hollow grinding jig

Nathan House

Nathan House

Joined
Feb 14, 2000
Messages
1,204
I am looking for a hollow grinding jig
i know Koval has them,they want to much for them.I know alot of knife maker look down there nose at you for useing them,there are
alot of them who do use them,and don't say
i have one it does not seem to work on blades with curves hollows to the end of the blade if any body out there would like to sell one that you have made that works good on all types of blade,I am looking to buy one at a fair price,I like making skinners and droppoints.let me know thanks
 
Now this isn't coming from much experience, as a matter of fact, I just did my first hollow grind last week and after flat grinding all this time, it wasn't so bad after all. What I have been told is true. Maybe that's why I have waited this long to even attempt my first hollow grind. Anyway, what I used was the tried and trued organic tool rest. Now you see, I have to explain. The one I have now is much bigger than the one I started out with about 5 or 6 years ago. The most important thing you have to remember is to make sure that the height of your grinder is set up right. I would wholeheartedly recommend using one of these contraptions before actually going out and spending some cold hard money on some grinding jig that won't work that well any way.

C Wilkins
 
thank for the reply CL,I may have not explainded myself,I am just starting out
I taught myself to hollow grind,i can hollow of a rest,I am having trouble,with a skinner
style knife with getting the hollow to follow the curved part around to the tip
I would like to try a jig to see if it would
help on that part.Thanks for the input


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Nathan,

Save yourself the trouble and buy Allen Blades video on how to hollow grind. He best explains how to make a perfect hollow grind on ANY blade. Look him up in the archives. The video cost $10 + $3 shipping I believe.

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Craig Blankenship
Blankenship Knives
http://www.blankenship-knives.com
 
CL,
You are absolutely right. The organic tool rest works best. Took me 7 years to build mine.
biggrin.gif
It works great for any type hollow grind.
 
As a biologist, I think I can give a partial answer. Chemically, an organic compound is any compound that contains carbon. However, biologically, it is usually reserved for anything living or derived from something that was once living. For instance, a hand or an arm would be organic.
biggrin.gif


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Hoodoo

The low, hoarse purr of the whirling stone—the light-press’d blade,
Diffusing, dropping, sideways-darting, in tiny showers of gold,
Sparkles from the wheel.

Walt Whitman
 
nathan, an organic tool rest is that big protruding thing above your belt that tends to grow with age. You can develop your own tool rest with a regular diet of steaks, beer, donuts and all the other foods that knife makers like so much for building the ultimate hollow grinding muscle! Ken
 
About the organic knife rest the jokes on me
that is why some one said it took seven years to build his,i won't have no problem
with my organic tool rest,I take prednisone
for my crohn's diease,I have a belly like a tick gettin ready to pop.
Thanks for the humor
i will have to give that a try.
Nathan
 
I'm with Nathan as far as free handing a hollow grind around the curve of a blade. I've made lots of bowies but couldn't have done one right without my home made jig. How do you guys do a free hand hollow grind that follows the curve of the edge of a big bowie??

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Always think of your fellow knife makers as partners in the search for the perfect blade, not as people trying to compete with you and your work!http://www.nebsnow.com/L6steel
 
You can't use a jig to follow the curve in a large blade or Bowie type blade. Once you learn to do it free hand you will not need a jig at all. When doing the grind, think of there being a center line on the blade and follow this line throughout the grind. ie: If there is a large curve, lower your hands as you near the end of your pull (grinding edge up) thereby keeping the centerline of the blade even at all times. Don't know if this makes sense in words, but it works in reality.

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C.O.'s-"It takes balls to work behind the walls "
 
Hello,

Ok everyone get ready to Chant!!

Free Hand !! Free Hand!! Free Hand!!

Hollow Ground Bowies of any size are Easy to do, Remember its technique!! but actually Big Bowies work Better Flat Ground.

my .02

Allen BLade
 
Jailhack
the bottom line is some thing are better learned with a little help to get the fill
of how it fill to grind hollows around
conrners,like I said there are alot of big pros who use them,and wont say,I don't care how good you are with your hands the bottom line sooner or later you are going to have
use some type of rest or fixture on a knife
on a long blade there is no way possible to
free hand it,I don't care what anyone says
the bottom line who cares how the knife gets done as long as it looks and proforms good
and the the person buying it is happy that is what matters.we are building knives not egos.
 
I don't really have a problem with makers using a jig, and I am well aware that some big names do use them, especially when doing a large number of identical knives or they are behind on orders, but I MYSELF get more satisfaction from doing it by hand and knowing that the customer is getting a freehand ground blade. Call me old fashioned, but that's the way it is.

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C.O.'s-"It takes balls to work behind the walls "
 
I've never tried hollow grinding with a jig, but I'm very doubtful if one would help you very much. I gues it would make sense to build a jig for a specific blade, but this would only be worth it if you were making a bunch of exactly the same type of knives.

I use the work rest to set the grind on both side, but stopping before I get too far towards the point. Then I hold the knife in both hands and continue grinding. However as I get toward the point I lift the handle end of the knife. This causes the grind to follow the curve. This may sound a little bit confusing in the telling but it's really simple. Try going throught the motions with the grinder turned off untill you understand the geometry.

Somebody on these forums gave me this tip about 2 years ago and once I got the hang of it, it makes grinding much easier.

I've had the best results setting the grind with a 36 grit Klingspor belt

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Totally new website!
http://www.wilkins-knives.com
 
Jailhack said,

"You can't use a jig to follow the curve in a large blade or Bowie type blade."

Wanna bet!!!!
<img src=http://members.aol.com/l6steel/ebay/knifeer.jpg>
I did the hollow grind on this one with my home made jig. Maybe you guys are thinking of the type of jigs you buy where you clamp the blade in them and turn a knob. My jig is just a piece of angle iron with a slot cut in the back for the contact wheel to stick thru. I hold the blade against the wheel and draw it across the wheel. The jig just helps me hold it steady. I sure would like to see someone freehand hollow grind around the curve of some of my regular bowies. Most I've seen don't follow the curve of the edge, they just put one straight high grind on the blade. I'm just getting used to free handing some 9" drop points. Maybe later on I'll give one of bowies a try. Take care!! Michael

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Always think of your fellow knife makers as partners in the search for the perfect blade, not as people trying to compete with you and your work!http://www.nebsnow.com/L6steel
 
Now fellas, what good is an organic tool rest if I have a jig? I have really worked hard over the past few years getting one big enought to start hollow grinding...

What to do, what to do!?!

C Wilkins
 
L6,

That's a pretty big toothpick you got there
smile.gif


I will agree that it would be a pain in the $ss to grind a big blade like that freehand and get it even. I am wondering though, how a sword that is hollow ground would work in a jig. Maybe we can get some input from someone who has done one.

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C.O.'s-"It takes balls to work behind the walls "
 
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