Mr. Mark, Yes! You’ve found the exact same results as I have. In reality, a toothy edge is far more useful than a polished edge for most purposes, except for things like shaving and slicing sashimi.
I’ve found many times when even a very sharp polished edge just does not work. One time my wife was trying to cut some plastic rope. I gave her a freshly sharpened, polished edge knife and proudly said, “Here, use this!” The knife was basically useless and just rode on the surface of the rope strands.
A friend who witnessed the event then mockingly said something like, ha ha, your knife can’t even cut rope! As you can imagine, I almost lost all will to live! My freshly sharpened blade was an abject failure. I felt!
I’ve seen many times cutting things like tomatoes where a very sharp polished edge will only squash the tomato. But pierce the skin with the tip of the blade and then it slices through well.
A sharp, very toothy edge should shave just fine. Blades sharpened @ 180 grit shave very easily without problems, and I don’t see why a 120 grit finish should be any different. I’ll have to give it a try to be sure though.
I’m guessing one of two things must have been happening:
1. There was still burr. Burr can be very deceptive with a toothy edge. Hunks of burr can act like a saw and tear away at what you are cutting. The burr can be very difficult to detect without looking at the edge under a microscope. When I get some time I’ll post images showing this. In my opinion burr is much more difficult to completely remove than most folks think.
2. The edge was just not sharp. Maybe you didn’t get all the way to the edge with the abrasive?
I’ve grown to dislike polished edges except in very specific cases such as push cutting application for chisels, axes, cleavers, etc., or knives used for specific purposes.
I can see where that’s a problem for knife makers, especially selling to someone who really does not understand the ramifications. A lot of people think a perfect mirror bevel and edge, sharp as a razor is a good thing. What they fail to understand it that for general use, an over sharpened edge is weak and a polished edge is just not that useful. It sure looks impressive and very pretty sitting in a glass display case though!
It reminds me of the old saying: A ship is safest in harbor, but that’s not what she’s built for!
I’ve found many times when even a very sharp polished edge just does not work. One time my wife was trying to cut some plastic rope. I gave her a freshly sharpened, polished edge knife and proudly said, “Here, use this!” The knife was basically useless and just rode on the surface of the rope strands.
A friend who witnessed the event then mockingly said something like, ha ha, your knife can’t even cut rope! As you can imagine, I almost lost all will to live! My freshly sharpened blade was an abject failure. I felt!
I’ve seen many times cutting things like tomatoes where a very sharp polished edge will only squash the tomato. But pierce the skin with the tip of the blade and then it slices through well.
A sharp, very toothy edge should shave just fine. Blades sharpened @ 180 grit shave very easily without problems, and I don’t see why a 120 grit finish should be any different. I’ll have to give it a try to be sure though.
I’m guessing one of two things must have been happening:
1. There was still burr. Burr can be very deceptive with a toothy edge. Hunks of burr can act like a saw and tear away at what you are cutting. The burr can be very difficult to detect without looking at the edge under a microscope. When I get some time I’ll post images showing this. In my opinion burr is much more difficult to completely remove than most folks think.
2. The edge was just not sharp. Maybe you didn’t get all the way to the edge with the abrasive?
I’ve grown to dislike polished edges except in very specific cases such as push cutting application for chisels, axes, cleavers, etc., or knives used for specific purposes.
I can see where that’s a problem for knife makers, especially selling to someone who really does not understand the ramifications. A lot of people think a perfect mirror bevel and edge, sharp as a razor is a good thing. What they fail to understand it that for general use, an over sharpened edge is weak and a polished edge is just not that useful. It sure looks impressive and very pretty sitting in a glass display case though!
It reminds me of the old saying: A ship is safest in harbor, but that’s not what she’s built for!