Would this make a good head knife??

[Rayban]

This is by a manufacturer that makes blade blanks...all kinds....that still have to be ground, heat treated, then final sharpened, then have handle scales applied.

He's marketing this as a kitchen tool, but do you see any reason why it wouldn't make a good head knife? I'm liking the handle configuration.

It's 8" x 3 1/2" I believe.

Comments/critiques please.

[Rawhide]

This is by a manufacturer that makes blade blanks...all kinds....that still have to be ground, heat treated, then final sharpened, then have handle scales applied.

He's marketing this as a kitchen tool, but do you see any reason why it wouldn't make a good head knife? I'm liking the handle configuration.

It's 8" x 3 1/2" I believe.

Comments/critiques please.

8"!!!! Wow. That's going to be way too big to control properly. Most people want one in about the 3" to 4 1/2" range.

[Rayban]

I was thinking it would be too big myself...what do you think of the handle concept?

[Art]

I was thinking that this design could apply more moment or torque to you than you might be able to apply to in. As big as it is, it will be hard to turn, and forget it for intricate work.

Art

I was thinking it would be too big myself...what do you think of the handle concept?

[weaselrunner]

try North Coast Knives - look under the kitchen blades, he carries 2 ulu styles (different handle types) only need a handle put on ( I used corian) already tempered and ready to cut (dont ask how I know ) They have a little more curve but are only about 5 to 6 inches from point to point around the curve of the blade.

[Vikti]

Do you think that this knife here would have any use in leathercrafting? Maybe an alternative to a head or round knife? Or does it look like that the blade is too thick?

[MikePatterson]

if you have a fan in your shop you could use it to keep your patterns from blowing off the work bench... i use a round knife 4-5 hrs. a day and this is not even close. if you ever get to using a round knife you will understand why everyone has said it just won't work. hope i wasn't to blunt, if you just like the style or think it is a neat knife then you should have one but i see no way it would work in my shop.

Do you think that this knife here would have any use in leathercrafting? Maybe an alternative to a head or round knife? Or does it look like that the blade is too thick?

[Vikti]

You didn't step on any toes or anything. I was just wondering.

On the lighter side, I'm going to go to a job site next week for a 70 hour week so once I get that paycheck I'm thinking on getting an Osborne round knife and finding someone to teach me how to use it.

[Kevin]

Vikti, in leatherwork it is called an echancree, I have a Don Carlos and a Blanchard, But the only use I can imagine for them is to straight edge a side and I find a round knife much easier to use. But it is a cool looking knife, and if I didn't have two already, you couldn't talk me out of getting one.

Kevin

[MikePatterson]

now you are talking nothing like a round knife just make sure it's sharp really sharp keep your hands and fingers behind your work read all you can about how to use one on this site ask all the questions you can think of and you wll grow to love it.

good luck mike

You didn't step on any toes or anything. I was just wondering.

On the lighter side, I'm going to go to a job site next week for a 70 hour week so once I get that paycheck I'm thinking on getting an Osborne round knife and finding someone to teach me how to use it.

[TwinOaks]

The reason the ulu knife wouldn't make a good round/head knife is the blade geometry. Round/head knives have a lot of curve to them and that places more cutting edge in a limited linear space....more cut per inch. A strongly curved blade will almost aways cut better than a straight blade for the same linear distance the knife is moved. Also, from what I've seen, leather knives are pretty thin as they are designed to slice, where an ulu is designed to chop. For a rather extreme example, take a common axe and compare to a chef's knife. Axes are great on trees, not so great on tomatoes. Opposite is true of the chef's knife for the same reason - blade geometry.

Edited January 9, 2009 by TwinOaks