Rounded spines and ricassos

T

Travis Fry

Joined
Jun 11, 2010
Messages
489
Any knife by John Doyle, and that recent 52100 bowie that Nick Wheeler just posted up in Customs forum have rounded spines and ricassos. While I can think of a few ways to do this, I don't see how to do it and keep everything so even and pretty as they do. Can someone (John or Nick perhaps?) enlighten me about how to do this the "right" way?
 
Chris over at Wilmont has a good video showing how he rounds spines, choils, etc. Youtube it. :)
 
I have been contemplating this as well....

I am guessing that there are a couple different ways. Use the flat platen to knock off the edge and then use a slack belt to round it over. Then hand sand with soft backed sanding sticks.

I tried it ones and botched it. I wasn't even enough, but that was a while ago.....

I am hoping that Nick or John chime in about it.
 
I have tried a number of things, but always resort back to "shoe shinning" with a stiff piece of sandpaper. Nick gave some good advice when I asked a little while back, but I still have trouble with it.

I'll be watching this thread.
 
Strigamort said:
I have tried a number of things, but always resort back to "shoe shinning" with a stiff piece of sandpaper.
Click to expand...

That had not crossed my mind. I know I have seen that somewhere before, now to just remember where.

See this is why I ask questions all the time, stupid and not so stupid questions. There are so many different ways to do things, that you box yourself in and don't work around the problems sometimes.
 
I cut a groove slightly larger than the blade, about a quarter inch deep, in a hunk of pine, and loosely adhere paper to it. Sand in the groove. Long strokes give decent uniformity.

Also, from my luthiery days, they make round radius files for rounding flattened out frets. Just Google "fret files." They come in diamond and toothed variety.

I have also taken a hunk of mild steel, filed a half round groove in it to use the same way as the block of pine.
 
Yea... where's John or Nick when we need 'em?!? :foot: ;)

I wrote a reply on here not too long ago to strig... but I'm not sure where it's at.

It's easier than you probably think.

If I didn't have so much to do right now, I'd try to do a video or something of it. That might be best anyway... maybe this way you'll get somebody to explain it that actually knows what the hell they're talking about. :foot: :)
 
I fail at reading comprehension.


If it's any consolation, many ways to skin a cat as they say... Yours just looks really good...
 
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TheWeatherman said:
Maybe we will get lucky and Nick will put up a video showing us still. ;)
Click to expand...

Yeah, I second that. I've been rounding spines for years. I started when tinkering with production folder blades, but I've never gotten results that I'm 100% pleased with. I know that it's not done by hand in the case of the Sebenza, but that is the flawless rounding that I'm after personally. I'm not even sure that it's possible by hand. A rounded spine I can do. But one where there is a perfect junction line between the side flats and the spine (as opposed to blending the sides and spine), well, I dunno. I think it's one of those things that looks simple to the casual observer, but is pretty hard to get just right.
 
I've always just shoe shined it, but I have seen others round the spine on a disc sander when they were making their flat grinds. Every time I have tried that though I just make a mess of things. Also the one ground on a disc are not nearly as rounded as the other methods and much more shallow of a curve.
 
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