# WIP - Bread knife



## jessf (Dec 11, 2016)

Ive got it in my head that a bread knife is the next project. I have some 1095 left so i want to see if my ideas work. I'll share a concept sketch first.





Ill need to forge out the length and cross section then file in the teeth before heat treat. I picked up a 38x38x600 piece of curly maple that I'll stain/dye. I also have the last piece of mokume left over from the Not a Gyuto project. The larger piece went to the paring knife.


----------



## mise_en_place (Dec 11, 2016)

Cool stuff. I've never seen the process of making a quality bread knife.


----------



## jessf (Dec 11, 2016)

Neither have I. I'll be interested to see how he handles the heat treat on such a narrow piece.


----------



## Matus (Dec 11, 2016)

This is going to be cool  I am toying with the idea ti make a bread knife since quite a while, but the concept is still only brewing in my head. I am very curious how you will proceed here. Good luck!


----------



## merlijny2k (Dec 13, 2016)

You are definitely the most versatile and ambtious amateur ive come across. Good luck and keep us posted!


----------



## cheflivengood (Dec 13, 2016)

jessf said:


> Neither have I. I'll be interested to see how he handles the heat treat on such a narrow piece.



:rofl2:


----------



## jessf (Dec 13, 2016)

First things first. I meed to fix this platton. If it's intentional in the design or just a pourly located weld the platton doesn't touch the backside of the belt. There's about a 3mm gap.





I would have preferred metric but we do what we can. Im going to secure a 6mm piece of D2 to the face of the existing platton.

















I can now aply tension as needed.


----------



## Matus (Dec 13, 2016)

Looks good. I suppose the D2 is hardened.

How easy it is to swap belts? That is one of the things that I really dislike on my 1x30" toy grinder.


----------



## jessf (Dec 13, 2016)

The d2 isnt hardened but i can do so. To replace a belt you push the small rubber wheel towards the large drive wheel and compress a spring in doing so. The smaller wheel is then held in place by a catch so you can swap out the belts. It's a pretty cool little gizmo.


----------



## Matus (Dec 13, 2016)

If you harden the D2 it will last much longer. But his little grinder surely looks really cool. I am looking forward to hear your feedback once you get some work done with it.


----------



## jessf (Dec 13, 2016)

A nights work. I started with 203mm the stretched it out anotther 30mm. My goal is 254mm or 10" when complete. I will do more tomorrow.


----------



## jessf (Dec 13, 2016)

Why don't people use planishing hammers to forge. Small fast impact force and very cheap to purchase.


----------



## mrlinh1511 (Dec 14, 2016)

but the concept is still only brewing in my head. I am very curious how you will proceed here. Good luck!


----------



## Matus (Dec 14, 2016)

Your goal length sounds good. I have the MAC (26cm) and it feels just right length-wise. Definitely not too long.


----------



## milkbaby (Dec 14, 2016)

Looks cool... the serrations are designed such that you just sharpen the whole knife edge like a non-serrated knife?


----------



## jessf (Dec 14, 2016)

That's the idea yeah. Essentially im making a long blade and filing in teeth that will be easy to maintain over the course of it's life. The teeth will be perpendicular to the edge. The slight curve to the blade will ensure that the edges of several teeth are always ripping and slicing into the bread. Im kind of treating it like a bread saw. That's the idea at least.


----------



## jessf (Dec 14, 2016)

My process for most knives has been to do a rough sketch, not to scale, then scan it into autocad where i can scale it up and produce a template. I stretched the length of the blade to within 6mm of the desired 254mm before roughing out the profile. With things trimmed up i can work to even out the distal taper, grow another 6mm, then retrace with my template and trim it up again. It's of course a better use of material to just start with less and cut off less. That's a goal I'm working towards but with the tools and forge i have now, less heating the better.


----------



## cheflivengood (Dec 14, 2016)

looks dope


----------



## jessf (Dec 14, 2016)

Finished for today. Fitted the mokume. Will begin grinding bevels tomorrow.


----------



## Matus (Dec 15, 2016)

Looks good so far Jessf. I am really curios how the grinding (and later sharpening will go). This project of yours is a great inspiration


----------



## jessf (Dec 15, 2016)

What a difference havingtje right tools makes. grinding bevels took a fraction of the time on this grinder attachment than compared to the belt sander.


----------



## jessf (Dec 17, 2016)

Handle is roughed out.





I used CA to glue up the bolster and it held through all the heat of sanding while leaving no glue line and curing in a minute. Much better than epoxy.


----------



## jessf (Dec 17, 2016)

Heat treat complete. No warping on this thin 10" blade. Very pleased.


----------



## jessf (Dec 18, 2016)




----------



## jessf (Dec 18, 2016)

I can push cut paper with the teeth.


----------



## Lawman (Dec 18, 2016)

That is cool
Once again perfect job


----------



## cheflivengood (Dec 18, 2016)

Awesome


----------



## chinacats (Dec 18, 2016)

Have to get a loaf of crusty bread and give it a go. Looks great!


----------



## Matus (Dec 19, 2016)

Fantastic! On top of looking great you seem to take less time to finish a knife than I need to finish an article about making a knife  

I have a few questions though:
- did you sharpen in some way the scallops after HT? If yes - how?
- what did you use to dye the handle - it looks really nice
- how does it cut?

Again - great job om this one :thumbsup:


----------



## jessf (Dec 19, 2016)

i filled in the scallops pre heat treat then cleaned them up with a diamond bit in the dremel post heat treat. The handle colour comes from using dark stain which i applied with vacuum pressure. It allows the wood to absorb as much stain as it can. Buffed it out with danish oil and steel wool for the finish. 

I cut a bagle in half with relative ease. One thing i noticed is the teeth did not clog with crumbs like the other bread knives I've used and there were no crumbs on the cutting board either. I need to try some crusty bread to see how it cuts.


----------



## Matus (Dec 19, 2016)

Thanks. A great idea with that dremel and diamont bit.


----------



## jessf (Dec 19, 2016)

Once the heat treat is complete any lateral cutting with a file will chip teeth off. I tempered this blade more than my other knives but i imagine the hrc is still in the 60 range. Im basing that on charts temps and time. I may get an hrc file set but i hear they aren't that acurate.


----------



## Matus (Dec 19, 2016)

I think you would anyhow have to pull the hardness down quite a bit more to get any use from a normal steel file and as you say, you could chip the blade as the teeth on the file are way too coarse for hardened steel. I have also heard that HRC testing files are not too usefull. Proper tool costs around 500 - 1000 $/ or so - I do not plan that investment anytime soon


----------



## milkbaby (Dec 19, 2016)

That. Is. Awesome. :notworthy:

I really wanted to buy a Watanabe bread sword, but after seeing your WIP, I'm going to make one myself too next year! Thanks for the inspiration!!! :doublethumbsup:


----------



## jessf (Dec 19, 2016)

Got a pic in some better light. It looks like there's a bit of a frown in this pic. Must be distortion or paralax or optical illusion. The edge is striaghter than ibwould have liked and something i can sharpen into more of a curve over time.


----------



## malexthekid (Dec 19, 2016)

So do you just sharpen this like a normal knife?


----------



## jessf (Dec 19, 2016)

Basically yeah. Once in a while ill need to deepen the teeth but that's simple enough with a cheap dremel bit.


----------



## malexthekid (Dec 19, 2016)

Cool. It does look awesome. Can't wait to heat how it goes after some time in use


----------

