oil for a few seconds than lift it for leaving the spine out from the liquid while finishing quenching.
I'd say to temper it to 58 HRC, about.

One last thing. Remember that a leuku, if has to be called like so, must have a proper "leuku handle". Unless is just a big knife with leuku styled blade.