Sir Snark-A-Lot

[worldwood]

nice work, WW.
drop the spine a bit to meet the new 'tip and you'll be golden. FFG is hard. Modified FFG is easier (sabre).
You'll often make a different knife then you planned at the beginning. Accept this and you will have a lot of fun. Don't ask how I know.

LMAO... When im done it will be a dashi

I didnt expect to get it perfect on my first try. It was still a lot of fun, and taught me a few things too :thumbup:

More practice practice practice!!! Im no quitter Ill still try and make something out of it!! Just have to change it a little like ya said!!

 

[DunkEm]

Thanks... But i screwed it all up :grumpy:

I need to figure out how to do the plunge lines better and more evenly, and practice applying the same amount of pressure the entire time. I manged to grind the tip too thin and lost the very tip, not much of it, but enough to teach me to be careful how thin im going. And i didnt realize i was using different amounts of pressure but i guess i must have been.

Man, I'm hoping to get to where my plunge lines look that good. I've made three knives so far, each a bit better than the last, but nothing with a line that clean. I'm hoping in part that's a tooling issue and that when I step up to the Sears it helps a bunch. And everything else you mentioned is also something I've got lots of work to learn to do well.

Here's a lousy cell phone pic of the three...

You'll often make a different knife then you planned at the beginning. Accept this and you will have a lot of fun. Don't ask how I know.

I'm 3 for 3 on this.

 

[TMHunt]

nice work, WW.
drop the spine a bit to meet the new 'tip and you'll be golden. FFG is hard. Modified FFG is easier (sabre).
You'll often make a different knife then you planned at the beginning. Accept this and you will have a lot of fun. Don't ask how I know.

This is the best piece of advice yet and it is spot on, I thought I was the only one. I can honestly say the first 15 years of making knives I only had three knives turn out how I envisioned them from the start. Three I say, I know the knives in my mind as if there carved there. Now that I'm making specific models its a little easier to get them closer to "the vision" but its fascinating to hear other craftsman think the same way I do daizee. Scary, but fascinating.

 

[worldwood]

Man, I'm hoping to get to where my plunge lines look that good. I've made three knives so far, each a bit better than the last, but nothing with a line that clean. I'm hoping in part that's a tooling issue and that when I step up to the Sears it helps a bunch. And everything else you mentioned is also something I've got lots of work to learn to do well.

Nothing wrong with those knives man!

And the 2x42 may indeed help.... But the entire time i was wishing it would go slower LMAO.. Its easy to not have the right angle and it only takes one pass on the belt to make your realize you screwed up. I messed my plunge line up in just a single second ! And that was with the least coarse belt i have.

Also i used the bubble jig to make sure i was at the angle i wanted, which did help, but after the first few passes i stopped using the clamp because it would hit the side of the platen and not let me get my plunge line all the way up to the belt.

I really wanna give a go at putting on bevels with a file jig like Dresnor uses. Slow and steady wins the race LOL

My father said he was going to make me one and ship it to me. I look forward to giving that a go as well. But im not done trying to learn how to do it with the 2x42 either.

 

[TMHunt]

So I started a cool little project in my new shop today, my buddy Glen who owns the building my new shop is in has a daughter who works in his front office doing paperwork and whatnot. Anyway, I've know Ashley since she was 6 yrs. old. She's 26 now, married and has a young son named Sawyer who will turn 1 yr. old her in the next month. Ashley, has always been a great gal and her, her Dad and the whole gang always have been like family to me for 20 years. Ashley doesn't take little Sawyer to a daycare. Instead brings him to the shop three days a week where we all pitch in and keep a eye on him. He's a pretty special little dude. So, since his first birthday is coming up, I wanted to do something cool for him that he could have the rest of his life, but enjoy it now.so, check this out. I decided to make him a pedal parts runner for the shop, whats cool about it is im making it out out of a radio flyer tricycle and wagon that belonged to Ashley when she was a little girl. Her Dad kept them and gave them to me to do as I wish. Granted, they are in rough shape, but today I got them dismantled, got it mocked up, and tack welded. Tomorrow im hoping to sandblast it and fab the seat which will be a wagon style seat in the forward part of the bed. I have to cut the floor out and replace it. But think its gonna be pretty cool. Needless to say, its raked and stretched. Cant wait to see the little feller running around in it.

 

[The Warrior]

Haha, that's freakin' awesome man.

 

[TMHunt]

Thanks Dubz im excited about it. Whats funny is, I worked on it today right under Ashleys nose and she has no clue. Her Dad, (my buddy Glen, Sawyer's Papaw) saw it today and asked me what it was. I explained what I was doing and he started to get choked up. Lol. Thought that was pretty epic.

 

[bigghoss]

That thing is awesome Todd. When he gets to kindergarten he's gonna get all the chicks.

 

[granitestateofmind]

You'll find all kinds of ways to modify your grinder after you get a feel for it and figure out the things you want to do with it. One thing you will do before to long most likely is cut about half of that platen off so you can do some slack belt work. Don't ask me how I know this.

I already want to cut the platen...I was literally just down there cursing that thing HAHA.. I cant get close enough to the sides of the belt to go around corners because the platen is in the way, and the platen runs too high to really go above it comfortably.

I also really need to figure out how to get even plunge lines. I screwed up the little one a bit... Im hoping i can blend it in some so it doesnt look as bad... Trying to FFG it and its being a pain in the ass I also managed to grind the tip too thin and lost the very tip.

