In 1999 I designed and commissioned this kitchen knife for my mother. My mother does have some arthritis, and had wanted a knife she could push directly down on. Mel Sorg consulted me on material selection in order to achieve my goals, and built the knife.
Design Goals
Must be able to press directly down on blade to facilitate cutting hard
objects like pizza crust.
Must be able to perform rocking cuts similar to those done with a French
chef's knife.
Must slice vegetables well, yet be strong enough for chopping or cutting
chicken bones.
Must be able to transport chopped items on the flat of the blade.
Must keep hand out of food being chopped and away from the cutting
board.
Must be stain and rust resistant.
Must hold a good edge, and be resistant to chipping and deformation.
Must be able to be maintained on crock sticks.
Specifications
Blade: 1/8” 440 C, Rockwell 57-58
Handle: Cocobolo with mosaic pins
Grind: flat grind extending approximately 1” up blade, slight convex
bevel at edge for strength
Dimensions: Will fit inside a 9 ½” x 4 ½” rectangle.
Blade edge profile: The shape of the cutting edge is similar to that
of a French chef's knife, to facilitate rocking cuts. Note that the blade
is not symmetrical, as it is in the Ulu and the traditional choppers used
in wooden bowls.
Finish: Rough finish on blade.
Stand: Walnut stand to hold knife upright when not in use.
The knife performs rocking cuts well. Generally the same slicing, chopping, dicing, and mincing techniques familiar to users of chef's knives can be used. This knife seems to be a little slower than the chef's knife in executing most of these techniques. The design does allow considerable pressure to be put on the edge, enabling slow cutting of things that would normally require chopping, like bones. I found it easy this morning to execute rocking cuts to five large carrots in a row. I would find this difficult with a Chef's knife because of the force needed to go through the carrots. Pizza crust is easily cut. If I have another one of these made, I will give thought to lengthening the knife and handle, in order to give the user a greater choice of hand positions along the top. This will enable the user to trade off between cutting force and speed by varying the position of the hands.
The edge can cut through chicken bones without deformation. It has not been necessary to sharpen the knife in its three weeks of use.
When I inspected the knife at my mother's house, dried vegetable particulate matter was adhering to the blade, indicating that the knife had been “rode hard and put up wet.” Despite this (mis) treatment, and despite the rough finish on the blade that might serve to enhance corrosion, no rust or corrosion was evident on the blade.