- Joined
- Dec 6, 2011
- Messages
- 244
I finally had time to start using my new Esteem grinder. I practiced with some practice steel and my Bubble Jig to get the hang of things a bit.
I decided to start with a knife that is modeled after one of the most used knives in my wife's kitchen. The knife this is modeled after and her 8.5" chef's knife are the two knives she uses the most, and I find myself picking this one up quite a bit too.
I started with cutting a pattern out of some 1/4" cherry I have (I'm a builder and have been saving scraps I thought would make good pattern material). I couldn't quite get the radius at the rear of the blade right but I had a 1" small wheel on order. Once it got here it was easy to get the radius the way I thought it should be. I then handed the pattern to my wife and asked for feedback. A bit more adjusting and I was comfortable with the pattern. I put some layout fluid on a piece of 440C I had received from Aldo and clamped the pattern on it and scribed it.
I started with a Hermes 40 grit belt and an 8" contact wheel to get within about 1/16" of the scribe line. I had a 220 belt that I had already used a bit and decided to give it a try for taking the blank down to the line. I put the flat platen on and made sure my work rest was square to the platen so I could correct any slight angle that I may have ended up with using the contact wheel. Not sure if that is an okay way to do that or not? I was surprised that with light pressure the 220 belt took the last bit of metal off easily, and left a pretty nice edge. I'm pretty close to using the Bubble Jig to start flat grinding. I still need to drill the holes for the 5/16" Corby's I'll be using.
Here is a pic of the pattern. The tip is hard to see because of the color of the background. My bad.
[/URL][/IMG]
Here is a pic of the blank so far. It still has a bit of layout fluid on it. I have started removing it a bit just to get a better sense of how it really looks.
[/URL][/IMG]
I have to say that I can see how much fun this is going to be, and how satisfying. Of course, see me after I screw up some bevels or make some other newb mistake, right? Though I have nothing to compare it to, other than hand tools, I have to say I really like the Esteem Grinder. The 1" serrated wheel was really cool for working on the curve at the back of the blade. I have no doubt that as I get further into the first few knives I will be back with some questions. Referring to the Bob Loveless book has been a big help, as has watching youtube video's.
Any thoughts or advice on the shape of the knife, techniues, etc. would be most appreciated.
I decided to start with a knife that is modeled after one of the most used knives in my wife's kitchen. The knife this is modeled after and her 8.5" chef's knife are the two knives she uses the most, and I find myself picking this one up quite a bit too.
I started with cutting a pattern out of some 1/4" cherry I have (I'm a builder and have been saving scraps I thought would make good pattern material). I couldn't quite get the radius at the rear of the blade right but I had a 1" small wheel on order. Once it got here it was easy to get the radius the way I thought it should be. I then handed the pattern to my wife and asked for feedback. A bit more adjusting and I was comfortable with the pattern. I put some layout fluid on a piece of 440C I had received from Aldo and clamped the pattern on it and scribed it.
I started with a Hermes 40 grit belt and an 8" contact wheel to get within about 1/16" of the scribe line. I had a 220 belt that I had already used a bit and decided to give it a try for taking the blank down to the line. I put the flat platen on and made sure my work rest was square to the platen so I could correct any slight angle that I may have ended up with using the contact wheel. Not sure if that is an okay way to do that or not? I was surprised that with light pressure the 220 belt took the last bit of metal off easily, and left a pretty nice edge. I'm pretty close to using the Bubble Jig to start flat grinding. I still need to drill the holes for the 5/16" Corby's I'll be using.
Here is a pic of the pattern. The tip is hard to see because of the color of the background. My bad.
Here is a pic of the blank so far. It still has a bit of layout fluid on it. I have started removing it a bit just to get a better sense of how it really looks.
I have to say that I can see how much fun this is going to be, and how satisfying. Of course, see me after I screw up some bevels or make some other newb mistake, right? Though I have nothing to compare it to, other than hand tools, I have to say I really like the Esteem Grinder. The 1" serrated wheel was really cool for working on the curve at the back of the blade. I have no doubt that as I get further into the first few knives I will be back with some questions. Referring to the Bob Loveless book has been a big help, as has watching youtube video's.
Any thoughts or advice on the shape of the knife, techniues, etc. would be most appreciated.