Lately I've been thinking about one aspect of this question: Blade thickness. I was wondering why so many blades I see on the market seem way thicker than they need to be? A recent article in Blade about stainless vs. carbon went in to it a little bit. A letter in the same issue talked about it too. Something I didn't know what that the stainless stock when it first came on the market for the common maker was only available in 1/4" stock. I guess the stock removers used that as a basis for their thickness and it continued on. My first couple blades seemed on the comparatively thin side when I was done with them but I didn't see the need for all that extra weight. Maybe it's because I'm getting in to lightweight backpacking lately, but I can't figure out why some folks like to carry a hatchet in the shape of a knife. How thick do you guys make your blades? Do you think there is an optimum thickness/blade length ratio? If I do my heat treat right, I should be able to have a fairly long blade that is still tough and springy. What do you guys think?

Lensman