# Asymetric grind gyuto - tip placement?



## kennyc (Mar 19, 2021)

Working on a few with asymetric grind (partly because I don't really have any yet but mostly because not having to match both sides seems easier)

The actual grind is intended to be straighter on the left side (right-handed user) when perpendicular to the board so the edge at the heel - by nature of this type of asymetry will be offset from the centerline of the knife. 

What about the tip? Should it be in-line with the edge at the heel (and therefore offset from the centerline of the handle)? or in-line with the handle (and therefore not parallel with the spine when viewed from above?

How do the more extreme examples (kiritsuke/deba/yanagiba) deal with this?

the WIPs:






current choil shot:


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## Heli (Jul 28, 2021)

kennyc said:


> What about the tip? Should it be in-line with the edge at the heel (and therefore offset from the centerline of the handle)?


In my opinion, I would say yes. The tip should be inline with the edge and therefore the asymmetry maintained. Now, with a very thin tip, you may not see it very well. My 2 cents.


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## LostHighway (Jul 28, 2021)

Have you read through this thread?
Jules, per usual, is the master of careful observation, thoughtful analysis, and clear explanation.


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## ian (Jul 28, 2021)

.


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## Kippington (Jul 28, 2021)

I believe this is what you're talking about?
From the thread: Understanding Distal Taper
_________________

*Distal Taper and it's effect on an Asymmetrical grind*

As many of us already know, there can be advantages to grinding a knife off-centre.




It's a simple enough concept, but what happens when we add distal taper to the mix?

The following triangles represent the spine of a tapered knife, with the middle line going through them representing the cutting edge.




As we know, the cutting edge has to be straight. That's easy enough to do if it runs down the centre of the knife, (a) being an example of that.
Lets look at an asymmetric grind on the knife (b). To maintain a constant ratio of space on the left and right of the edge, we end up with the edge no longer running at the same angle as before.
To have the cutting edge of a tapered knife to run parallel to the handle, the tip of the knife needs to point slightly left or right (c), depending on which bias the knife was designed for.

This is one of the stranger things I've noticed while making tapered knives.


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## kennyc (Jul 30, 2021)

Kippington said:


> I believe this is what you're talking about?
> From the thread: Understanding Distal Taper
> _________________
> 
> ...



THIS! Is exactly the explanation I was looking for to the question I was trying to ask. One thing I'm quickly coming to appreciate about kitchen knives is the near-infinite variability of the geometry & its effects as compared to [the other folders/outdoor knives] which I'm used to.

Thank you!


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