Stetson912 Report post Posted March 23, 2017 Howdy folks, I'm seriously considering a Barry king knife. I've sharpened my Tandy blades but they still don't cut well. So I figured I'd upgrade. Then I discovered all the many types of blades that are available just from Barry king. My question is, does each blade have a different purpose? Should I get a 1/4" or 3/8" or both, angled or straight, thick or thin, red or blue... Ok the last option was a joke but still, for a novice it's a daunting decision. I would like to have a variety of carving abilities from big western floral pieces to intricate Sheridan pieces. So my thoughts were getting a 1/2" or 5/8" barrel and a 3/8" and 1/4" thin straight blades (because that's what I'm used to) Thanks a mucho Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
oltoot Report post Posted March 24, 2017 Myself, I have settled on 3/8 thick, hollow ground, straight for the vast majority of work. Blade control accommodates varying tasks better than trying to switch blades, IMHO Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Stetson912 Report post Posted March 24, 2017 1 hour ago, oltoot said: Myself, I have settled on 3/8 thick, hollow ground, straight for the vast majority of work. Blade control accommodates varying tasks better than trying to switch blades, IMHO Thanks oltoot, I ordered my knife today and got one of each of the 3/8" blade. I'm thinking I'll like the thicker blade better than the thinner one but I figured it wouldn't hurt to just try em both out to see which I like. And a spare blade is good to have. I found a few threads on here dealing with the subject and most people recommend the thicker 3/8" blade. So now I'm impatiently awaiting my new toy haha. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MADMAX22 Report post Posted March 25, 2017 (edited) If you do tooling alot youll probably just buy more swivel knives so you dont have to change blades just pick up another knife. I like the wider blades as well like the 3/8 straight, I have a 1/4 straight blade that is great for doing deep wide cuts but its not a standard blade like most ya see, it opens up pretty quickly. Not good per say for really detailed work. Edited March 25, 2017 by MADMAX22 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Stetson912 Report post Posted March 25, 2017 15 minutes ago, MADMAX22 said: If you do tooling alot youll probably just buy more swivel knives so you dont have to change blades just pick up another knife. I like the wider blades as well like the 3/8 straight, I have a 1/4 straight blade that is great for doing deep wide cuts but its not a standard blade like most ya see, it opens up pretty quickly. Not good per say for really detailed work. Thanks madmax, I ordered the 3/8" thick and thin to try em out. I don't do a ton of tooling but if I end up doing more then I probably will invest in more knives. I just need a good one to start with to replace the Tandy ones I have. The blades just don't cut it.... Hehe Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
