Knife Construction

Construction

Basically, there are 3 ways to make a kitchen knife. You can block it, forge it or sinter it. Knives can also be made through an extensive hammering and grinding process. These techniques are still practiced be master craftsmen creating some very fine custom cutlery pieces, however, they are not a cost effective manufacturing process.

Blocked Blades / Stamped Blades

Blocked Blades / Stamped Blades are cut to shape directly from cold rolled steel, heat-treated for strength, then ground, polished, and sharpened. Though they are not preferred by most professional chefs, several popular knife brands, such as Global, do use stamped and heat-treated blades in their premium knives. Stamped blades can often, but not always, be identified by the absence of a bolster.

Forged Blades

Forged Blades are made in an intricate, multi-step process, often by skilled manual labor. A chunk of solid or powdered steel alloy is heated to a high temperature, and pounded while hot to form it. The blade is then heated above critical temperature (which varies between alloys), quenched in an appropriate quenchant, and tempered to the desired hardness. After forging and heat treating, the blade is polished and sharpened. Forged blades are typically thicker and heavier than stamped blades, an advantage in some situations. Forged blades were superior to stamped blades in the past but with modern technology this is no longer the case.

Sintered Knives

Sintered Knives are made by fusing together the blade and tang or, sometimes, the blade, bolster and tang to make up a complete knife from the various parts. This is done as an economy measure in some cases since it is less expensive than forging. In other cases it allows for construction that would be impossible without it.

Knife manufacturing videos

No matter what material, all knives used to be made by hand, one at a time. These informative YouTube Videos show how much work is involved in knife making. This first one shows you automated knife making http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Q46pGg8edg

The next 4 are by Greenpete and they show you how to make a single bevel blade from an old metal file. Not only does Greenpete reuse old metal, he does it in the field with a wood fire and a 12 volt car battery (that could be charged useing photo-voltaiacs).

#1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ysKd1cswlo.

#2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yIvyPxyVKQc&feature=related

#3 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0XGnc8mgEBE

#4 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JBcxo4ojmgo

This one demonstrates Damascuss steel making. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NgcdSk4QpyU&feature=related