facts

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mr winky

Joined
Feb 9, 2010
Messages
4
Well ive been makein knives for about 7 or 8 months. I started makein them with a bench grinder and files and i was doin good with that. But know i have a KMG clone that i made from a PDF file and this thing is a monster. I cant seem to get the hang of it and the speed well any of you that have this sort of thing know what i mean. Well what i need from you all is some tips on how to form some good skills with this 2/72 monster. It has a 2hp motor 2 three step pullys and so on. Ill try an git some pics of it up when i git the chance. I feel i have messed up at least 3 blades in the prosses of tryin to learn how to use it. HELP IF YOU CAN.

Thankyou for your help and have a blessed day.
 
This would really be btter answered in the makers forums. I would offer some advice but I am a snob so... no actually I am still using files and a 1X30 belt grinder to make my knives so I have no advice to offer so head over here or ask a mod to move this over there, you will have answers in no time from the knowledgeable and helpful makers
 
A teacher of mine told me before I started using my Bader to go to a local hardware store and get as many paint sticks as I could find and start profiling blades on them and grinding in the bevels,etc. Over the course of 7 months I done around 5 thousand before I ever took a piece of metal to the grinder, and never had to pay for many of them, local stores just gave them to me in trash bags, of course after that you get custom to using a one belt every week and then all of a sudden your using 10, It does help in learning muscle control. Look forward to seeing some of your work,Charlie Edmondson
 
3 mistakes ? that's nothing...I might have 3 boxes full of scrap...and I'm getting better slowly.

Let's see specifically how you do things, and specifically how you need help.

Tips:
-High speed for profiling, & set your grinder on the low speed for bevel grinding...
-Go to a finer grit belt, try doing all the beveling with 400 grit, it takes longer to get there

Use layout marks or tape everywhere that is possible to judge your progress and symmetry.

Use a toolrest, complete freehand takes huge skill and mastery.
 
Only three? Even though I'm still a new maker I have buggered up way more than that. One of the biggest secrets is learning to fix your small mistakes before they become big mistakes. I have a pair of 3 step pulleys and always run it on the slowest speed no matter what I'm doing...from profiling to grinding to anything else...always the slowest speed. I figure as easy as it is to bugger up something on the slowest speed it only get buggered faster on a faster speed.
 
Fill out your profile, especially what town you are in, you may have a pro living next door and we have no way of knowing even if we are within 500 miles of you.
read the stickies titled "newbies good info here" there really is good info there..
How specifically are you screwing up? (descriptions, pictures etc.) would allow us to accurately triage your issues. Beyond that, practice, patience, and if you are nice you will likely have some of the best knifemakers in the world answering your questions.

welcome to the heart of BF

-Page
 
Find a stablished knifemaker near you live....Tell him what are you up...offer him a couple of hours daily of your labor for free...learn as much as you can...
 
When it comes to learning powered grinding, the only fact is that it takes time and practice (unless your ridiculously gifted :D).

When I started, I had no speed control and a poorly tracking grinder. My first knives weren't pretty. They had mistakes for sure. However, over the following years, I got to where I'm confident in where and how I'm grinding. I still make mistakes now and again, but as you develop muscle memory and learn the sound, sight, and feel of grinding, you'll make better and better knives. The more you make, the better you'll do. Paint stir sticks are a good idea for general control. Know that when you switch to a real knife steel, there will still be a learning curve.

--nathan
 
I guess I need to throw out some tips along with my general "practice makes perfect" statement :D.

Use a gentle, but firm touch. If you just float the knife on the belt, you will not get a consistent grind. Also, if you push too hard, you'll make mistakes.

Let the belt do the work, but control where the belt works. Watch where the sparks are coming from on the belt. Are they coming from the edge or from the middle. Try to keep them in the middle of the belt until you have more control with what you're doing. You'll eventually learn what it feels like to grind in the middle vs. the edge and when to use what part of the belt.

