What is a knife grinder?

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Definition of knife grinder. 1 : one that grinds knives: such as. a : an itinerant tradesman who sharpens knives or other edged tools. b : a device (as a grindstone or emery wheel) used for grinding or sharpening knives or other edged tools.



Just so, what are the different types of knife grinds?

Here are some of the most common types of knife grinds, their attributes, and their strengths.

  • Hollow Grind.
  • Full Flat Grind.
  • High Flat Grind.
  • Scandinavian Grind (aka V Grind)
  • Chisel Grind.
  • Convex Grind.
  • Compound Bevel Grind.
  • Asymmetrical Grind.

Additionally, how sharp can a knife be? A sharp knife will cut it cleanly when use a slicing motion to cut through the paper. A razor sharp knife can cut the paper cleanly by just pressing down on the edge of paper without any slicing at all. Another test is to shave the hair on your arms.

Consequently, what is the best knife grind?

Also, for a hunting knife, the hollow grind is the best as it stays thin at the edge much longer.” However, that's not to say Dozier is adverse to other grinds. “The flat grind is the best for the kitchen as it does not wander when making thin slices,” he opines. “A convex grind is great for splitting firewood.”

What angle should I grind my knife?

A 17 to 20 degree angle covers most kitchen knives. Some knives (typically Japanese manufacturers) will sharpen their knives to roughly 17 degrees. Most western knives are roughly 20 degrees. It is our experience that kitchen knives sharpened to 15 to 20 degrees cut very well and are still durable.

35 Related Question Answers Found

Why are Japanese knives sharpened on one side?

Unlike western knives, Japanese knives are often only single ground, meaning that they are sharpened so that only one side holds the cutting edge. As shown in the image, some Japanese knives are angled from both sides, while others are angled only from one side with the other side of the blade being flat.

What is a Sabre grind?

The sabre grind is a fairly common blade grind that involves having a flat primary edge bevel that beings somewhere around the middle of the knife and continues along to the edge. At the edge, the secondary bevel forms the final sharpened edge of the knife.

What is a flat grind?

The flat grind is the simplest grind pattern for any knife. Rather than being ground in a concave or convex curve, the grind of the blade is tapered consistently or in a flat manner from the spine to the edge of the blade. A full flat grind goes from the spine of the blade to the edge.

What is a Scandi knife?

What is a scandi grind? A scandi grind is basically one of the easiest way of turning a piece of steel into a knife. A flat piece of 2-3 mm thick steel only has one slight curve towards the edge. That's it. Not another secondary edge as you often find in kitchen knives, for instance.

What is a convex knife grind?


A grind that often leads to questions is the convex grind. Instead of it being hollow this grind is rounded. To achieve this grind one sharpens the blade on a free sharpening belt. Remarkable about the convex grind is that there is no longer a secondary edge, but that the grind is applied up to the cutting edge.

What is the best grind for a bushcraft knife?

Specifically, the best grinds for bushcraft knives are:
  • Convex Grind (Primary bevel only.)
  • Scandinavian / Scandi Grind (Traditionally primary bevel only. Often found with secondary bevel.)
  • Flat Grind (Almost always secondary bevel only.)
  • Chisel Grind (Not common. Primary bevel only.)

What are the different types of knife blades?

12 Types of Knife Blades and What They're For
  • Clip Point. The clip point is a common blade shape, characterized by a spine with a front section that appears to be clipped off.
  • Drop Point.
  • Gut Hook.
  • Hawkbill / Talon.
  • Needle Point.
  • Normal Blade/Straight Back.
  • Sheepsfoot.
  • Spear Point.

What is a flat ground blade?

A classic Opinel folding knife has a "flat grind" blade,meaning that the faces of the blade are flat, without convexity or concavity, tapering towards the cutting edge: but the actual cutting edge is again formed of another, less acute bevel ground on the narrow edge.

What angle to sharpen a buck knife?

The angle on a Buck Knife is ground to 13-16 degrees per side (see illustrations). If you hold the knife against the stone to cut evenly across the edge grind, you will produce an edge with a similar angle.

Can you sharpen a hollow edge knife?


Most of the hollow-ground knives produced today have a secondary V-bevel at the edge, and so can be sharpened on a stone or other flat hone, or by using a guided sharpening system. Because a hollow-ground blade has the potential to be extraordinarily sharp, however, it can benefit greatly from stropping.

Is Hollow Ground Knife better?

Hollow grinds are best used to remove a lot of material compared to other grinds, making a better slicer. The hollow grind is usually done on a thin blade, and then ground to have a thin edge. As I explained in my article on Blade Edges, thinner edges are a little weaker but they also slice better than thicker edges.

What does a hollow edge knife cut?

Hollow Edge Blade. The purpose of the hollow or Granton-style blade is to assist with keeping particles from sticking to the knife edge as it chops small bits of food as well as a friction reducer to provide less drag when chopping, which enables easier and faster motion.

What is a bushcraft knife?

A "bushcraft" knife is one that would excel at woodworking, carving, etc. Not so much a hunting, tactical or survival knife, rather more of a bush tool.. A bush tool in the same manner of a camp ax or hatchet.

What is a chisel ground blade?

Chisel Ground Blade Edge. Chisel grind definition: A chisel ground blade basically has an edge grind on only one side of the blade. Two basic kinds of Chisel grinds are becoming common place: Single blade grind - this bevel/grind has a blade grind on one side of the blade only.

What is a knife plunge line?


The plunge line is the line where the grind begins and is usually accompanied by a sharpening choil, though not always. The plunge line can be transitioned into the blade in a gentle, curved fashion, or it can be ground flat, thus creating a straight or 90° transition.

Are chisel grind knives good?

Chisel grinds are efficient cutters, but tend to cut in one direction. They are not good whittling knives, but for general purpose heavy duty cutting, a chisel grind is a good choice. Enjoy your new knife!

What is Blade HQ?

Blade HQ is a knife store of epic proportions. We have over 13,000 knives on-site ready to ship. We specialize in military and law enforcement knives, folding knives, butterfly knives, automatic knives— if it's sharp and pointy, we carry it.