edge up vs edge down for full flat grinds?

[Tin.Man]

Just curious what you all like? I know the general consensus is edge up, however playing in the shop tonight, I felt like it kept wanting to grab my edge as I brought my grind higher.

Considering trying edge down "shrugs"

What say you fine gentleman?

 

[J. Hoover]

Either is fine, the best way is the way that works best for you. If you teach yourself to grind edge down then it works for you. Most have issues because it is hard to see the angle of your grind, for me it is anyway, I grind edge up. I have seen knife makers that grind one side edge down and the other side edge up. They do this so the blade stays in their strong hand.
You state that the edge is wanting to grab when you take the blade into the grinder, make sure you have adequate tension on your belt. Also if your using a tool rest to rest the blade on while grinding make yourself a jig that will fit on your tool rest to keep the balde from getting sucked down between the tool rest and belt.

 

[Will Leavitt]

If I don't put an initial 45 degree bevel to my desired edge width I fins that I have to fight the grabbing. You may also try going with lighter pressure against the plates if it gets grabby. There's a lot of contact surface and friction grinding a full flat.

 

[Don Hanson III]

If edge down, how does one see what he is doing?

 

[David Loukides]

I do it Both ways on one Blade. Blade edge up on the right and blade edge down on the left side.
Muscle memory and eye hand are used to achieve this. Memory is needed because I am doing both sides at the same time and not completing one side at a time.

So I guess I am right 1/2 of the time.

 

[Willie71]

I never thought about it much before yesterday. I have been doing both, controlling the steel (angle/sweep) with my dominant hand, and the pressure against the belt with my left hand. I only know this because I was trying to show my son what I was doing as we are working on a twin set of blades. The feel is similar to from when I did some auto body repair. You can feel how the grit is grabbing the steel and make adjustments to the pressure.

 

[J. Rosa]

I don't understand what there is to see either way. Most of it is feel and experiential knowledge. I mean if edge down you don't see the edge and if edge up you don't see the spine. Neither shows you the grind line as its being ground yet people that do both can avoid grinding into the spine or grinding away the edge. So I'm the odd man out in that I've never quite understood that reasoning. I can do and have done both but I prefer edge down.

 

[Bailey Knives]

I would keep away from edge down if you use a rest. The edge can get easily pinched between the belt and the rest. If you grind freehand, I suppose it is whatever works for you.