2" vs 1" Contact Wheel Widths

Pittknife

Pittknife

Joined
Oct 1, 2013
Messages
901
Hey Guys,

I free-hand hollow grind and have always had problems with the sweep towards the tip. After months of practicing and throwing away knives I've gotten better at it but not where I want to be yet. I have wheels in 10", 12" & 14" with 2" widths and notice that a lot of guys grind with wheels that are 1" widths. I've never used a 1" width wheel and wondering if that was one of the ways they get a very nice hollow pass near the tip?
 
Mike, I think you should stick with the 2 inch wheels you have. I always finish the grind near the tip last and at a very slow speed usually with a new 220 grit belt and I try to not contact the same part of the blade with each pass so as not to get the dreaded "two inch mark" Go slow and inspect the cross section after each pass to get a nice grind at the tip. It doesn't have to be really thin but just reasonably sharp. Leave a little thickness at the very tip so you can sharpen it without deforming the tip. Just my opinion. Here's two different blades with tips ready for heat treat. Larry

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I always thought the 1" wheels were more for getting inside recurves and radii a little easier. You might find that you do a little better, or you might find that it's worse. Only one way to find out I suppose.... Either way, a 1" wheel is not a bad thing to have in the arsenal.
 
Thanks guys for the response, I just hate to drop another $4-500 on a custom wheel and have it by work out.

Larry you make some beautiful knives man I'm a big fan and thanks for the grinding tips. Right now I practice on these blades that have a straight spine so it forces me to turn more than I would on a blade that curves slightly down like a drop point. I'm doing as you say working on the middle first with light passes at the tip. I leave the tip a little thicker Thani want to but I think I just need a few hundred more blades to grind. I'd love to see you post a video of your technique towards the tip somewhere. Thanks again
 
Pittknife said:
Thanks guys for the response, I just hate to drop another $4-500 on a custom wheel and have it by work out.

Larry you make some beautiful knives man I'm a big fan and thanks for the grinding tips. Right now I practice on these blades that have a straight spine so it forces me to turn more than I would on a blade that curves slightly down like a drop point. I'm doing as you say working on the middle first with light passes at the tip. I leave the tip a little thicker Thani want to but I think I just need a few hundred more blades to grind. I'd love to see you post a video of your technique towards the tip somewhere. Thanks again
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You should be able to get a 1" poly covered wheel from sunray for less than $200. If you want rubber, a place like CRC will likely do it for a little more, but I doubt it'll be $4-500, unless you're getting a larger diameter. An 8" or 10" should be less than $300 I imagine.
 
Mike, Does your grinder have a VFD? To grind near the tip without burning you need a slow speed and a pretty fresh belt. Dip it often in water to keep it cool and go slow. If you can't tell how much or where you are removing steel then paint the tip of the blade with Dykem (layout blue or red) and you can see where you are removing steel . Keep your grind in line with the contour of the blade. If you are now grinding fairly straight blades it should be a little easier...try the Dykem idea. You can buy the stuff at welding supply stores...every town has one. I hope this helps you. Larry
 
I get them from crc, rubber wheels over 12" are pricey, I'm looking at a 16" which they quoted me around $600.
 
LARRYZ10 said:
Mike, Does your grinder have a VFD? To grind near the tip without burning you need a slow speed and a pretty fresh belt. Dip it often in water to keep it cool and go slow. If you can't tell how much or where you are removing steel then paint the tip of the blade with Dykem (layout blue or red) and you can see where you are removing steel . Keep your grind in line with the contour of the blade. If you are now grinding fairly straight blades it should be a little easier...try the Dykem idea. You can buy the stuff at welding supply stores...every town has one. I hope this helps you. Larry
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Hi Larry,
I have a vfd and Dykem but I've never reapplied t after the original grind. I go real slow right now and will be doing some more practice. The hollow shifts in me towards the tip, but a continuous curve like I want, so I use a the technique of turning and kicking the handle towards me. It works but not as smooth as I like so I go back in to hand sand a lot.
 
Mike, You are going to get there with your practice and hand sanding is really important but I think you should do a little more grinding following your hollow on the grinder before trying to hand sand. The wheel will give you a better looking grind near the tip in my opinion and you are going slow and watching your heat so you should get a nice looking grind. Just look at the tip from the top and side every pass or two and watch your heat. You may take longer than you want but I think you will be happier with your blades. I have seen the man from Entrek knives put a hollow grind on one of his knives after heat treat in under two minutes. I do the same thing to a blade but before heat treat in under half an hour and I am happy with my effort. It's my opinion and it's because I know my limitations that I take a little longer to grind a blade. Try using the Dykem to see how much you are removing and where just until you feel comfortable refining your tip. It takes the guess work out of getting just the right shape of tip. At least this has worked for me. Larry


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