question about grinding bevel

ultrahesh

ultrahesh

Joined
May 24, 2008
Messages
745
I have a problem grinding my bevels. when I pull the blade across the platen or wheel with my left hand and apply pressure with my right I end up with nice strait lines and nice bevels when I pull the blade with my right hand I end up with a peak in the top of the grind around the middle of the grind. I can't for the life of me figure out what I'm doing wrong, it feels like the motion from one side is a mirror image of the motion the other way. Anyone have a pointer?
 
I am not sure I understand what you are describing. are you grinding edge up and when you say "peak in the top" do you mean the spine or the edge? are you hollow grinding or Flat? and are you using a tool rest for support? Sorry for all the questions.

I always start my grinds with a magnet holding the blade, elbows locked to my side and move my whole body. Then when I have the bevel set where the belt will rest nicely on the belt i free hand.
 
Your main problem is that you are either right handed or you re left handed ( can't tell from your description). I am too. So is everybody else. I figured out that I had pretty much had two options: Spend 7, 8, 9 10, 15, 20 years teaching myself how to get it right. If you work at it long and arduously you will eventually get it right. Maybe sooner. Maybe later. Lots of folks do it you can too. Work at it and drive on. Or you can buy a Bubble Jig. A Bubble Jig won't give you a rose garden right out of the box but it will point you in the right direction real quick. A Bubble Jig will give you a place to begin; a point of reference. There is only one thing that will get up your nose using a Bubble Jig: You will get a LOT better right now. And that will be the source of your discontent. You will get better but the better you get the better you want to get. Trust me. Get a Bubble Jig. I have about seven or eight. I ain't good by any means but I am WAY better than I usta was. PM Fred if you need help. He has an AMAZING patience for butt STUPID questions. I hope that helps. Nicholas Jasper
 
It's all about locking the elbows and wrists and moving the blade by shifting your weight. That, and start low with your grind, then push the top of the bevel up toward the spine- that way, once you get to your intended height or the spine with the grind, it's an even bevel. Freehand grinding is challenging to learn, but far from impossible. It's also quite rewarding once you get consistent and can grind the look you want at will.

It can help to rough the first few passes in hard to establish a bevel- it's easy to find afterwards by bringing the blade to the belt with a slightly loose grip, letting it find the bevel before applying pressure. If the initial rough passes aren't entirely accurate, they should still be enough to establish a firm starting point that can be adjusted before the grind reaches any termination points (spine, finish plunge cut.)

I find the above to be relevant to both flat and hollow grinding.
 
You may need to twist the blade down, counter clockwise into the wheel or platten if you are grinding edge up, to move that peak towards the spine.
 
Perfectly timed thread. I just ruined two blades trying to get the bevels symmetrical with my NEW grinder. GRRR!!
 
Some pics might help in actually identifying whats going wrong, but to me it sounds like you exposed your "weak" side, we all have one it'll take a little extra attention, i approach my grinder with intent, find my stance give the ol arms a shake, lock em in and set that first bevel with no peeking, give it 5 good swipes in your motion before looking, then switch to the other side 5 swipes, check for a consistency and find it again, another helper is belt speed, slow it down a bit that way you'll have some time and material to adjust with. I enjoy golfing and associate grinding along the same lines as needing attention on a regular basis, if there is big lapses in your times between grinding it'll show. Either way have fun and wear ur respirator!!
Greg
 
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SR Johnsons "Making a Subhilt Fighter" is very good. He shows and describes in detail his grinding technique. Like Greg said grind and observe, I put pressure in an area I'm unaware of, it feels so balanced, but it's not.
 
How do you get to Carnegie Hall? Practice, practice, practice.

Lots of good advice here. For me I think it has more to do with my dominant eye and the way I focus at close range, than it does with which hand is steadier. Sometimes I grind both sides with the same "hand", just one side edge-up and one side edge-down. Naturally, this presents a different set of challenges. But that way my body and my eyes are approaching the workpiece and machine the same way, and it helps me be consistent.

I do almost all my grinding freehand, partly because I'm just stubborn. Partly because I don't like fooling around with tooling any more than I absolutely have to; I can adjust my wrist or posture a lot quicker than I can adjust a jig or rest.

Nothin to it but to do it, friend.
 
May I suggest grinding practice on paint sticks.
Your mistakes will happen faster, but so will the corrections.
They're also way cheaper than steel.:)

Just rough out a shape and make a KSO. Because the wood is so
much softer than steel, you'll learn to use a much gentler,
more accurate technique quickly.

Bill
 
I had another thought today, When I started out I wasn't flat grinding my stock and I kept getting high points on the grind. It seemed to be on one side only. Are you flat grinding your stock before grinding the bevels?
 
RyanW said:
I had another thought today, When I started out I wasn't flat grinding my stock and I kept getting high points on the grind. It seemed to be on one side only. Are you flat grinding your stock before grinding the bevels?
Click to expand...

Do you mean make sure the stock is flat on both sides, or do you mean start the bevels out on the platen as a flat grind? When I am attempting to hollow grind, I use a wheel start to finish.
 
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