Grinding help

S

smredus

Joined
Jun 27, 2007
Messages
10
After more than a year of lurking and reading everything possible, I guess it's time to jump in the fray and join the ruckus. I've been trying my hand at this addiction for a little more than a year, so this isn't my first attempt, but I need to see if someone can diagnose an issue that I have with my grinding.:eek:

This is a flat grind. As you can see in the photo, my grind line is higher at the ricasso and then dips down in the middle before rising again. When I'm putting the steel to the platen, I make sure that it lays flat and I start about a 1/4" away from the plunge, back into it and then grind out towards the tip.

yup3yz.jpg


I've tried putting pressure on the center area with my hand and keeping there throughout the pass. I've also tried keeping my hand centered on the belt and let the steel move. Neither way seems to make a difference. Any suggestions, or critisisms, would be greatly appreciated!

Oh yeah, many, many THANKS for all the great things that I've learned from y'all over the last year.:thumbup:

Thanks,
Steve Redus
 
Not sure I have too much to offer, except that if you are using a 1" grinder, a wider platen might help. Also, too light a touch can be a problem. Ending up with a few full passes can clean up a wobbly line pretty nicely.

I think we all either have - or have had - a problem with getting the top of the grind even. I'm sure that's why many of us favour a "full to the spine flat grind". :o


Rob!
 
For a year flat grinding that ain't to bad. If your right handed that is your left hand gring and you are probably dropping the handle just a little. Lighten up on thepressure a bit and make sure you move straight across the platen.
Hope this helps
Stan
 
Rob, thanks for the reply. I should have mentioned that it is a 2" belt on a ceramic platen. I started off with a Craftsmen 2"x42" and then switched to the Grizzly. Not being content with that, I built Tracy Mickley's NWG. This is my first grind on it, but this has been a problem for me on all three grinders.

It is possible that the problem is too light of a touch. Every time I have a descent grind going, it seems that disaster hits when I'm trying to get a nice even, clean plunge. I'm a little gun shy of that area, so it is possible that I'm being overlly cautious. I'm not done with this grind, as I plan on taking it much closer to the spine. It's just that on my way there, this is what I get. It becomes a problem as I get closer to the spine because the plunge meets the spine before the center.

Steve
 
If you're not using one, you might consider a hooey stick. You can call it a push stick if you like, but you don't have to use it to put extra pressure, you can use it just to stabilize the knife some. Sometimes it's easier to hold the knife steady with one.
 
Thanks Stan. The problem is that I'm left handed so this is my stronger side. When I move to the other side, it opens up a whole 'nuther can o' worms. :(
 
Something else I just thought of, Make sure your belts are good and tight and there is no gap between the platen and belt a little bit of belt give could be causing the sway.
Stan
 
Cap, that might be a good idea. I know that some people swear by 'em and some people swear at 'em. There's a little spot closer towards the tip where I jumped when my knuckle got a little too close to the belt. Think I'm going to have to give it a try though. Who knows, may work out for me. At this point I'm open to any and all suggestions.

Steve
 
Hope it helps Steve. By the way, do we know each other from another forum? I didn't recognize the username.
 
Actually Cap, I almost never post on any of the forums. However, I've been reading threads on this forum and others for so long that I've caught many peoples names, and I always prefer to call someone by name rather than screen name whenever possible. Hope that's okay with you.

Steve
 
Steve, Nice work.
I'm behind you in time learning to grind, so I can appreciate how much progress you've made in a year. Don't know if this helps or not, but here are two things I learned about my grinding this long weekend.
1: I tend to rush through the middle 2/3's of my blade. Therefore not giving the grinder the opportunity to complete it's cut for that pass. My middle section is always lower than both ends.
2: Out of desperation I started using a "Rafter's angle square", to ensure I was holding the blade straight to the platen. Also seems to double as a push stick as well.
Both made a huge difference in my final results, but I still have a long way to go.

Best of luck sir.

Cliff
 
Hmmmm! Rushing through the center might be an issue that I hadn't thought of before. It makes sense. I know that I tend to worry more about the plunges and the tip way more than the center. Maybe I am rushing through that part. Good point Cliff. Thanks for the suggestion. I will have to pay attention to that tomorrow.

Steve
 
Your blade is widest at the place where the grind drops down. You need to grind more in this area than before or after if you want to raise the grind line and make it straight across. Frank
 
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