first few tries - grind quality?

G

greenfeet

Joined
Mar 2, 2008
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41
i know that practice makes perfect and i will push on.

but, how many of you had a fairly presentable knife on your first few tries?

i have ground my second and within the first couple seconds it is ruined! im using a grizzly with 120 grit for my first grinds. i think this is way to aggressive for me. i tried to grand the plunge line and right off the bat i was down to the scribe line for the edge. another thing that is frustrating is that i can only use one side of the grinder and have to flip the blade over to work the other side. so, one side im looking at the edge, the other im looking at the spine.

oh well, ive seen nice knives made with these so i know its just me.
 
I don't have a grizz but keep practicing. Maybe try something different. I will mark my plunges with a sharpee so I know where I want (after measuring where to put them) them and the grind the edge only to the scribed lines at a 45 degree angle to my desired thickness. Then I just make sweeping passes on each side to start walking the grind up. Are you doing a large blade or a small blade? I only ask because I thought the motor housing only got in the way with larger stuff. If you are doing a large blade you may want to practive with something smaller first. Also, you can make a quick and light pass with a high grit belt to add a bit more thickness to your edge. You will shrink the profile a little but its all part of learning. Remember to let the belt do the work for you and don't put too much pressure with your hands especially as you get toward the end of a pass near the tip. Hope this helps a little.
 
i am only grinding about a 2.5 in blade. well, what happened when i flipped sides was when i tracked the belt over to the left side, there was plenty of room to grind, but the belt, towards the lower contact wheel ate into the frame! yikes. ill have to check out whats going on. i tihnk i am using way too much pressure. as i near the tip it actually starts turning blue. ill back off of that and i guess just get a feel for the rest. -thanks.
 
The 10" contact wheel will fix the bumping into housing issue with your blades. Plus it is better for hollowgrinding i hear! I got the grizzly also and ive destroyed 2 practice blanks for greatlakeswaterjet place.
 
greenfeet said:
another thing that is frustrating is that i can only use one side of the grinder and have to flip the blade over to work the other side. so, one side im looking at the edge, the other im looking at the spine
Click to expand...

I used to try the same thing. Trust me when i say you will be better off if you grind edge up, and just switch and flip the blade to the other hand.
 
Green feet
Hop down to the local big box store and grab a handful of paint stiring sticks.When you can grind a decent looking blade in wood then start on steel.Gotta walk before you can run.
Stan
 
OH and I've been doing this about 6 years and still ruin some:o
Stan
 
Ahhhhh...the paint stick !! Very good advice. When I was using them to learn, I thought my shop was turning into more of a wood butcher carpenter's shop than a knifemaker shop! I too can honestly tell you...this is one of the best ways to figure out how to make your grinds!
Also...don't be afraid to take a welder to your Grizzly's tool rest and modify it into what works best for you to get those peachy grinds.
 
ill give it a run. not very good on the ego, but i hate making blanks for 20 minutes to mess them up in 3 sec. and if it helps me get familiar with the equip, then so be it.

thanks.
 
SBuzek said:
Green feet
Hop down to the local big box store and grab a handful of paint stiring sticks.When you can grind a decent looking blade in wood then start on steel.Gotta walk before you can run.
Stan
Click to expand...

That's a really good idea. I bought some mild steel from Lowes to practice on, but I like the paint stick idea better. It's also cheaper. Thanks for the idea.
 
i will say and this is not tooting my own horn. I picked up grinding right away. it most important thing you can learn is what is going on between the steel and belt when you put pressure in different areas.
 
In free hand grinding you will have a strong side and a weak side while grinding. It will be obvious which is which. Start practicing on the weak side first. When you get the feel for that side the strong side will be much easier. If you do it the other way around, learning the weak side is a killer.

Lock your elbows into your side and move the blade by moving your body. It gives you much more control.

Paint sticks, cheap iron, cheap steel, in that order. At first, don't try to make a knife! Try to learn how to grind.

Plunge cuts are one of the last steps in grinding the blade to me and I do most of them after the blade is hardened. Get close while grinding the bevels, but save a little room for fine tuning the plunge.
 
I would also try a coarser grit belt, in my opinion you will have more control than with the 120 for the initial grind.
 
After a couple of hundred conscentrated tries on the wood or better yet some metal ones also then start wondering if you are going to be able to go on. Then start again. Frank
 
ok, except for filing where the process is slower and more controlled, i thought that many of you simply grind out a blank, grind an edge, slap on a handle and poof, first try, one presentable knife. wasent considering quiting at all, jsut discouraging. when yall post your first knives, i was wondering how many blanks were scrapped getting to that point.
 
My bandsaw's on the fritz, so now I'm going back to my scrap bin in an effort to breathe new life into some of my set aside pieces. I figure there's really no difference between fixing and finishing.
 
Green feet
I don't know what you day job is,but did you walk in the first day and know all there is to know about your job? Knifemaking is a lot the same it is a long learning process. I stive to make every knife better than the last one and still screwup more than I want to lay claim to.Scrped blade are just a learning experiance and you can keep them around to see what not to do the next time.
There are three things that will make you better,Practice,Practice, and then Practice some more.
If you decide to come by my shop someday I will show you my bucket full of scrap.
Stan
 
Stop and check your grind often, don't try to guess. That way you will learn where your grind is going and what needs and doesn't need to be ground off.

Just don't hurry your work, or assume what is going on between the steel and the wheel.
 
i usually have a good feel for things like this and thought...thought, i would have a fairly short learning curve. whoa was i wrong! i do check my grinds often, but what happens is that the bevel gets so many facets it resembles a turtles shell. haha.
 
When we have someone coming to the shop to learn knife making, we always ask if you want a knife or do you want to learn how to make one. Two different things all together. You have picked the latter and more difficult of the two. I don't know of anyone that has just walked up to a grinder and started grinding blades that are worth making a knife out of. Not if you are going to do it right. Be patient with yourself.

Don't grind tired because you can develop bad habits that are hard to break. When you look at the blade and go to put it back on the wheel, aim! Hold it off the wheel a fraction of an inch and let the blade settle on the wheel before you apply pressure. If you move the blade up on the face of the wheel if will tend to grind more towards the back of the blade. Lower on the wheel and it will tend to grind towards the edge of the blade. Just because you are grinding doesn't mean that you have to throw sparks into the next county. Go slow, develop a light touch, get the feel of the wheel on the steel and think about where the metal is coming from when you apply pressure. Spread you feet about shoulder width, tuck in your elbows and move the whole body.

If you can visit a maker and let him watch you grind for a few minutes, he will be able to tell you some things that are very difficult to pass on over the net. It would be worth your time, if you can find one close, to pay him a visit and ask him to give you a pointer or two.

Most of all DON'T get discouraged or ever show anyone your scrap box.:D Before you know it you will be looking at a bad grind and thinking "I can save this one" and you can!
 
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