Step away from the grinder!!

M

Maelstrom78

Joined
Sep 21, 2013
Messages
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Last night I was excited to grind a few paring/petty blanks. Everything was going well, grind lines were looking nice and I felt like I was really getting how to even up the plunges symmetrically when viewed from the edge etc.

Then I started to get tired. I was also running out of time until my wife and kids showed up and then its supper, baths and stories.

And I started to rush. Dig into the edge of the belt instead of taking my time. Push hard on the disc to try to true up that bevel. Continue to hog instead of taking the time to cut a new sandpaper sheet for the disc.

Things started to go awry but I made myself walk away before there were any catastrophic failures. The grind lines became uneven on 2 of the blades. Not a big deal as I'm taking them to FFG but I was frustrated as keeping them even to advance my grinding skills is a top priority for me now. I was getting cocky because going FFG I believe was hiding mistakes.

Anyway, I'm pretty confident that I can only grind for a couple of hours before I get tired enough to start rushing and messing things up.

How long can you guys crank on the grinder?
 
I try to be very honest with myself on how fatigued I am. I will almost never grind a blade after about 3:00pm and I prefer to grind in the mornings when I and my eyes are fresh. I do try to take breaks every 30-40 minutes and walk around/stretch for a few minutes. At this point I've probably ground over a hundred blades so I know how to do it but, it is still a challenge to stay highly focused when at the grinder for more than a couple knives.

Bob
 
Well as far as how long, I'm not sure. I've spent days in the shop. However on a related note, I'd like to add to this thread under the safety aspect by saying don't take the easy way if it seems uncomfortable.

I profile 90% my blades with an angle grinder before I go to belts. Cut it out where I can, and then put the grinder in the vice and carefully grind the rest away with a stone disk. I have a comfortable way of doing this for the most part, some angles are tough and take more care. So I had the brilliant idea to turn the grinder around in the vice, switch my grip and go from the other side. It felt awkward, but I figured I'd get used to it. Rather, I took all the skin off my knuckle to the bone and learned a lesson.
 
Remember to HALT.

If a momentary lapse in judgement or attention around a tool could cause a life changing event, never use that tool if you are HALT.

Hungry
Angry
Lonely
Tired

If you can't focus, turn everything off and go do something else. Some days you are just off. No big deal, unless you don't recognize it. That's when bad things happen.

I agree with Gendry. Do things the right way. If something feels off, don't do it.

I had a sign on the door of my shop:

"Everything in here can KILL YOU.
PAY ATTENTION!
H.A.L.T."
 
In 40 years of working in the shop I have never had an accident, I have all my fingers and never needed a stitch.

I attribute this to safety rules, but I never work in the shop if I am tired. Never
 
There are faster guys at grinding their knives but I take my time on every one and never grind more than two blades per day. This has worked for me for several years and even then I have sometimes ruined a nice blade after heat treat by running the wheel too fast and creating a heat mark on the blade or burning a pinhole thru the center of a hollow grind. I should more closely follow my own advice to others. "Never hurry" is always a good rule to follow if you want to make excellent knives... at least in my opinion. Larry Lehman

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That's interesting guys. It was after 2 that I started feeling the fatigue. Just from concentrating that much.

I came back tonight and fixed up those mistakes. Being "rested" (well still after work but I'm in an office) made a big difference.
 
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