Why is a Guillotine blade diagonal?

One explanation is missing: the angle of the edge.<p>If the blade edge has been sharpened to 20 degree angle, it has the same 20 degree cutting angle when used diagonally. The effective cutting angle decreases in the direction of the cut when you rotate it. The smaller the angle, the sharper the knife.

this creates shear, lengthens the amount of blade edge, and directs force to a smaller contact surface than a perpedicular edge.<p>[But the story goes that the real reason the blade is diagonal is that the king suggested it might help with people with fat necks]<p>thus proclaimation was the lead contributor.

Cause someone thought the sound of SHIIINK was some terrifying original sound as opposed to clever chopping carrot

<i>Slant</i> razors, like the Merkur slant, are also slightly angled for an easier shave.<p>I have one and can vouch for it.

Quite the fascinating story, I dig up a bit more: <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;archive.org&#x2F;details&#x2F;memoirsofsansons00sansuoft&#x2F;page&#x2F;260&#x2F;mode&#x2F;2up" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;archive.org&#x2F;details&#x2F;memoirsofsansons00sansuoft&#x2F;page&#x2F;...</a>

Does being pushed sideways matter? If the knowArt test was on a small scale it might not have had the inertia of the full size.

Reminded me of this &quot;La Révolution française&quot; scene <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;youtu.be&#x2F;YPiiAHSi_48?t=5236" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;youtu.be&#x2F;YPiiAHSi_48?t=5236</a>

I&#x27;m sure diagonal blades are more practical, but style must be part of it right? It was a theatrical method of execution after all, done for crowds.

Less likely to bounce off a bone would be my guess? A diagonal blade will push obstacles out of the way.

Mainly because the slicing motion separates fibers in the fresh, it&#x27;s more effective than blunt force. Same with a knife.<p>It&#x27;s interesting, however, that this post is much higher on the front page than the post about Durov&#x27;s arrest by the French ever was, despite having 1&#x2F;10th the number of comments during a similar time period.

Which begs the question: why wasn’t it shaped like a ^

Same Reason a Katana is curved, while the temp causes this, it augments the blades cutting angle, length, draw.

It&#x27;s too soon to say

Without reading the article, my guess would be because it allows the force to be focused on a smaller area at the start of the cut.

Unreadable in dark mode :(

I thought this would be about paper guillotines.