Scribing lines on forged blades?

A

andybill

Joined
Dec 29, 2008
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53
How do you scribe a line on the edge of a forged blade for grinding your bevels? The problem I'm having is that there is no definite flat spot to base an accurate depth gauge on, like the ricasso in Nick Wheeler's tutorial. I'm making tapered tang kitchen knives, and the distal taper and handle tapers meet up without any real flat/square area. I'm forging as close to final thickness as possible, but the grinding is tedious, and although I can do an okay job judging it by eye, it would be great to have a concrete reference point. Any tips? I feel like I'm missing something obvious.
Thanks
 
I don't nor do I think anyone else does. However if they do I'm sure they'll chime in shortly.
 
There are all sorts of edge scribing tools for sale by the suppliers.

A drill bit laid on its side and the blade edge puled across the point will scribe the edge just fine for many folks. Use a drill bit the same size as the thickness of the edge you are scribing. Scribe the edge on one side , flip the blade over, and scribe the other way. The two marks will give you guide lines to grind by. Change the drill bit size to move the lines closer or farther apart.
 
Eyeball for me, with forged blades. The drill bit or a pair of calipers to scribe works well for stock removal.
 
You just do what Nick does, file and measure and tweak the ricasso until it is square, then work from it.
 
Thanks Sam :) Usually a guy will tell me something like "I don't have a surface grinder, granite plate, and fancy height thingy like you have." But I've been marking my centerlines in the same general way since long before I had those things. I would hit the ricasso on the grinder to try and get a couple parallel sides as a foundation, then I marked the center with a giz-wiz I made that held a $5 carbide tipped scribe, and did it on a piece of glass I salvaged from an old window.

I envy the guys that can just eyeball it and get really great results. Reference lines make a world of difference for me, so I use them as often as possible. :)
 
NickWheeler said:
Thanks Sam :) Usually a guy will tell me something like "I don't have a surface grinder, granite plate, and fancy height thingy like you have." But I've been marking my centerlines in the same general way since long before I had those things. I would hit the ricasso on the grinder to try and get a couple parallel sides as a foundation, then I marked the center with a giz-wiz I made that held a $5 carbide tipped scribe, and did it on a piece of glass I salvaged from an old window.

I envy the guys that can just eyeball it and get really great results. Reference lines make a world of difference for me, so I use them as often as possible. :)
Click to expand...

Nick, Reference lines do you no good if you can't see them. :D
 
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