For me, I like the Japanese Nakiri knife design. Its a great cutter, slicer and feels great. I, like most people in the kitchen, think I am a decent chef. I do all cooking in the house and have a block of 12 knives plus more on the wall. I use 2.

Of the long ones, the don't feel natural for what I am cutting. I cut normal sized meats and veg. I have used the long blades for long cuts like in a turkey or a tenderloin. But normally I use the same knife.

I like a 7" blade and a single bevel. long thin angle not a sharp bevel...

I don't rock my blade when I cut I chop and slice in a straight line, so I like a straight edge for 90% of my cuts.

For thickness I think this page has a great example(s) of what to look at.

https://www.knivesandtools.com/en/ct/how-good-is-your-knife.htm

Don't know if that helps.

Thanks for the information, Greg-I appreciate it. I’ve seen several makers put a single bevel on some kitchen knives, but wasn’t sure about trying it for myself. I kind of plan on only two or three knives since that’s about all we use, too. I have some folders I want to work on, but eventually, I’d like to put a few knives in the drawer for the kitchen and I like to plan ahead if possible.

Jeremy

The thing I like about the single bevel so far is that its a nice slicer. The edge is easier to maintain since its half the bevel to touch up.

The downside is that it is easy to mess up if you forget its a single bevel and try to sharpen it the wrong way.

I assume you say the "drawer" figuratively, I have a kitchen block I have some knives in but the rest I keep on a wall magnet for show and to keep that edge away from new hands.

Also the biggest thing I have discovered so far is that home made ones rust soooo easy.

so I have to wash, dry and light oil...each time.

Yeah, we have a drawer knife block (?) that my wife found. It’s got slots in it that the knives nest in but is shallow and wide so it can fit in a drawer and be out of the way. The 15N20 knife we use in the kitchen definitely stains/patinas, but still works well. It’s a price I’m willing to pay <img src=' http://www.americanbladesmith.com/ipboard/public/style_emoticons//smile.gi f' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':)' />.

Jeremy

there are three main thoughts on this , zero bevel stupid hard, (61-64hrc) s-grind pretty hard (60-61HRC) these can be zero ground or down to less than 0.005 at the edge pre sharpening, last is the convex grind still pretty hard. 60-61 thin at the edge with a convex to around 0.010 a 1/4-1/3 up the blade with and down to essentially zero. All three methods can work I prefer the slight convex myself. The spine thickness makes some difference as well, with some makers removing all the excess weight and making a chef that is lighter than a thought and others just thinning the tip and the edge and leaving as much weight as possible otherwise. Both methods have there adherents and both can make great knives but do act differently in the cut.

MP

Thank you very much, Matthew. Could you tell me more about the convex grind that you prefer? Do you use a slack belt or rotary type platen for the full convex? Would a FFG to begin with then convex from there work? If you were going to make a chef’s knife, what is your preferred length and blade height, along with the thickness at the spine be? I sure appreciate any of your thoughts.

Jeremy

I make mostly medium thickness blades most popular size is about 8" cutting edge, so that is the size I tend to make the most. for me that is right around 1/8" thick at he spine with a more or less straight taper to 0.010 near the point.

for the convex grind I flat grind to around 0.010-0.012 at the edge and as even as I can make it (all grinding is at 36 grit) I then use the slack belt on my KMG to thin the edge and a little bit of the spine to under 0.005 with the break in the curve about 1/3 up the blade. Next I use a soft 8" wheel to start the polishing , starting at 220 grit I remove all of the 36 grit marks, this is followed by 400 then 600 grit, (this is all length wise to the blade) I then hand sand from 400 grit normally to 800 or so. after hand sanding the edge is at zero, and the spine is normally around 0.110-0.120

I learned this geometry from my friend Andy Billip He will actually tune his grind to shead as he is grinding the blade. he will keep a sack of old potatos in the shop and test it after ever few passes until the geometry is cutting and shredding the way he wants. Andy was a big help to me when I first started making kitchen knives

MP

I really appreciate the explanation of your process. I always find it fascinating how different makers achieve their final results. Do you like any particular carbon steel for the kitchen? I’ve enjoyed making some hunters/edc type knives out of 80CrV2, but I think I saw someone say elsewhere that wouldn’t be their choice for a kitchen knife. I know I’ve seen several out of W2-any thoughts about 1075?

Jeremy

I had a good friend, who’s a chef, recently ask me to make him a bird beak. Only my second blade, and boy what a challenge it is. Unique and fun nonetheless. Caught a warp either from grinding or heat treat, just in the ricasso. Didn’t notice until after the temper so, this will be a fun fix. However, if you’re looking for a unique, interesting, and cool knife I say give the Bird-Beak a try.

|quoted:

I had a good friend, who’s a chef, recently ask me to make him a bird beak. Only my second blade, and boy what a challenge it is. Unique and fun nonetheless. Caught a warp either from grinding or heat treat, just in the ricasso. Didn’t notice until after the temper so, this will be a fun fix. However, if you’re looking for a unique, interesting, and cool knife I say give the Bird-Beak a try.

Im a former classically french trained chef, tourne knives are PITA <img src=' http://www.americanbladesmith.com/ipboard/public/style_emoticons//tongue.gi f' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':P' />

Personally i like full flats, in 2 rudimentary configurations, zero grind and stupid hard for light work, and moderately hard and slightly thicker grinds- SImilar to what Mr Parkinson mentioned. Only all my blades are very typically under 1/8 and closer to 2mm-2.5mm

It's good to see this discussion. I think the chef's knife is unfamiliar to a lot of us ABS guys so anything said by those who know will certainly be beneficial to us. Thank you.

I started my knife making journey wanting a better kitchen knife. I tried a German 6in chef to start to short then an 8in Dexter from the restaurant supply and finally two Japanese gyutos/chefs and a 5in petty. I prefer something close to the classic Sabatier shape for my style of cutting glide chop with the tip not leaving the cutting board very often. "An edge in the kitchen" was a very helpful book also I learned a lot from the Chef talk forum. As far as size for my personal use,my chef knife is 9 inches 2 at the heel flat ground with a slight convex edge and starts at .081(my typical chefs start .09 to1.or so) and .063 at about 3 inches from the tip stiffness is also a consideration. I do keep the Dexter handy for harsh task. The only other knife I use is a 6in petty/ utility 1 1/8 at the heel. Practicing with those first knives was a huge help to show me what I like as well as that forum and the book.