secondary bevel question

M

Mjov

Joined
Sep 18, 2020
Messages
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Hi all first time jumping on here for advice just wanted to ask about an issue I often get. When grinding my edge down before adding the secondary bevel my edge thickness tends to vary. the belly of the blade is generally alot thinner than the heel and the tip of my blade. I often cause more problems trying to thin these areas down to match screwing up the surface finish or blowing through where it's thinner.
I'm trying to work on this for consistency but my questions more in regards to adding the secondary bevel ontop of this. I'm about to buy a wicked edge sharpening system and just want to ask if anyone's encountered this being a big problem if the edge isn't perfectly consistent to begin with does the secondary bevel take on a wavey appearance hollowing out where it's thinner? Or can you just focus on the thicker heel first to get it to shape then work your way up the blade with a consistent looking cutting edge? Thanks for any advice I'll attach a pic of where the edge is currently at
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You want to minimize that. It takes practice and keeping awareness as the grind progresses. It's a lot to keep track of when you are mainly worried about botching the plunge, gouging it somewhere, or messing up the tip. Some blade profiles are easier than others.
I wouldn't go to sharpening until you even it out quite a bit. I would just take some light passes hitting those areas, and keep checking on what is happening over all. Don't try to get it all at once.
 
The secondary bevel will have more height where you need to remove more steel. On top of that, it will be harder to achieve the same level of sharpness along the entire blade. You’ll have a functional knife, but aesthetics and performance will suffer a bit.
 
yeah thats what i was worried about having the bigger bevel on the thick points, Cool ill hit it again to try get it nice and consistent first, would you guys hand sand/file it from this point or just super gently on the belt grinder? im guessing very light passes on like a 120grit belt or so? thanks for the pointers guys
 
Personally I’d run it back on the grinder and be very mindful of pressure as I make full passes. Others may have differing opinions though.

Based on your pics it could be evened out in just a few passes
 
Getting a consistent THB can be tough. Especially at the heel if you don't have a plunge line. Some kitchen knives are specifically made this way so you can do delicate fine work at the tip, medium duty in the center and harder chopping at the heel. With a nicely blended kitchen knife with a distal taper you actually have a lot of variance in the bevel you can't get grinding with a jig. Well you can but it takes adjustments and a final blending by hand. One thing I like to do for kitchen knives is take the edge down so that it is basically sharp... 0.001-.0.002" thick before sharpening. Then run the edge on the belt if I want it thicker. I do the same for a hunter but just chase it back further till it's the thickness I want if that makes sense. You have to look very closely to see the sharpened edge on my kitchen knives. If you have a varying TBE it'll show when sharpening. Especially on a guided system like a wicked edge.

A sheet metal gauge is also a great tool in getting consistent edges. They only go down to about 0.007" but that's ok. Just make sure the blade goes in a consistent distance into the slot.

https://www.amazon.com/DGOL-Round-S...words=sheet+metal+gauge&qid=1600571261&sr=8-9

This is a great series on how to grind kitchen knives and he talks about the difficulties at the heel. Plunge lines make it a bit easier to get a consistent TBE because you don't need to worry abut blending but you have the plunges to worry about.

 
That's a good idea man I've just been using calipers that are pretty inaccurate once i start getting down thin, thanks for the video suggestion I'm only half way through but there are a bunch of tips and techniques I'll definitely try on my next blade I never thought to do it in sections or start with an initial 45degree to get the edge to thickness before blending it all together.
I feel like this forums going to be a very valuable resource
 
Welcome to the forum.

I've only been making knives for a couple years and am still amazed how great the community is here. Everyone here will do anything they can can help people starting out. I one of my favorite parts about making knives.
 
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