What are your thoughts on the Southard blade and edge?
Southard edges
Southard edges
I have different angles on my Southards and am still deciding which I prefer. Certainly, the thin one cuts much better but it sacrifices strength and with the thick blade stock it feels a little bit like trying to make an apple out of an orange.
What are your thoughts on the Southard blade and edge?
What are your thoughts on the Southard blade and edge?
You've got some beautiful edges there, whats the DPS on each of them? The angles on mine are between the 2 you've got and edge stability seems fine cuts great also.
M390 Para2, CTS-XHP Para2, CTS-204P Para2, Gayle Bradley, Techno, Bob T Slipit, M390 Mule, Southard, Southfork, Air, Tuff, ZDP Caly 3.5.
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razorsharp
- Member
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- Joined: Wed Mar 16, 2011 9:41 pm
- Location: New Zealand
Received my Southard a few days ago.
Put a 37 degree inclusive on with an Edgepro.
Usually I don't notice cutting performance improvement at 1000+ grit, but in this case it's very noticeable.
1000 was cutting paper well but with some resistance.
2000 started popping hair.
3000 shaves the arm with ease and cuts thicker paper like butter. Able to make wave cuts easily.
I wasn't sure what angle I'd get since I had to lay the blade flat on it's side due to the geometry. Laying the blade flat subtracted 5.5 degrees per side from the Edgepro setting. Set at 24 degrees per side, wound up with 18.5.
At first I was disappointed for not using a sharper angle, but it's cutting amazing at 37 so I'm no longer regretting spending 8 hours polishing the edge.
Will the 18.5 degree edge hold much better than 15?
Put a 37 degree inclusive on with an Edgepro.
Usually I don't notice cutting performance improvement at 1000+ grit, but in this case it's very noticeable.
1000 was cutting paper well but with some resistance.
2000 started popping hair.
3000 shaves the arm with ease and cuts thicker paper like butter. Able to make wave cuts easily.
I wasn't sure what angle I'd get since I had to lay the blade flat on it's side due to the geometry. Laying the blade flat subtracted 5.5 degrees per side from the Edgepro setting. Set at 24 degrees per side, wound up with 18.5.
At first I was disappointed for not using a sharper angle, but it's cutting amazing at 37 so I'm no longer regretting spending 8 hours polishing the edge.
Will the 18.5 degree edge hold much better than 15?
There is a pretty significant improvement between 40 and 30 degrees, but unless you've played around with enough of both you may not notice the difference. If you're happy that's all that matters.
As for the Southard on the EP, it is possible to sharpen the knife with the blade laying on the flat sides instead of laying the grind flat on the table, but you have to hold the knife very tightly and use gentile strokes so you don't throw the edge center line out of 90. Mine is polished up to 16k in these pics and was done so this way. It's probably easier to lay it flat on the side, but I prefer keeping the edge at 90.
As for the Southard on the EP, it is possible to sharpen the knife with the blade laying on the flat sides instead of laying the grind flat on the table, but you have to hold the knife very tightly and use gentile strokes so you don't throw the edge center line out of 90. Mine is polished up to 16k in these pics and was done so this way. It's probably easier to lay it flat on the side, but I prefer keeping the edge at 90.
All SE all the time since 2017
~David
~David