# First knife help-gyuto!



## West164 (Jan 4, 2021)

Hello, I'm new here and looking for advice for my first knife. I'll start by giving my plans, hoping someone can catch a mistake before I make it.

The gyuto I'm going for is 210mm in length and about 1.9in wide at the heel with a wa handle. I'm going to make this as simple as I can and hopefully take some inexperience out of it by making jigs. I'm going to buy either .0625" or .078" A2 (my work heats treats this daily and they can heat treat for me). After doing some research it turns out it's a decent material for sharpening and edge retention. I can have my work laser cut the flat blank to size as well.

Once I have the blank cut, I'll make a jig to grind the primary bevel using a file and sand paper (I don't have a grinder). I'll start at the edge and make my way up to the beginning of the neck and I'll leave .006"-.010" on the edge. Next step is heat treat (my work can get 58-60 rc) then temper.

I like the look of a black gyuto with a polished grind, so I'll remove the scale and acid etch, then polish up my primary grind with sand paper. Finally I'll put on the secondary bevel (about 10 degrees per side).

My biggest question is whether to start with .0625" or .078" stock. I will be using this primarily for vegetables and meat (no bones obviously). If I go .078" stock using my grind, at 1/4" from the edge the thickness will be .026" and .046" at 1/2" from the edge. If I use .0625" stock, the blade will measure .022" from 1/4" and .037" at 1/2".

Another note, I'm not an amazing cook so I probably won't notice any imperfections, but I still want to make this knife as good as I can get it. Thanks for any help!


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## Dominick Maone (Jan 5, 2021)

A2 is a pretty good middle of the road steel. If your company can cut it out and heat treat it then it is the perfect steel to start with. It is an air hardening steel, so I am sure your company can heat treat a lot of other steels as well. I would try to get it a little harder if you can, maybe 62-64 range, of course the harder it is the more likely it will be less tough. Not sure 210mm is the best length to start with. I would try to make a smaller knife first to make sure you enjoy it. I have only finished two or three knives with a file grinding jig before I purchased a belt sander. I think .0625 is a little too thin for your first knife too, usually people start thicker to get better at it. I start with .08" and sometimes it gets tough when it comes to thinning the edge close to zero. Just give it a shot, if the first knife does not work out you can make another one.


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## HSC /// Knives (Jan 8, 2021)

If those two sizes are your only choices then go with .078 for the size knife you are specifying.


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## Staystrapped (Jan 8, 2021)

After making several knives I would go for the thicker stock


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