Machining steel

[unky_gumbi]

As I had mentioned in my WIP thread I feel that the steel I ordered is too think for my design. I had mentioned to a friend that I would like to get 2mm taken off of the second blank and he said that doing so would cause the piece to bow. Is this true? I was thinking of taking it to a friend to be surface ground, 1mm per side, but if it is going to cause the knife to bow I will just live with the thickness. I am working with 13/64 and would like to take it down to 5/32

 

[Will Leavitt]

It can and sometimes will bow after being surface ground or brought down using a fly cutter in my experience. This is usually due to too much heat build up or residual stresses in the steel. The bow can be handled with careful grinding on the part of the machinist and by straightening on your part during an annealing and normalizing process.

 

[drewfacehotm]

if its a grinder with coolant and you take it off of each side it should be fine.

 

[unky_gumbi]

if its a grinder with coolant and you take it off of each side it should be fine.

Thats what I was thinking, thanks for the input both of you have given

 

[blindhogg]

In my experience, and I have only had a surface grinder but for a short time. If I let the steel get hot while grinding it sure does bow.
Chris

 

[SBuzek]

I'm not a machinist and I don't play one on the internet..but I have found the cooler you keep it the less chance of bowing.I have milled down a few pieces of bar stock with no problem but ran a coolant on them and took small passes off each side.
Stan