Its definitely a learning experience LMAO

That still looks pretty damn good, WW. Daizee's advice is pretty spot on....in the woodworking world a friend of mine called them "design opportunities" - more like redesign opportunities, as you look at what you did vs. what you were hoping to do and then go forward from where you're at. Made a wooden bench for my folks that turned out NOTHING like I planned through a series of mistakes and mishaps. Turned out WAY better, once I accepted what I'd ef'dup and focused on what I could do with what was left. Went from a simple rectangular maple bench to a very fancy, curvy, mostly maple bench with some exotic wood inlays and some playful mahogany design elements. And no one else will see errors that look HUGE to you...for the most part.

Also, you shouldn't hafta cut yer platen for slack belt work; just use the hex key that came with and move it back outta the way:

I've been looking at bar stock because of all you people. Thanks a lot!

 

[Jerry D.]

Haha - Yes!

What paint scheme are you thinking of?

 

[The Warrior]

Thanks Dubz im excited about it. Whats funny is, I worked on it today right under Ashleys nose and she has no clue. Her Dad, (my buddy Glen, Sawyer's Papaw) saw it today and asked me what it was. I explained what I was doing and he started to get choked up. Lol. Thought that was pretty epic.

I'd be excited about it too. I can't wait to see it finished.

 

[granitestateofmind]

Todd, that is very cool, especially since the little one will be able to use it...I always seem to be a decade too late with those sorts of projects. I'll just about finish my daughter's crib for her 20th birthday .

 

[DunkEm]

That is awesome Todd!

The skills the people on this forum have never cease to amaze me.

 

[stvpourciau]

Just so you know. The $9 dollar camillus is a check of a good knife. At least to give to somebody else on an outing. Even I like it a bit. Much more than I was expecting

 

[1066vik]

I have a new kitchen knife!
it's really nice, but it's not a becker, so I probably shouldn't post pictures of it.

 

[granitestateofmind]

Just so you know. The $9 dollar camillus is a check of a good knife. At least to give to somebody else on an outing. Even I like it a bit. Much more than I was expecting

Good to know...but I still prolly won't buy one. Mora's at $15 are reliable quantity. Which Cam did you get?I'm a little leery of Small Fart's offerings - although I have picked up one or two there that were outstanding values. Problem is, Kershaw (who I otherwise totally love) does deals with them on knives in their line that are seriously dumbed down to reach Wally's price point expectations......which results in blades with the same name and look as, say, a Freefall, but with crappy steel and poor functionality, when the non-Wally Freefall is a much better folder.

 

[worldwood]

Todd that thing is awesome!!

That still looks pretty damn good, WW. Daizee's advice is pretty spot on....in the woodworking world a friend of mine called them "design opportunities" - more like redesign opportunities, as you look at what you did vs. what you were hoping to do and then go forward from where you're at. Made a wooden bench for my folks that turned out NOTHING like I planned through a series of mistakes and mishaps. Turned out WAY better, once I accepted what I'd ef'dup and focused on what I could do with what was left. Went from a simple rectangular maple bench to a very fancy, curvy, mostly maple bench with some exotic wood inlays and some playful mahogany design elements. And no one else will see errors that look HUGE to you...for the most part.

Also, you shouldn't hafta cut yer platen for slack belt work; just use the hex key that came with and move it back outta the way:

I've been looking at bar stock because of all you people. Thanks a lot!

Thanks man!! I went ahead and cleaned it up a little, filed a new point on it, and reduced the belly of the blade some. Ill drill some holes in the handle tomorrow and then set it aside until i finish the other one and have money to send these 2 to heat treat

And yea, i know you can move the platen or even remove it, the idea is to make it so you have less bolts to loosen or remove every time you need to change belts , change where you are grinding on the belt, or adjust tracking, and and still have it function in all the ways it can.

 

[crimsonfalcon07]

WW, I still use a file to refine my plunges a little and keep them even sometimes. You can also clamp a straight piece of stock about where you want your plunge to be. Measure twice, grind once.

When you drill holes, make sure you countersink them before sending them off to Peters. What steel you using, btw? Is that 52100?

 

[stvpourciau]

Good to know...but I still prolly won't buy one. Mora's at $15 are reliable quantity. Which Cam did you get?I'm a little leery of Small Fart's offerings - although I have picked up one or two there that were outstanding values. Problem is, Kershaw (who I otherwise totally love) does deals with them on knives in their line that are seriously dumbed down to reach Wally's price point expectations......which results in blades with the same name and look as, say, a Freefall, but with crappy steel and poor functionality, when the non-Wally Freefall is a much better folder.

I would say that besides steel quality this knife I'd better built for beckery task, More like the Mora bushcraft, full tang with a nice molded rubber grip.

They don't list most models as far as I know but I can say it's a black drop point hunting knife hanging in the hunting goods, not display cased as it's extremely cheap and has security tag in box. Hollow grind.

The most important part is that the "440" seems to be nice and hard, steel like, which should hold sharpness and be able to sharpen again. Other than that it's well built but profiled as a skinner.

Haven't done much but feather 1 stick and cut a sapling out of where it shouldn't be the way uncle E showed us how, bending the tree

 

[james terrio]

I have a new kitchen knife!

Jiminy Crickets, did that thing finally make its way to you? *whew*

As for *ahem* "in-progress design modifications".... let's just say I've made a lot of 1/8" thick by 6" long blades out of 1/4" thick by 10" long barstock. It happens...