Utility knife is a multipurpose knife. This knife is handy for many uses: food preparation, from cleaning fish, skinning and cleaning game to slicing cheese or stripping bark; a knife to take backpacking, one that is strong and light; and a handy knife that will whittle and trim.
I have found these knives, which are prototypes for most knives in common usage, to be overly large and clumsy. The handles are not fitted to the hand, and the blades do not flow gracefully from the handle. Utility and "side" knives have become considerably smaller over the years. Back in Jim Bowie's time, one didn't need a great imagination to picture himself hewing timber for shelter, of fighting for his life with a bear. The romance of the mountain men and their real need for large, heavy knives helped prolong the popularity of the "big knife" well beyond its practicality. Many of the early knives were actually short, heavy swords. Knives people use today have become much smaller and lighter because they are easier to carry and control.
The general utility knife should be a short, slightly curved blade with the cutting edge dropped slightly below the handle, forming a natural finger guard and leaving some room for the fingers between the handle and cutting board.
This dropped edge enhances the effectiveness of the knife in preparing food because you can cut meal and vegetables in the middle of a cutting board instead of along the edge, as you would have to with o built-on finger guard.
The dropped blade is also good for butchering and skinning because you have the protection of the natural finger guard with no bulky, manufactured guard getting in the way of the cutting action. Since the edge is below the fingers, they stay cleaner and less slippery. A 2-1/2-inch (or less) utility blade is adequate for most hunting and camping functions, including food preparation. The steel for a knife like this can vary, but need be only 1/8-inch thick or less to provide plenty of strength and heft.
Another very useful feature in a utility knife is a slight curve to the handle, making it conform to the hand. It's even better to have a little bump or hook at the end of the handle for the little finger to push against.
A number of possible shapes for utility knives that are more practical than the larger.
Grinding techniques for utility knife blades can vary as much as the shapes. In general, you don't want an edge to be too thin if the knife is for outdoor use. Following ordinary knife making procedures, you can turn large heavy circular-saw blades into fine hatchets. A hatchet tends to be heavy unless you use a light piece of steel, say 1/8-inch thick.
The chopping action is a little different from that of an ordinary wooden-handled hatchet, which has the center of balance closer to the head. The full-tang hatchet is highly prized among hunters and collectors because it is solid and packs a good wallop. This tool is similar to a cleaver, but with a short blade and long, gracefully curving handle.
The edge is a convex bevel. You can grind it as fine or as blunt as you wish, depending on what you want to use it for. If it is too fine, the edge may chip in heavy use; if it is too blunt, it may dull easily, not bite as deeply, and become difficult to sharpen.
I have found these knives, which are prototypes for most knives in common usage, to be overly large and clumsy. The handles are not fitted to the hand, and the blades do not flow gracefully from the handle. Utility and "side" knives have become considerably smaller over the years. Back in Jim Bowie's time, one didn't need a great imagination to picture himself hewing timber for shelter, of fighting for his life with a bear. The romance of the mountain men and their real need for large, heavy knives helped prolong the popularity of the "big knife" well beyond its practicality. Many of the early knives were actually short, heavy swords. Knives people use today have become much smaller and lighter because they are easier to carry and control.
The general utility knife should be a short, slightly curved blade with the cutting edge dropped slightly below the handle, forming a natural finger guard and leaving some room for the fingers between the handle and cutting board.
This dropped edge enhances the effectiveness of the knife in preparing food because you can cut meal and vegetables in the middle of a cutting board instead of along the edge, as you would have to with o built-on finger guard.
The dropped blade is also good for butchering and skinning because you have the protection of the natural finger guard with no bulky, manufactured guard getting in the way of the cutting action. Since the edge is below the fingers, they stay cleaner and less slippery. A 2-1/2-inch (or less) utility blade is adequate for most hunting and camping functions, including food preparation. The steel for a knife like this can vary, but need be only 1/8-inch thick or less to provide plenty of strength and heft.
Another very useful feature in a utility knife is a slight curve to the handle, making it conform to the hand. It's even better to have a little bump or hook at the end of the handle for the little finger to push against.
A number of possible shapes for utility knives that are more practical than the larger.
Grinding techniques for utility knife blades can vary as much as the shapes. In general, you don't want an edge to be too thin if the knife is for outdoor use. Following ordinary knife making procedures, you can turn large heavy circular-saw blades into fine hatchets. A hatchet tends to be heavy unless you use a light piece of steel, say 1/8-inch thick.
The chopping action is a little different from that of an ordinary wooden-handled hatchet, which has the center of balance closer to the head. The full-tang hatchet is highly prized among hunters and collectors because it is solid and packs a good wallop. This tool is similar to a cleaver, but with a short blade and long, gracefully curving handle.
The edge is a convex bevel. You can grind it as fine or as blunt as you wish, depending on what you want to use it for. If it is too fine, the edge may chip in heavy use; if it is too blunt, it may dull easily, not bite as deeply, and become difficult to sharpen.
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