New knife maker(need tips)

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Sample65R

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Apr 15, 2020
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Hey guys, I am brand new to knife making and wanted to see if I can get some pointer. I’m making chef knives to use as i like to cook. I cut them out of 1084 steel with a jigsaw and used a 1 inch x 30 inch belt grinder to smooth out the edges and begin putting an angle on it. I was using a 120 grit belt but now realized maybe I should use a 60 grit. Just need some tips for grit progression and at what point I should heat treat and how to make sure I make both sides of the blade even
 
great video series below. I start with 36 grit but a lot of guys start at 60. Then 120 to do the final bevel grinding and then 240 and above just to clean it up before handsanding.

 
If you are not heat treating the blade prior to grinding the bevels, you will probably run in to some serious warping issues when you do heat treat (ie your blade will curl up like a potato chip).
 
Personally I start at 36 but I do all my bevels after heat treat especially on a long thin chef knife. The 1x30 is low on HP so I would start with as course a belt as possible. You wont be able to lean into it or it will stall so basically the belt has to do all the work with next to no pressure. I would start with a paring knife first if possible until you get one you are happy with. Large chef knives are among the more challenging to grind. There is a good chance the first few knives may not make it so no sense using a ton of material. Starting on a smaller project lets you learn for cheaper and you wont need to spend hours on your bevel. It important to finish the knife even if the bevels don't turn out that way you still learn about handles etc. Get all the mistakes out of the way early... Need to free up room for new mistakes.
 
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