How do you handle curved fullers?

L

Laredian

Joined
May 27, 2013
Messages
199
I've always loved fullers on knives and I've worked hard to be able to incoorporate them into my designs where I feel they serve a purpose, like these two Erebos choppers I've recently finished:

yLxMIS.jpg


l6GV01.jpg


I like how the fullers on these turned out and how the primary grind fades into them. Howevery I have not yet been able to do a pretty curved fuller, the straight ones are still challenging for me but I can do them, I struggle a lot more if I have to do a curved one.

How do you approach a curved fuller? Any tips?
 
I've never had much luck with filters fullers either. I'm interested in this one.
 
Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith said:
I would bet 99% are milled in.
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Maybe, but I am pretty sure some makers can do it freehand on the edge of a small contact wheel, I just haven't gotten a hang of that technique. Besides I don't own a mill so it wouldn't be an option for me personally anyway.
Another thing I've thought about is using a rotary tool like a foredom with a small flap disc attached like on an angle grinder but where the abrasive is not attached on the flat of the disk but on the edge...if that makes sense. You theoretically can remove material in a more controlled way and can see a lot better where you're removing material. Im just not sure where I'd get something like that.
 
Make a small collar to go on the dremel or something, with an adjustable stand off leg, think of the same principle as dividers or verniers to hold the wheel perfectly even away from the edge of the blade.
 
Way-Barney said:
Make a small collar to go on the dremel or something, with an adjustable stand off leg, think of the same principle as dividers or verniers to hold the wheel perfectly even away from the edge of the blade.
Click to expand...


That is essentially milling the fuller.
I used handpieces far better than a Dremel almost every day for 50 years, and can tell you that it would be dicey to try a curved fuller by hand with one ... even with a guide.

The Japanese sen is the tool traditionally used to shave the blade down, and to carve bo-hi (fullers). It is like a draw knife. The ones for bo-hi have a small, curved bit, like a lathe tool, to shave out the steel groove. They bo-hi sen usually have a guide arm that spaces the bo-hi from the spine. It should work fine on a curve.

Here is Don Fogg's old article on making a classic sen. I'll try and find one I posted a while back on making a bo-hi sen.
 
I've got the OBM fuller grinding attachment, but I found it difficult to control in general and especially on a curve. In principle I like the potential for a more organic fuller as the milled slot look is less appealing to me. I'd love to pull off something like you see Jason Knight do.
This was my first try with the OBM attachment.
PXL_20231009_230842529~3.jpg
 
Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith said:
That is essentially milling the fuller.
I used handpieces far better than a Dremel almost every day for 50 years, and can tell you that it would be dicey to try a curved fuller by hand with one ... even with a guide.

The Japanese sen is the tool traditionally used to shave the blade down, and to carve bo-hi (fullers). It is like a draw knife. The ones for bo-hi have a small, curved bit, like a lathe tool, to shave out the steel groove. They bo-hi sen usually have a guide arm that spaces the bo-hi from the spine. It should work fine on a curve.

Here is Don Fogg's old article on making a classic sen. I'll try and find one I posted a while back on making a bo-hi sen.
Click to expand...
What a brilliant link Stacy, thanks.
 
Thanks for digging up that Fogg link, Stacy. Memories of his tutorial are what made me mention the sen up above.
 
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Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith said:
His site and the old links are all there. He shows how to build forges and all sorts of stuff.
Click to expand...
Thanks, again! I’ve had “Breakfast Coffee” or whatever it’s called transferred through three computers, now. Good read. I’ll have to check out his site again. I had thought it gone, incorrectly so it seems. :)
Be well…
 
I use the 2" wheel on bottom of platen to get it started, angle the blade so im mostly using one side of the belt.
 
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