Joe,

Cool knife! Any SS blade is desirable, so I can understand your excitement on this one. Not to take away from your post, but it seems that very few of these older 18s, specifically the ones that appear to have been used in service or otherwise, have wrapped handles. Do you think most servicemen wrapped the handle, but the wrap has been removed over time? Have you seen many 18s with wrapped handles? Functionally, a wrapped handle makes the most sense. It provides a better grip, insulation for the hand in cold weather and of course, storage for extra line or cordage.

I would say electrical tape seemed to be used on occasion early on as a handle wrap. There are so few from the early period that you just don't see enough of them to really claim anything was used with regularity. Most of the very early ones are just straight handles with nothing on them.

I believe as the model became more popular during the Viet Nam war you began to see different types of wrapping material used and more frequently. I saw one once that had a bicycle handle bar grip on it. Basically an oversized crutch-tip. Actually worked pretty well as a grip but was a pain to get off the tube.

Joe,

Another question - the three early 18s on page 202 in Gaddis have very small sawteeth - noticeably different than today's sawteeth. On the early 18s that you have seen, are sawteeth typically smaller? Being that the 18 saw was specifically designed to cut aircraft skin, it does seem that small teeth would be more effective on aluminum - closer to a hacksaw. Do you feel today's larger teeth would perform as well on aluminum? It seems the larger teeth might not cut as smoothly and get hung up.

tom:

IMO, there are three sizes of teeth, fine, medium, and large. I know the size of the teeth has been attributed to the wear on the wheel used to make them. Less wear small teeth, more wear large teeth. I don't think that is 100% accurate, and this is why - According to Pete Hamilton, you could request "small teeth" on your knife in the past.

Note: it also seems that short bladed knives most often had smaller sized teeth with larger teeth reserved for larger blades. Not really enough real estate for large teeth on a short blade. Not saying you won't find one, but medium teeth would be more common of that vintage. Newer pieces seem to lean towards larger teeth.

Most of the early teeth on 18's (and 14's, 15's) seem to be of the fine to medium (standard) size. As the 60's wore on, the variation in size seems to be all over the place, with larger teeth becoming more common. I believe this is partly due to the time required to grind the teeth. More teeth, more time.

Years ago I would measure the TIP (teeth per inch) on various blades. I kept track of quite a few pieces for what reason I don't know, but eventually lost interest. Don't know where the paper record is now.

On the subject of small teeth being an "option", I recall most if not every model 1 with teeth being in the small to fine category, which for all practical purposes holds true to this day. So is grinding wheel size the only factor determining teeth size? It doesn't appear that is definitively the case, at least not in the 60's.

Thanks Joe!

Here's an impressive video showing an 18 chopping a board. I don't chop with my knives, but it's nice to know the 18 can take it. Joe, notice the small teeth on this newer model.

Link

Teeth size?

Maybe somebody from the shop could chime in here....

But one thing I have been told in the past is that the size of the teeth depended in large part on the amount of wear on the wheel over time, with smaller teeth being possible when the wheel is newer, and larger teeth being produced as the wheel wears down. True or not...

It would also seem likely that the spacing and therefore the depth of the grind on the teeth are likely influenced by both (a) the size of the blade itself, and (b) the work style of whoever is grinding them into the blade.

As far as anyone has ever said to me, there is no "shop standard" for the number of teeth-per-inch or the depth of cut.

The only two things that probably matter are (1) that the teeth are not outrageously large or small for the particular blade--aesthetics and maybe functionality, and (2) the teeth on a particular knife are consistent in depth and spacing.

Given all the variables, I suspect that the style of the teeth on a given knife depends on who ground them, with what wheel, and when they did it. That seems to go with "hand made"--and, yes, at least in the days of Steve Johnson in the 14 Room they were hand-ground. I suspect they still are, although some would think that a milling jig might be set up to do the chore.*

Larry

*Which brings me to a side story. Back in the '80's I had a friend in the shop where I worked grind saw teeth into the cutting edge of one of the two blades on a Case knife that I thought I would use when deer hunting. I never used it and eventually took it to a show and put it on the table for sale. The buyer never asked me about the teeth, plunked down his money, and as he was walking away I heard his friend tell him, "Yes, they did make a few like this and you were lucky to pick this one up!"

From the shop, Larry is dead on...although we purposely put smaller teeth into smaller blades, (the Cutler just keeps the wheel sharp), and a little larger on the larger blades. There is NO set amount on any particular blades and are all done by hand, no jigs or patterns....

---DW---

As for aesthetics, I have seen some that weren't too pleasing. Some had mongo size teeth that just didn't look right. Again, more teeth, more time.

One thing that has changed from very early on is the teeth originally didn't come to a point but had a bit of a "flat" which is far more durable than the sharp pointed teeth. I have seen a few knives that had the tips broken. I would suggest that although most will never use the teeth on any material (i.e. metal) that would be more inclined to cause damage, it would be prudent if they were still ground with the "flat" at the tip.

scott, didn't one fella do the teeth for like forever?

Joe,
Forever...Until he retired. Steve Johnson, after 42 years, hung it up. Ya' just can't get good help these days (Ha-Ha)
Best. Capt. Chris