Is this the right tool for your job?
✕CHOOSE A DIFFERENT TOOL WHEN
- The stiffest heavy-belt cutting. At .065″ it is the standard gauge; wide reinforced belt cover wants the .083″ knives for rigidity, not the hollow grind for slide.
- Bench detail and general straight cutting. Where the material isn’t dense, a flat-ground blade (60630) is tougher at the edge and the grind buys nothing.
- Scraping, prying, striking — a ground edge in a wooden handle.
- Flooring over a subfloor that must survive — the captured-throat 67090 hook knife’s job.
- Generic disposable-blade work — abrasive board and cardboard dull a maintained edge fast; feed a utility blade for that.
Jobs this tool does
EXACT JOB METHODS FOR HYDE №60720✓ Job guideHow to Cut Thick Bun FoamOPEN JOB GUIDE →
For these jobs—use this instead
THE JOB, THE REASON, AND THE BETTER TOOL✕ Bench detail and general straight cuttingWhere the material isn’t dense, a flat-ground blade (60630) is tougher at the edge and the grind buys nothing. BETTER TOOL Square Point Knife, Wood Handle 60630 →✕ Flooring over a subfloor that must surviveThe captured-throat 67090 hook knife’s job. BETTER TOOL Hook Knife (BG39A), 3-3/8″ x 1-5/16″ 67090 →
How the pros run it
01
Slice, never press
Foam and soft goods cut best with a long, smooth draw that lets the edge do the work; pressing straight down compresses and tears the material. Let the grind carry the depth. The hollow grind shows its advantage in the buried part of the cut, so keep the blade moving through the full depth in one continuous stroke instead of stopping and restarting where the blade sides can grab. Sharpen the hollow grind the right way. Honing a hollow-ground edge on a flat bench stone gradually flattens the relief and works against the blade geometry; stay with the factory bevel using light, angle-matched honing, strop off the burr, and grind only when needed. Maintain the edge without removing more steel than necessary. Hardened high-carbon steel takes a keen edge from a stone and should be wiped dry after wet work for long service.
