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- May 28, 2005
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- 5,081
Any knife makers on here clench their teeth when they grind?
Maybe I need to relax a bit more when I'm at the grinder.
Maybe I need to relax a bit more when I'm at the grinder.
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A different kind of grinding
- Thread starter JGarrison Knives
- Start date
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- Nov 13, 2015
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- 2,928
Chew some gum, preferably bubble gum. Not bubble gum flavor but actually bubble gum. Should help.
- Joined
- May 23, 2017
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- 1,268
I can't say I do that while grinding (at least not that I'm aware of) but I definitely do it on occasion with certain tasks in the shop
- Joined
- May 28, 2005
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Usually doesn't happen on short sessions but longer one I notice my jaw hurts later. Maybe a mouthpiece is in order. lol
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- Sep 10, 2000
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- 4,786
That sounds odd to me. I've be asked if all the face contortions I do are associated to grinding blades and I've always thought that was the face mode on doing this.
Frank
Frank
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- Oct 17, 2010
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- 2,424
Sounds like you've never really taken the time to "get comfortable" with your grinder. I'm not making a remark on your ability to grind, I know a lot of guys that produce great work, that are subconsciously, and quite obviously, afraid of their grinders. It's natural of course, and the machine can seriously hurt you if you don't respect it, but you've got to be casual with it IMO to really reach your full potential.
I accomplished this personally, by getting a big adjustable high chair/stool with a back, and spent a long time, up close, with both my knees riding on either side of the flat platen with a course belt flying at max speed, with earbuds in, listening to music, once I felt comfortable, I spent more time casually grinding, in no rush.
These days I use the stool less and less, just because it's a bit of a bear to setup for one-off grinding, but if I'm grinding a batch of blades, especially slipjoints, or doing fine finish work, I'll still pull it up.
I also teach beginners to practice "riding the flat" with just enough pressure to hold the blade on there once you've established one, that it won't really cut, until you're comfortable, and in the position you want to be in, then apply pressure only with the appropriate hand, and using the opposite to slide the blade in the X axis without any force applied. Using this technique you can get very consistent results, and apply spot pressure if necessary to fix minor issues or perform complicated transitions, but it's important to just feel comfortable, before you actually start trying to remove material.
A lot of guys I see grind just try to slap the blade in at the plunges and hog, like they're trying to tame a wild horse. Seems like they're always fighting their own grinds, and never really enjoy that part of the process.
Anyway, not sure if that'll help, but consider just spending some time at the grinder, with it running full bore, but not worried about "getting any work done". I think it'll help a lot.
FWIW, my main grinder is a Wilmont TAG-101 with a 3hp motor, a 6" rubber coated drive wheel, running the 2x jumper on the VFD, so full-tilt, is nothing to sneeze at, it demands respect certainly, but it's my machine, it's there to do the work I tell it to. That's my philosophy at least.
I accomplished this personally, by getting a big adjustable high chair/stool with a back, and spent a long time, up close, with both my knees riding on either side of the flat platen with a course belt flying at max speed, with earbuds in, listening to music, once I felt comfortable, I spent more time casually grinding, in no rush.
These days I use the stool less and less, just because it's a bit of a bear to setup for one-off grinding, but if I'm grinding a batch of blades, especially slipjoints, or doing fine finish work, I'll still pull it up.
I also teach beginners to practice "riding the flat" with just enough pressure to hold the blade on there once you've established one, that it won't really cut, until you're comfortable, and in the position you want to be in, then apply pressure only with the appropriate hand, and using the opposite to slide the blade in the X axis without any force applied. Using this technique you can get very consistent results, and apply spot pressure if necessary to fix minor issues or perform complicated transitions, but it's important to just feel comfortable, before you actually start trying to remove material.
A lot of guys I see grind just try to slap the blade in at the plunges and hog, like they're trying to tame a wild horse. Seems like they're always fighting their own grinds, and never really enjoy that part of the process.
Anyway, not sure if that'll help, but consider just spending some time at the grinder, with it running full bore, but not worried about "getting any work done". I think it'll help a lot.
FWIW, my main grinder is a Wilmont TAG-101 with a 3hp motor, a 6" rubber coated drive wheel, running the 2x jumper on the VFD, so full-tilt, is nothing to sneeze at, it demands respect certainly, but it's my machine, it's there to do the work I tell it to. That's my philosophy at least.
- Joined
- Feb 27, 2006
- Messages
- 5,191
try a mouthpiece they use when boxing from the local sporting goods store. sometimes my tongue sticks out while grinding lol
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- Apr 3, 2011
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- 6,023
Yeah I would echo what others said and make sure to get comfortable w/ your grinder. I use noise cancelling headphones w/ music which is relaxing and also helps tune out the high pitch sounds from the belt against the blade among other shop sounds. Sometimes if something is difficult I find myself biting my tongue or something and have to force myself to relax.