When chopping, having a sharp edge isnt what cuts, isnt it the brute force of the hack that makes the cut... FOr instance, take one of the Nuclear Ice picks... they are not sharp, but the force behind the stab is what makes it break skin or whatever you are hitting. Am I way off here? Someone set me straight... <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/doh.gif" alt="" />
Having a sharp edge on a chopper DOES improve it's ability to chop by a large margain. You take a dull chopper or axe out and try to hack your way through some hardwood and it isn't going to work very well even if Paul Bunyan is swinging it. Now put a proper edge on that same chopper or axe and go give it another try and you will be surprised at the difference. Also, it isn't just about being sharp, it has just as much to do with proper edge geometry for the task at hand. An edge set up for chopping should be very different from an edge set up for slicing and doing food prep.
In your ice pick example you must remember that you are not "slicing" or "cutting" anything, instead you are trying to pierce, bust or break apart. If the ice pick had a sharpened point point it would probably work better as well depending on what your intended purpose was.
