I like whatever is sharp and fits in my hand so that I can cut with it with authority; I’ve never used a single bevel and I don’t doubt that they’re better but I wouldn’t write a smooth cut more valuable than my ability to make a cut, and parafilm compensates for a whole bunch of weaknesses
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What it comes down to ultimately is personal preference. Most grafts can tolerate the slight cupping that’s created by a quick pull cut from a standard knife. With standard pencil thin scionwood the wood is generally soft, thin, and flexible enough to contour to the cupped face just fine. And when a good quality strong tape is used it pulls the mating surfaces together with adequate contact. As Mark mentioned, a single smooth cut is certainly a better. If you are grafting really thick finger sized wood than in my opinion that is when the straightness of the cut becomes more important.
I would guess that only 10% of the grafts I’ve done over the last 5 years were performed with a single bevel knife. They produce nicer cuts. But the overall take rate being about the same as any other knives. My success rate has been very species dependant. I can’t think of many failed apple or pears grafts I’ve done. They are just very easy to graft and very forgiving. Peach and cots on the other hand have been very poor for me. Maybe that’s where my technique could improve.
A large part of the reason I’ve mentioned making my own knife is strictly for the hobby and creative aspect to it. I like to consider myself a Craftsman. Jack of many trades, master of none. I’ve given away many knives as gifts and have two that are my everyday garage beaters that I use for nearly everything. For me it’s the time I get to spend by myself trying to make something that I can look at as say, that’s cool, I made that. Truth is, I don’t graft all that much now. I have about 25 trees going on 5th leaf with a lot of variety. Very few of which I’ve been able to sample due to spring freezes the last three years. I’m more concerned now with pruning and spraying my trees to do everything I can to actually get some kind of crop. I’ll graft a handful of new varieties this spring but I won’t be going all out like I have in previous years.
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A single edge knife definitely helps when removing thin slices of material from a “free” end/side, like how planes and chisels are used, but it seems to me that it wouldn’t really help much when cutting through the middle of something, like when cutting a scion in two.
It should be mentioned here that the thickness immediately behind the blade is a very big factor in how a blade will perform in cutting, especially in harder media like fruit wood–the thicker this portion of the blade, the more the blade will tend to wedge the material rather than cut smoothly. An informative way to experience this wedging is to cut a carrot with a thin knife like a paring knife and a thicker blade like most 12" European style chef knives. With the thicker blade, it is difficult to cleanly cut all the way through the carrot without it largely just wedging and splitting, “snapping,” apart.
The CPM supersteels mentioned above can be thinned to ~0.01" (~0.25 mm) or less behind the blade and not chip or distort when slicing very dense hardwood. Typical final edges on these blades will be 25 - 40 degrees, inclusive, either single or double bevel (e.g. 34/40). These are the numbers that the Bladeforum guys shoot for in testing edge holding, either straight from the manufacturer or reground themselves (or through knife sharpening specialists).
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Straight edge I like a sheeps/lambsfoot. but not wharncliffe.
EDC in case I leave it in my pocket (non lock, two hand folder <7.62cm, nothing stabby)
Super steel -Takes/keeps edge corrosion resistant
Lanyard hole /shackle
Rot-resistant scales meta or wood (takes oil or varnish)
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To revive an old thread, I think an ‘ultimate’ grafter would be made of one of the modern super steels. High edge retention AND toughness so it doesn’t break if you drop it. And stainless, too. I know carbon steel is popular, but corrosion resistance plays a role in keeping your blade sharp. Modern stainless doesn’t really make any significant compromises on hardness and toughness to get the corrosion resistance.
Of course, such a knife would be prohibitively expensive and wholly unnecessary. But it would be glorious.
@speedster1 did you ever make your custom knife?
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I like the knife in this thread. I think Dax has moved on but I ended up getting a second one
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I kept trying to order one of the Schatt & Cotton Sampler but they have been out of stock ever since I have been looking. They look like great grafting knives.
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They are nearly impossible to find nowadays at a reasonable price. I was lucky to get them then on Dax’s recommendation for a great price.
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There are quite a few on eBay, but you’re looking at $235 for most of what I’ve seen. They’re out of production and highly collectible. There are very similar knives currently in production like this one in D2 steel which can be had at a more reasonable price:
I can’t vouch for that knife in particular, but wanted to point out you can find comparable knives for much less.
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Thank you for the information and also the link. I will check it out.
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Here’s a good contender for a cotton sampler alternative. Wharncliffe blade with M390 steel (stainless, very good edge retention, decent toughness) would need to be reground to single bevel. It’s definitely a little on the pricey the, but that steel is worth the price.
The blade looks thick and the handle a little bulky to me. But looks a very quality knife. I like the blade shape, and that it begins very close to the handle.
If you get one, share the pictures please.
I’m used to using a Tina which I’m happy with.
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Not in the budget, I’m afraid. But I can dream.
I agree, wouldn’t be ideal as an all-around grafter. I’m following up on a sub-thread regarding knives similar to the cotton sampler (now collectible and too expensive for a user) for use in situations where a heavier knife is called for. I edited my post above for clarity.
I do need to lay hands on a Tina one of these days to see what all the fuss is about.
Cheap and basic and buy 'em 5 at a time. It’s a shoemakers square blade about 3 inches long and .5 wide that I found on a commercial site. One sharp and one backup go in the box, and I also carry a blued Victorinox multi-tool with me for when I need a particular shape and size. 2 small stones (course/fine) also go in the box. I seem to break or lose one every other year or so, making the $7 price more attractive. Cleft grafting is my go-to, and is pretty tough on a blade.
I always use two grafting knives. I use a single beveled felco to cut digonally all the way across the diameter if a scion or rootstock. I like by double beveled opinel carbon 6 or 8 in carbon steel for cleft grafts and cutting the tongues of whip and tongue grafts. It"s all about the right tool for the job.
In High School, we made very serviceable hunting and skinning knives using steel from automotive leaf springs. Our shop teacher told us it was an excellent steel for the purpose. They worked and heat treated easily, sharpened well, and held an edge nicely, although they weren’t capable of the sort of hard, fine edge you might want to shave your face with. For hide, meat, and soft bone they worked well. I can’t recall anyone having any problems with breakage, which was the common complaint with ‘store bought’ knives we’d tried. They might not have been a threat to my Father’s issue model KA-BAR, but held up admirably to tree barks of various types! 
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If you like knives, go to Kershaw’s Amazon website. But do it quickly. They have a sale on Leeks and their Cleaver style in the $7-8 range. I use their cleaver for heavy cutting thick bark grafts. I like the point.
My understanding is that oil is the best so that it doesn’t bend the blade because it cools down a little slower than water. I’m no blacksmith, though I have a friend who is who I could ask. He makes art. https://www.andyalm.com/
It depends on the steel. I know that some steels will fracture in water (learned the hard way) and some won’t harden in an oil quench. But when you’re using road-kill steel you don’t know what you’re working with, although you might be able to guess.
That last time I made a knife I used band saw steel, possibly L6, and I quenched it in water. Don’t know if it was the right thing to do or not!
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There’s a whole lot of ‘it depends.’ Depends on the particular steel, depends on the equipment the maker has available.
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