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That time I tried breaking down a whole hog with a dull boning knife
Last month I was in a hurry at the shop and grabbed a knife I knew was dull just to save time breaking down a 200 pound Berkshire hog. Ended up fighting through cartilage on the shoulder for 45 minutes and nearly sliced my thumb when the blade slipped. Has anyone else had a close call that finally got them to stick to a sharpening schedule?
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ivanb414mo ago
45 minutes on a shoulder with a dull knife" sounds like a special kind of hell I'd rather avoid. I had a similar moment trying to break down a rib section with a blade that couldn't cut butter, ended up wrestling with the knife for so long my hand cramped up and I almost dropped the whole thing on my foot. Now I keep a sharpening rod right next to my cutting board and refuse to touch anything that won't shave a hair off my arm.
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leos614mo ago
30 years in the trade and I've never bothered with a sharpening schedule, just keep a steel handy and run the blade over it every few cuts, which has served me fine. But @ivanb41, your near miss on the foot is exactly why I tell the younger guys a dull blade is safer than a sharp one since it lets you feel the resistance better and you don't get that same nasty slip when it catches.
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