Scimitar - A New Project

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This blade is measured 13" (330mm) in straight line heel to tip, but the length of the cutting edge is actually 350mm thanks to the curve. 52100. 62.5RC. S grind. Western handle.

[video=youtube;6Uvp5EwxUV8]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Uvp5EwxUV8[/video]

[video=youtube;wXBI-vxX91Q]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXBI-vxX91Q[/video]

[video=youtube;cejImCQziaQ]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cejImCQziaQ[/video]

[video=youtube;53VAFD4JOMY]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53VAFD4JOMY[/video]
 
A couple of questions for scimitar users.

The pro scimitars I have is pretty thin and light for the size. Is there an advantage (or disadvantage) in increasing the weight of this type of knife? For instance, sujis are typically thin and light, while typical yanagis are thick and heavy. Some could slice cooked proteins with yanagis just as well as with sujis. Would a heavy scimitar with S geometry be a knife to consider?

Second, is the profile for scimitar suitable to be used as a carving knife/slicer?

Thanks,

M
 
Re-posting questions that kind of hinder my progression on this type of knife.

A couple of questions for scimitar users.

The pro scimitar I have is pretty thin and light for the size. Is there an advantage (or disadvantage) in increasing the weight of this type of knife? For instance, sujis are typically thin and light, while typical yanagis are thick and heavy. Some could slice cooked proteins with yanagis just as well as with sujis. Would a heavy scimitar with S geometry (thinner cross-section, good food separation) be a knife to consider?

Second, is the profile for scimitar suitable to be used as a carving knife/slicer?

Thanks,

M
 
As far as the weight I think that much like yanagibas it is the stiffness not the weight that you are looking for. Any flex in your blade is going to cause some variance in your portions. I think that thinking of the scimitar as a portioning knife, not a carving knife, is going to get you into the right track on this. I'm not saying it can't be used for carving, slicing, skinning, boning, etc. but this shape excels at cutting consistent, thick chunks of meat off of a bigger chunk of meat.
The other thing that a scimitar shines at is making long cuts down a carcass (like starting the cut to remove a pork loin and belly in one piece) where you hold it in a dagger grip, and use your left hand to pull the blade along. This is where the tip shape is useful because it is trailing behind that curve, not tearing anything up, but pushing the meat gently away from the bone. That curve would continue to be useful peeling the meat away from the ribs, letting the weight of the loin and gravity pull the meat down and separating it with a kind of twisting motion of the tip.
An S grind would almost certainly be beneficial in the scimitars' role as a portioning knife. Food release can be (no pun intended) a drag when cutting raw meat precisely. In the butchering aspect I don't know that it would help or hinder.
I can't think of anything else right now, but if something comes to me I'll post it up.
 
Hmm... I guess I don't have much choice but to send the scimitar for testing. This would be my second scimitar (see earlier posts in this thread), the firs one is "missing in action" without a word on its performance. So a bit hesitant to do this again, mostly for time required to get a good feedback, but might have to do it anyway.

If you would be interested to test the knife, please post in this thread. Also please note one of the requirements for a tester is that you have to use the scimitar on a regular basis and be familiar with this type of knife.
 
Why not mattrud? He's fairly local to you and he can more than put it through it's paces. And if he does not return it, you can send Son after him :groucho: I'd definitely stick to a local person since you are still SOL on the last one.
 
I would like to use several testers, but yes, I will definitely include Matt and I might even drop the knife off myself.
 
Marko Tsourkan said:
I would like to use several testers, but yes, I will definitely include Matt and I might even drop the knife off myself.
Click to expand...
Make sure he has dinner for you when you visit. And also when you return to pick it back up. :hungry: I'm still trying to reach the person that last had your first test knife...
 
I have eaten at Matt's number of times, I wouldn't pass on a chance to dine there. Hehe.
 
Dardeau said:
As far as the weight I think that much like yanagibas it is the stiffness not the weight that you are looking for. Any flex in your blade is going to cause some variance in your portions. I think that thinking of the scimitar as a portioning knife, not a carving knife, is going to get you into the right track on this. I'm not saying it can't be used for carving, slicing, skinning, boning, etc. but this shape excels at cutting consistent, thick chunks of meat off of a bigger chunk of meat.
The other thing that a scimitar shines at is making long cuts down a carcass (like starting the cut to remove a pork loin and belly in one piece) where you hold it in a dagger grip, and use your left hand to pull the blade along. This is where the tip shape is useful because it is trailing behind that curve, not tearing anything up, but pushing the meat gently away from the bone. That curve would continue to be useful peeling the meat away from the ribs, letting the weight of the loin and gravity pull the meat down and separating it with a kind of twisting motion of the tip.
An S grind would almost certainly be beneficial in the scimitars' role as a portioning knife. Food release can be (no pun intended) a drag when cutting raw meat precisely. In the butchering aspect I don't know that it would help or hinder.
I can't think of anything else right now, but if something comes to me I'll post it up.
Click to expand...

I agree with this. The stiffness of my Rader scimitar is very nice when portioning and while it is thicker than others I have used, the hollow grind help with resistance. Stiffness and hollow grind are a nice combo.
 
Hey Marko, feel free to message me about the scimi. Been busy but always willing to chat.

Yourbox is full
 
So I am going to send this knife to mattrud, Salty and turbochef. I will limit this pass-around to three testers as I need a quick feedback. This project is long overdue and I need to put it on hold further. Sorry, Dave.

The blade is moderately stiff, though in this length there will be some flex in the first 1/3 due to distal taper and S geometry. I will make adjustments in thickness (if needed) for a production version based on feedback I will receive. S geometry is a kind of a game changer as it performs differently than a typical convex, so each prototype has to be field tested, to arrive at a good balance of weight and thickness.

Also, a scimitar in A2 steel will be coming up. I think A2 is an excellent choice for this type of knife - toughness, wear resistance, stain resistance, sharpness, sharpenability, all work in a scimitar's favor.
 
Stiff but on the thin side. Without handling the knife it looks like the profile could be a bit lower. I think a bit of weight is important as you make go through some joints and thin bones. But mainly I use a knife like this for portions, removing fat/silver skin, mainly from larger cuts.
 
mattrud said:
Stiff but on the thin side. Without handling the knife it looks like the profile could be a bit lower. I think a bit of weight is important as you make go through some joints and thin bones. But mainly I use a knife like this for portions, removing fat/silver skin, mainly from larger cuts.
Click to expand...

The profile is a copy of an old American-made scimitar, so I will take the feedback into consideration should it need to be adjusted.

This one is stiff, but thin, so after I get some reference point on thickness, I will make the adjustments to the weight and thickness.
 
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