All About Pocket Knives

I have these 3 old tapered tang knives: a Foster Bros., a Russell, and an unidentified one I'm guessing to be french.
I'm trying to find out about tapered tangs. On the 'net I find mostly discussions by modern knife makers. They seem to all agree that it has some effect on balance but mostly it looks cool, and demonstrates their skill as craftsmen.
So my questions are: Was balance the main reason these older knife makers used a tapered tang? If it was important enough to do in the first place why did they stop? And third, is a tapered tang a reliable way to determine the age of an old knife?
Thanks
Bruce

Thanks for posting this. Sorry I can't answer your question. I look forward to the answer! It seems like a lot of extra work to taper the tang. The only reason that I can see is balance, but that's just a guess. Not sure how much difference that one could feel though.

Bruce, That's new to me. I better go look and see if I'm the proud owner of a "tapered tang" butcher knife !
Treefarmer

A tapered tang is something I look for when buying old kitchen knives. If it's not there it is not a deal breaker, but it is a nice sophisticated touch. I have old taping knives with tapered tangs and I'm showing a kitchen fork and a few kitchen knives with tapered tangs.
I think it's indicative of older knives. To me, it implies quality. Does it improve balance? Frankly, I doubt it. Once you get used to a knife it's going to work for you regardless of the 1.1368 oz. removed or not. I don't know why they tapered the tangs but I'm glad they did. It's just classy.

I think that the tapered tangs on old cutlery were a cost saving measure. The less steel used the lower the cost to manufacture. Tapered tang knives were forged so there was no stock removal to waste material. The knives were still structurally sound and cheaper to make this way.

I do think that these old tapered tang knives are in general a high quality product. They make great users.

Custom knives are a completely different animal.

treefarmer wrote:Bruce, That's new to me. I better go look and see if I'm the proud owner of a "tapered tang" butcher knife !
Treefarmer

I had to go look, also; found this splitting knife; it is HEFTY Somebody besides me would probably be able to restore it.

That knife looks hefty at the spine for sure. Pretty fast taper on that one.
Also, nice English rule.

tongueriver wrote:I had to go look, also; found this splitting knife; it is HEFTY Somebody besides me would probably be able to restore it.

Foster Bro's?

I got home last night and saw FRJ's post, Hmmmmm, so i went in the kitchen drawer and found a tapered meat fork and an old butcher knife so far back in the drawer it might have come with the house.
Tongueriver, that "hefty" looks solid enough to be a cleaver.
But now I have another question. These all seem to be kitchen/butcher tools has anyone seen a hunting knife with a tapered tang?
Bruce

My opinion only is that it is a mark of quality and was done to reduce the handle weight (or balance) of a large butcher knife, I have made several tapered tang knives and it is not faster to make to say the least. Even if you forge the blade you have to start out with a thick piece of steel and forge it down (hammer it) to a thin piece then cut off the part that doesn't fit the handle profile, so you wouldn't be saving any metal. Most of Bob Loveless knives are of the tapered tang style. As far as old hunting knives, I haven't seen any tapered tang knives, but that doesn't mean there aren't any. Terry

Here is the only old tapered tang that I have, and I don't have a clue who made it, it's similar to a dexter green river butcher knife except for the small handle pins. Most Dexter knives have 2 or 3 large rivets. but it is pretty old and has the tapered tang. Terry

Terry; In my original post the middle knife is a Russell Green river works with five steel pins. I think mine dates to pre 1900, it's been quite a while since I researched it. If I remember correctly an unstamped green river would be first generation so mid 1840s to 1860s or 70s. I'd have to find where I got the info to be sure.
Bruce

Here are some hand forged tapered tang knives I have had for some time now. They are for the most part unused and factory original knives made in England and over 100 years old. Some of them have tangs that don't extend to the butt of the handle. As a result of the forging process tangs are tapered both from the heel of the blade to the handle butt and also from the top spine to the bottom edge.

I don't believe the reasoning behind this was anything but purely economic. They didn't use any more steel than they had to on these old knives. Less steel = less expensive to make = lower cost to consumer.

Balance is something that comes into play with your custom made knives not on these old users.

Wayne, Nice bunch of butcher knives! I too have some of the "half tang" styles and I'm sure your right in saying that they were cheaper to make. None of these butcher knives were very expensive, just made to use. Terry