BLADE THICKNESS
The thickness of the blade is directly related to strength and flexibility and has a direct impact on ease of slicing and sharpness.
Manufacturers control the blade thickness based on the intended
use. Thicker blades are more ridged, stronger and used for less
precise cutting. The cutting edge profile is shaped for strength.
The thinner the blade, the more flexible and sharper it will be
making delicate cutting easier.
Knives are thicker at the spine and taper down to the cutting edge,
creating a wedge shaped cross section.
Each time the edge is sharpened, a small amount of metal is removed from the bottom moving the edge up toward the spine. Although the blade thickness does not actually change, the cutting edge becomes thicker making the knife feel duller and duller
To correct this problem, the type of edge or profile that is put on the knife can be changed to create a thinner cutting edge while not significantly changing the thickness or shape of the blade.
Manufacturers decide what the blade thickness should be based on the
intended use. The thickness of the blade has the biggest affect on slicing.
The thinner the blade, the more flexible it will be and the thinner and more
precise the cut can be made
The edge of the knife, the ground edge that runs the length of the
blade, is usually between ¼ to ½ inch wide. The thicker the edge,
the stronger it will be but the less sharp it will feel. The
thickness of the cutting edge has the greatest affect on initial
sharpness and edge life. Thinner edges are sharper and more fragile
By creating a multi-bevel or convex profile, the blade just above the cutting edge can be thinned so that the final cutting angle will produce a sharper edge. This effectively eliminates that problem of edge thickening due to repeated sharpening at the same angle as illustrated above.
