Does A Bowie Knife Have Chisel Ground Edges?
May 26th, 2010 at 7:59When you go out to purchase Bowie knives you’ll likely be surprised by some of the options available. Bowies are known for their distinctive blade style, their hand guard and their size. They are a combination fighting, hunting and utility knife. As is the case with all knives, there are numerous variations in design that appeal to some users and not to others. Many of these design variations center on the blade.
The way in which the blades on Bowie knives are shaped is referred to as the grind of the blade. It is also sometimes referred to by its end result, and is then called the bevel. Both of these terms simply refer to how the edge of the blade is formed and to its characteristics where the angle of the edge is concerned. A chisel-ground blade is a one-sided blade that can be referred to as either right- or left-handed, depending upon the side on which it is ground.
Most chisel point Bowie knives are ground to a 45-degree angle on one side and are flat on the other. Where hand-sharpening is concerned, this is the easiest type of blade to maintain. In fact, this grind is used on kitchen knives a great deal for this reason. The knife need only be sharpened on the one side, the excess metal is removed from the other and it’s very difficult to do any damage to the bevel.
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Bowie knives with this type of blade will have some distinctive cutting characteristics. They’ll tend to pull away from the side to which they’re handed, for starters. These edges can be incredibly sharp, but they are more brittle. This grind is often used where knives need to be precise but not remarkably durable, such as in the case of the aforementioned kitchen knives. This grind can work for a Bowie, provided its limitations are kept in mind.
A Bowie knife with this grind is easy to sharpen in the field. In fact, with in the space of a few strokes along a sharpening stone, these blades can be largely restored to good edges, even if they’ve been heavily worn. Remember the fragility of the edge, however. This edge will give great cutting results in soft tissue, but it will dull very quickly if it is used for rugged purposes, such as cutting through bone or wood.
Blake is a business consultant for an online bowie knife store featuring hunting knives.
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