Plunge lines

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swamp

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I am having a pretty hard time getting anything even close to a good plunge line with my delta 1x30.

The platen is only about three inches tall and then it turns into a slack belt sander. Is this normal or would it be much easier with a 2"x72". I am curious as to how many people use some sort of jig to get their plunge lines right almost every time.


BTW: you can see a video of my 1x30 if you want on youtube under "sevenedges knives sharpening equipment". I got the 1084 in from Bruno and am messing up a lot of it. :( Thanks again. Jeff
 
There are many advantages to grinding with a 2 X 72 inch belt grinder. The larger platen gives you more working area, the 2 inch rather than a 1 inch wide belt again has more surface area to work on; you will get few gouge lines in the blade surface. The larger belt runs cooler and last much longer.

I use a grinding reference to align my plunge cuts.

Good luck, Fred
 
I seem to have alright luck on my dodgy grinder. I dont use a jig i just draw where i want my plunge on the opposite side of the knife and line it up with the edge of the belt.
 
I tried grinding on a 1X30 and had no luck at all with it and always had to revert to the files to fix my mistakes, when I finally got my GIB up and running, working on the 2X72 was a dream, that extra inch of width makes a huge difference. I did have a bit of trouble getting my plunges to be crisp on both sides at first, but I was told to flip the belt so I was doing the plunge with the same side of the belt. It made an instant improvement on my plunge lines
 
I frankly get pretty frustrated when a hobbyist asks for simple advice and all he gets is "throw money at the problem", as if buying more expensive tools will make him into a craftsman. (not saying that's the case in this thread, it just touches a nerve with me and it's been showing up a lot lately.)

There is nothing wrong with setting your plunges with a round "chainsaw sharpening" file and then grinding you bevels off that reference point. Cost, about $5 for two, more if you buy or build a guide to help you keep the file straight.

You do not NEED a 2x72 to make excellent blades. Sure it helps! But with patience and practice you can do the same stock removal with a 1x30, 2x42 or even files. In fact, unless you have money to burn or are trying to sell knives to pay back your investment or even make a profit, spending $300-$3000 on a 2x72 grinder is just plain foolish.
 
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Plunge lines are overrated... :D

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james terrio said:
I frankly get pretty frustrated when a hobbyist asks for simple advice and all he gets is "throw money at the problem", as if buying more expensive tools will make him into a craftsman. (not saying that's the case in this thread, it just touches a nerve with me and it's been showing up a lot lately.)

There is nothing wrong with setting your plunges with a round "chainsaw sharpening" file and then grinding you bevels off that reference point. Cost, about $5 for two, more if you buy or build a guide to help you keep the file straight.

You do not NEED a 2x72 to make excellent blades. Sure it helps! But with patience and practice you can do the same stock removal with a 1x30, 2x42 or even files. In fact, unless you have money to burn or are trying to sell knives to pay back your investment or even make a profit, spending $300-$3000 on a 2x72 grinder is just plain foolish.
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I apologize for not making myself clear. I plan on starting out part time knifemaking, and turning it into a full time career, once my knives are looking good enough to sell. I should have stated that to begin with. Jeff
 
Also I am eating the 1x30 belts up in what I feel is a very short time. I thought maybe a wider, much longer belt would help out a lot. And possibly make my plunge lines a lot better. Infact I actually cut in a plunge line today with a bastard file. The belt on my 1x30 wobbles back and forth, even when adjusted all the way out. So it almost makes it impossible to make crisp lines. Jeff
 
Last night I was using my 1 x 30 and had problems also. Clamping a file guide to the riccaso and holding the edge of the file guide against the platten helped a lot.
 
swamp said:
Also I am eating the 1x30 belts up in what I feel is a very short time.
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Are you buying good belts or using the standard aluminum oxide crap?.... lol. Get some round/chainsaw files to help tweek the radius. Learn proper draw-filing technique and you'll only need the grinder for hogging.

Make yourself a sanding paddle if you haven't.... radius one side and clean your plungelines up, easy-breezy.

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unky_gumbi said:
I tried grinding on a 1X30 and had no luck at all with it and always had to revert to the files to fix my mistakes, when I finally got my GIB up and running, working on the 2X72 was a dream, that extra inch of width makes a huge difference. I did have a bit of trouble getting my plunges to be crisp on both sides at first, but I was told to flip the belt so I was doing the plunge with the same side of the belt. It made an instant improvement on my plunge lines
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are you saying when you started other side of plunge you flipped the belt so the direction of the cut was the same??

OP: you're probably using belts designed for wood, you need to invest in some good ceramic belts.. or something comparable for metal/grinding..

I've made knives with a 1x30 no problems at all other then speed and lack of power... and I used cheap belts.. buy good ones.. :)
 
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Yeah, I am using cheap home depot belts, where is a good place to get the best 1x30 belts? As I won't be getting the larger grinder for a little while. I am looking for the best belts available, regardless of the price. Thanks, Jeff
 
I have been using a 1 x 30 for about two years. I use a file guide and blaze belts. The blaze belts will more than cut your time in half.
 
I just tape off where I want the plunge lines, and I simply stay away from grinding the tape. I use the belt about a strong 1/8" off the side of the platen or wheel to clean them up, once the blade goes from "rough grind" to the next finishing step.

I don't know. It's just how I do it.
 
Battle Creek Knives said:
are you saying when you started other side of plunge you flipped the belt so the direction of the cut was the same??

OP: you're probably using belts designed for wood, you need to invest in some good ceramic belts.. or something comparable for metal/grinding..

I've made knives with a 1x30 no problems at all other then speed and lack of power... and I used cheap belts.. buy good ones.. :)
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I am flipping the belt so that when I do the plunge on the other side of the knife I am using the same edge of he belt that I used for the first plunge. I will see if I can find the thread that this was suggested to me when I was having problems with my plunge lines.

Here is the post that suggested flipping the belt, I found it helped me.
 
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unky_gumbi said:
I am flipping the belt so that when I do the plunge on the other side of the knife I am using the same edge of he belt that I used for the first plunge. I will see if I can find the thread that this was suggested to me when I was having problems with my plunge lines.

Here is the post that suggested flipping the belt, I found it helped me.
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okay thanks.. !! never thought about that I'll have to give it a try...
 
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