OT: Got a Bench Grider; I Want to Make Knives; I'm Clueless!

Not as bad as all that Dan, morale just went through the roof around here. We know there's risks, and we know it's not a nice place we're headed to, but we also know what it's like to sit on our butts and watch our brothers and sisters in arms carry the fight. We're well trained, well equipped (including some good Bir Ghorka blades), and ready to go do our part. None of us looks forward to going to war, that would be plumb silly, but all of us are proud to do what we can to bring about victory and an end to the killing. For any war to be just, it's goal must be peace. Don't know if that makes any sense to anybody, but to my simple mind it does.:D

Sarge
 
Originally posted by Sylvrfalcn
For any war to be just, it's goal must be peace. Don't know if that makes any sense to anybody, but to my simple mind it does.

Makes sense to me. Sometimes I worry that our political leaders without military backgrounds or at least intense contact don't have a full realization of things like that. I'm sure it's there a little bit, but I think you need to have your behind on the line to fully understand.

Stay sharp, and don't tick off any gorkhas!
 
Let's recap the Safety Issues!!!!

Josh it would be a Dayumed Good Idea to go back through the posts and copy all the safety tips everyone has given you which are all dayumed good although I'm gonna add a couple more.
Copy them to a Word File and keep it, print out a copy to keep in your shop and review them every time you go to work on the grinder until you become accustomed to following all of them automatically.

1- Always remove all of the grinder's safety guards and tool rest on buffing and/or wire wheels!!!!

1a- Never, ever, use gloves while using these type wheels!!!!

OSHA tried to make us put back the guards on our motors that we had these type wheels on and we challenged them and won. These type wheels are most likely to catch the part and tear it loose from your hand's.
If the guards and/or wheel rest is on the motor it can pull your hand right into the wheel with the part!!!! With gloves on it's ten times worse!!!!!!!
Extremely Dangerous!!!!

2- When buffing or using any wheel freehand always keep your work slightly below center.

This will prevent the wheel from grabbing the part violently.

3- If you're going to do a lot of buffing it's a dayumed good idea to get yourself a sport's cup!!!!

Believe me it is Not a good feeling when a part is popped out of your hand's and goes flying, ending up hitting the family jewel's.;)

I had a couple more but they slipped away while I was writing what I did manage to get out.:rolleyes:
If I recall anymore I will add them later.

Be Safe and Have Fun!!!!:D
 
Sport cup? I would have never thought of that. However, with the grinder at waist level it's a good idea.
 
Absolute concentration required.

There have been more accidents at the buffing wheel in BirGorkha than all other activities put together.
 
Ok, so here's my checklist so far:
--chain mail armor
--motorcycle helmet
--cup
--kevlar underwear
--goggles
--respirator
--plywood armor
--all local emergency services on speed-dial

Did I miss anything? Yikes, maybe I should just stick with pre-made knives.

--Josh
 
Oh, and one last thing...

Be sure and take a picture with all your gear on...:eek:

:D

:p

:rolleyes:

:yawn:
 
Josh you dont need all that safety gear, all you have to do is become a Ninja Master, and youll develop such super Ninja Reflexes that flying blades will pose no danger to you. An other alternative, would be to build up you Ki energy so that your body becomes impervious to blades.:D :p :eek:
 
Josh, et al:
Regarding the different grades of grinding wheels can be very confusing.
It's been so long since I've dealt with odering and using them I've forgotten so much.
If you know absolutely nothing about them it would be a good idea to see if there's any info on Simond's, DoAll's, Carborundum or other abrasive manufacturer's websites.
Two things to remember is that the coarser the grit the heavier the scratch and the harder the wheel the more apt it is to burn the steel quickly.
Believe it or not you can get a pretty nice finish with a 45 grit wheel with say a "D" hardness. However you can't crowd it or it will degrade pretty quick.
The harder wheels, say a "J" hardness will hold their integrity better but can also load up rather quickly and need to be dressed more often.
There are a few dressing sticks of differing grits themselves and the finer the grit the finer the finish on the wheel and the work.
There's, I think it's a Boron, dressing stick that will leave an ultra smooth finish, but the average home crafter really doesn't need one of these.
I had one at work to dress the corners off the wheels to a small super smooth radius.
IMO it's better to buy qualty wheels from good manufacturers than to mess with Sears and the like as you can get more selection.

You can find the results of a search on Google here
 
Josh, how are you doing with your grinder? Have you tried your hand at making any knives?
Got any peekchures?:)
 
or knifed your hand while making tries? Bench grinders make serious catapults when they graba blade from yer hands and spit it across the basement...well at least mine did.
Keith
 
Yvsa-- to be honest, this thread turned me into a big chicken:( Also, I've been really busy, so I haven't had a chance to try my hand at knife making yet. Once the semester is over and I am not teaching, I'll have some more free time. I need to clear out a spot in our garage so I can mount the grinder, and my neighbor is going to come over and give me some hands-on tutoring so I don't lose any major body parts. I'll post an update after I actually get something done:rolleyes:
--Josh
 
Josh - replace "chicken" with "cautious" and you'll be just fine.

Having a buddy around really does help.
 
I just have to clean up my garage and find my grinder, drill press, sander, MY WORK BENCH.:)

GOT TO GET MOTIVATED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
Originally posted by Josh Feltman
Yvsa-- to be honest, this thread turned me into a big chicken:( Also, I've been really busy.......

......I'll post an update after I actually get something done:rolleyes:
--Josh

Missed this yesterday.:rolleyes:

That's :cool: Josh. It's always best to err on the side of caution, but I bet once you get started there won't be any stopping you.:D :p
 
aww, whatsa few lopped fingers? I mean, ya got ten to start with, I'm sure six is enuf to end with...unless yer a hand model or something:)

seriously, tho, Josh. it is an activity best started slow and safe, then ya ramp up from there. You can experiment by grinding non sharpened bits of metal to get a feel for the grinding, see how aggressive the wheels cut, try your hand at buffinn/polishing...

Keith
 
Josh,

The reason we (I say "we", but I really mean "I" because I think I was the one that started the scare tactic :footinmou )...the reason we threw the caution at you was because we don't know your level of common bench sense.

If you trust yourself and you work "smart" and at a moderate pace, you will be 100% safe.

If you only have 10 minutes to get this done and that comes at 2 a.m. in the morning, and you have shaky hands, and you're walleyed...

KnowhutImean?

We're dying to see some results on this one. Just go for it and post the results here - whether they're screw-ups or perfect the first time.

You've got to do it...

Or else it's just a tool on the shelf now - and you know what wives tend to think about those things...

:eek:

:D
 
Slow and cautious is absolutely the way to go!!!

I worked in a sheet metal/machine shop while putting myself through college, and belt sanders aren't nearly as scarey as grinders.

Even worse those hand held flat disc sanders/grinders with what? 8 or 9" whatever you call the discs bolted onto the center ( the ones you used to take down weld lines on pieces of metal too heavy to lift ) I didn't even pick one up without making sure it was unplugged. They were too heavy and had too much horsepower. Other people knew how to use it and they could have it.
 
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