Lock your elbows down to your side. Develop a consistent stance and uses your body movements more so than your arm movements. Keep a water bucket under your platen so all you have to do is reach down to dunk the blade. Keep it cool. A hot blade will cause you to hurry or to jump.

Have good lighting at your grinder.

I grind edge-up. Watch the junction of the edge and the belt. You'll be able to tell where on your blade you are grindng by the space between the edge/belt.

Don't grind your bevel all at once. In other words, it doesn't start at the same angle that it finishes. Start with a 45 degree bevel on the edge that takes you down almost all the way to your desired edge thickness. Then walk that bevel up the blade towards the spine.

Use a height guage or edge scribe to mark your blank before grinding. You can either mark the center line, or as I do, mark two lines about 1/32" apart form each other. This keeps your edge centered and gives you a reference as to where you need to take more steel off.

To avoid the 2" line, you'll eventually learn to very subtely lift the tip-side of the blade as you move into the plunge area. This takes practice to avoid carving a gouge in your plunge. Until then, focus on keeping the sparks in the middle of the belt and not stopping in any one area.

Hopefully, these tips can help you out a bit. Good luck and happy grinding!

--nathan
 
sometimes when you find that you are making more mistakes while trying to fix a different mistake , it is time to take a break. And sometimes it is better to have the blade heat treated at that point before you finish . The mistakes are less drastic and easier to fix on a H.T. blade , just don't let it get too hot .
 
I watched JT's videos(plus a bunch on you tube) and just got a couple pieces of mild steel from work...didnt seem too bad except for the plunge cuts, but i have recently made strides there just by reeeeaaaally concentrating on that area and using a file guide with tungsten carbide bars with my grinder to help get things really even on each side.

Check this out:
http://jtcustomknives.com/videos.htm
 
mr winky said:
WOW thanks! Lots of great tips. Ill be shure to get my profile fixed for you all.
Click to expand...

anndd peleaaz bee cayrefuel too spaal youur wurds praperly,

there is a spell check function, it is much easier to read your posts if the words are actually spelled right, makes me more willing to help you

-Page
 
Jesus take it easy on the guy, Its not English class. :)
sunshadow said:
anndd peleaaz bee cayrefuel too spaal youur wurds praperly,

there is a spell check function, it is much easier to read your posts if the words are actually spelled right, makes me more willing to help you

-Page
Click to expand...
 
And make sure to capitalize and use proper punctuation. . . .

sunshadow said:
anndd peleaaz bee cayrefuel too spaal youur wurds praperly,

there is a spell check function, it is much easier to read your posts if the words are actually spelled right, makes me more willing to help you

-Page
Click to expand...
 
sunshadow said:
anndd peleaaz bee cayrefuel too spaal youur wurds praperly,

there is a spell check function, it is much easier to read your posts if the words are actually spelled right, makes me more willing to help you

-Page
Click to expand...

i reads it jsut fine

:) but is true the better its wrote the easer it is to read (im bad about spel check)

so far as grinder tips i dont thinki can add anything
when i stepped up form a 1x42 to a KMG it took a bit of relearning but vboy once i got the hang of things i ll never look back
 
Like the others said, just practise and practise and practise. It takes about 200 blades before you feel confident. You wanna be a knifemaker? Put the time and effort into it. You can save some aggrivation by visiting a seasoned maker in your area or book a motel out of town for a couple days and visit one. If this were easy girls would do it, wait, girls are doing it.
 
SilverPilate has good advice, and I will add some more. Get comfortable, and go slow. You are using the stock removal sytem and once its ground off its gone. Grind a bit, check your work often, don't take too much off at once. Don't ever guess your work, check it in the light instead.

Patience, and more patience. If the work isn't coming up, and your getting restless; Then turn off the machine and go onto something else. If you don't, your work will likely end up as another peice of scrap.

You will find there are knifemaking days when things go right. Use those days to your advantage. When work is not turning out the way you want, then it is not a knifemaking day, go do something else.

With time you will develope a relationship with your machine, and if its a good one, your work will reflect that.
 
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