Doing the bevel

[RobbyJoz]

Sorry if there's already a thread. So i am super new to knife making and want to know the simplest and easiest way to grind the bevel. I have a 1x30 belt sander. (It seams its good for beginners). Any help? Much appreciated.

 

[Tripwire895]

I've been wondering this too. I'm subscribed.

 

[IrishSteel]

There are many answers to this and as a noob myself I'm sure there are better ways than the one I am going to mention. If you are using the Harborfrieght sander I would suggest taking a thin piece of metal or even cardboard and putting it on top of the grinding platform so you have a smooth surface to hold your knife. Also, you can put a bevel on a knife by doing free hand, but with the 1x30 its quite difficult to do simply because it doesn't hog off steel and every time you make another pass you'll slightly change the angle you hold the knife. If free hand is too difficult, you might try making a simple grinding jig like this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=OBjAe4OYQco I have made one similar to this using framing angle and by using a small c-clamp to hold the knife to the jig. I use the c-clamp instead of putting the pins in the jig to hold the knife up because it lets me grind most any knife I want. I don't have to make separate jigs. With this jig you can keep a consistent angle every time you push the knife into the belt.

Again I'm no expert but this has help me with my 1x30 sander and my quality of knife bevels has significantly improved from what it was.

 

[Hammered]

I am new to this as well and self taught, but from the research that I have done, it's best to scribe or mark the center line of the edge. Then take a round file at about a 45* angle to the edge on the side closest to the handle and file down to your line ( leave a little extra material). Do the same to the other side. Take a marker and color in the file slot. Now adjust your angle to the desired taper that you want and start filing again but be careful not to take off the colored in spot at the edge. This will insure you are not removing material past center line. Once you have filed down to your desired taper on both sides and still have just a smidge of marker left at edge, then you can take it to the sander using the file cut as an angle and depth guide. Grind down until you are flush with your file cut. Now you just have a little more to take to get to your center line. The extra material is for mistakes and to ensure you stay on center line with a visible line/mark. You can go ahead and take the material down to center line now or use it for your primary edge when sharpening. Hope this helps and if there is a better way some one much wiser then I can chime in.

 

[Fred.Rowe]

 

[Robert Carter]

^ that

 

[Fred.Rowe]

^ that

:thumbup:

 

[P. McKinley]

Robby - I started on a 1x30 and used it for many years before getting a 2x72.

When I started I made myself a jig and added a larger work rest:


Good luck and have fun.

-Peter

 

[Grayzer86]

:thumbup:

Just ground my first Scandi blade today with the bubble jig I got from Fred, and it made a huge difference in my grinds. Ymmv but the two I did before that had to be changed to full flat grinds due to my screw ups. The first one I did using Fred's jig looks great. It will take a bit of practice but it allows you to improve freehand skills while still having a guide to go by.