My first grind attempts, need some feedback...

pershing16 · Apr 21, 2015

So after months of youtube videos and tool hoarding I worked up the courage to attempt 2 grinds. First with a wood jig and the second free hand. They were both tiny blades, 2 inches or so. I believe I made plenty of mistakes. I ran out of edge before getting the bevel I wanted and Im struggling on what to do. I have taken some pics and Im hoping for some guidance. Thanks.

Wood Jig

Free hand

Something I think I need to do is find a better way to mark the center. Also, calculate what angle is right for the blade thickness and height of the grind. The tip on the free hand one is almost an edge and I think it will be problematic for the ht process. Thoughts?

Pershing16

Shawn Hatcher · Apr 21, 2015

I'd say you're off to a great start. It's kinda like learning to play an instrument . . . you just gotta put in the hours. :thumbup:

Chasen30 · Apr 21, 2015

I'm brand new and about to start grinding my bevels on #1 so this is pure conjecture. My understanding is that the edge should be even entirely along the cutting surface rather than tapered as in your jigged version. The freehand one doesn't look terribly far off in terms of the evenness of the edge, but the bevel looks convex. Was that intentional? If not, draw filing seems to be the solution from what I have read. You could probably just draw file the convex out to make it flat and have a nice bevel. I'm not certain about the thickness but my understanding is that with most steels for most HTs an edge of 0.02" before HT is desirable. It might help to clean your plunge line. Also, when you say "bevel I wanted" do you mean the angle isn't shallow enough. If so, I don't see why you couldn't correct that without hurting the edge. Anyways, that's my two cents. Though, again, I'm about to engage the challenge myself. I'll be free handing as it seems to be a valuable skill and jigs seem most useful for rapid production which is not my intent.

Matt Rochester · Apr 21, 2015

Just work the grind up towards the spine. Put more pressure on the top and less on the edge. If the edge gets too thin you can knock it back. I leave .020'' or so before ht. You want the edge thickness as close to the same as possible from heel to tip. Finshed edge should be around .010".

pershing16 · Apr 22, 2015

Shawn Hatcher said:
I'd say you're off to a great start. It's kinda like learning to play an instrument . . . you just gotta put in the hours. :thumbup:

Thanks Shawn.

pershing16 · Apr 22, 2015

Chasen30 said:
I'm brand new and about to start grinding my bevels on #1 so this is pure conjecture. My understanding is that the edge should be even entirely along the cutting surface rather than tapered as in your jigged version. The freehand one doesn't look terribly far off in terms of the evenness of the edge, but the bevel looks convex. Was that intentional? If not, draw filing seems to be the solution from what I have read. You could probably just draw file the convex out to make it flat and have a nice bevel. I'm not certain about the thickness but my understanding is that with most steels for most HTs an edge of 0.02" before HT is desirable. It might help to clean your plunge line. Also, when you say "bevel I wanted" do you mean the angle isn't shallow enough. If so, I don't see why you couldn't correct that without hurting the edge. Anyways, that's my two cents. Though, again, I'm about to engage the challenge myself. I'll be free handing as it seems to be a valuable skill and jigs seem most useful for rapid production which is not my intent.

Thanks Chasen. It does look convex, I think I was a little timid to push it to far and ended up rounding the multiple lines into convex. I think I got a good direction.

pershing16 · Apr 22, 2015

Rookie25 said:
Just work the grind up towards the spine. Put more pressure on the top and less on the edge. If the edge gets too thin you can knock it back. I leave .020'' or so before ht. You want the edge thickness as close to the same as possible from heel to tip. Finshed edge should be around .010".

Thanks Rookie, I measured and looks like on the thinnest point is still .021 or something like that, so just did some math (should have done it before hand) and it turns out the angle I needed was less than 10 which explains why I got to the edge so quickly. Will try again soon.

Brock Cutlery · Apr 22, 2015

I've ground maybe 18 blades to date, and learn something new with each one. Most of them I won't finish I think, although a few ca be saved, now that I have learned a bit.
I still struggle to make all the major points in the grind right. One thing I learned from this video: Slow DOWN. This guy is my online mentor, although he has no idea.

[video=youtube;Og5GL5PGo_U]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Og5GL5PGo_U[/video]

Matt Rochester · Apr 22, 2015

pershing16 said:
Thanks Rookie, I measured and looks like on the thinnest point is still .021 or something like that, so just did some math (should have done it before hand) and it turns out the angle I needed was less than 10 which explains why I got to the edge so quickly. YWill try again soon.

There is a chart floating around here on BF somewhere that has all the angles you need. I don't use a jig so I don't use the chart. Just play around with it freehand and you will learn to walk the grind up. Just take it slow and be patient. It will come.