Help and feedback on first knife

R

RiverOaks

Joined
Sep 27, 2013
Messages
16
Hello everyone... Well I finally got my grinder built and embarked on my first ever knife build and have a couple questions.

1. Method question: I'm free handing my hollow grind and was wondering if I should be using the top half of the wheel or bottom half of the wheel to do my bevels? I've seen YouTube videos of both methods and was wondering which one is better and or safer?

2. My edge turned out uneven...? Surprise surprise. Is there any way to correct this?
Center is 0.055" and each end of the blade is at approx. 0.09" so double?

3. What thickness should I grind until before heattreat?

4. Any other commentary would be appreciated. The V notch is going to be for striking a ferro rod in case anyone was curious.

Blade stock is 1/4" if that matters.

Thanks

IMG_20141111_0051022_zpsevef9364.jpg


IMG_20141111_005041_zps8e2tdz4b.jpg
 
v's or sharp corners are generally a no no. They make the blade weaker by creating stress risers. A radius will strike a fire steel just as well.

Your probally getting an uneven grind because you aren't pausing when starting the pass and not following through your stroke all the way across the wheel. When you start the grind, the area just in front of the ricasso get barely any grind time whereas the middle gets a full pass on it. Same thing when you stop at the tip.
Hope that makes sense.

Edit: If I were you I'd also change up the handle. I drew a picture of your design with a more organic shape to the handle but my camera is not cooperating.
 
Last edited:
Thanks for all the information! I really appreciate it!!
I'll round the tip of my V notch and keep what you said in mind in the future... Shame I really liked the look if the V.
As far as the grinding goes I'm not pausing at all just finding my bevel radius at the ricasso and then following over to the tip... I think in this case its a pressure and smoothness issue...
I'm planning on smoothing over the top thumb ramp but I'd really like to see your idea.
It was difficult for me to come up with anything that felt half decent in the hand.

Thanks again!!
 
I borrowed a camera
Not exact but you get the idea. Your design is in pencil, my suggestions are in pen. This is what i meant by organic shapes as in flowing lines. I'm not sure how wide your handle is so I can't tell if what I drew would be too slim.
I would put more of an arc to the entire spine also. Not really function but i think it would look better. If you don't thats fine, just different tastes.
 
Very nice!! I made 6 or 7 cartboard mockups before choosing the one above... I wanted something simple for my first project and that's why I stayed away from too many contours.
But with that said your design looks almost exactly like one of my other samples so once my skills improve I'll be making one that resembles that for sure ;)

Do you know of any way I can correct my uneven edge issue other then saying "it was suppose to be that way". I wanted a reinforced tip. Lol

Thanks
 
Like I said earlier your supposed to pause (at least thats what I do to get even bevels) at the start to make sure your actually grinding down the metal right in front of the ricasso. You need to keep the pass going until the tip has made it all the way through the belt.

This is hard to explain. Heres a video of trollsky doing a bevel for a bit on a bushcraft knife. Notice how he stops a little when he starts and follows the pass all the way through.
 
Didn't get that link?

Is it possible to correct what I've done wrong? It would be a shame to have to toss my first blade.

Thanks
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top