Symetrical dagger

T

tmickley

Joined
Apr 4, 2001
Messages
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I was thinking I was getting OK with the grinder. After a year of abusing steel, I could get a straight line and have a knife turn out OK. Not great, but at least passable. So I decide to try a dagger, a symetrical (are there any other kinds?) dagger. Damn.....:eek: Are these hard! One of these will point out every bad habit you have acquired. From sloppy sawing to profiling to getting matching grinds --- 4 of em.
Jeez...
Anyone got any tips on getting one of these to come out? :confused:
 
might not be what info you're hoping for but for me the trick is new sharp belts and slow speed. Steady hands are a plus too.
 
New sharp belts are the first step but I think you are asking for ways to grind. Well the blind leading the blind, I start the grind like any other flat grind and work my way up by doing 5 passes on each edge. As you get near the center, go to 3 passes each but make sure you do all four edges. As you complete the initial grind switch to 1 pass per edge, checking the grind each time. Once the flats are defined, follow-ups with finer belts are almost automatic. Just make sure you are flat before starting the grind.

Now if you want something hard, try a long blade with an upswept point and a fully sharpened false edge 60% of the spine. There you have to do a lot of estimating to make the grindline even out with the point.:mad:

Honestly, your dagger is just like everything in knifemaking, the more you do it, the easier it gets. HMMMM....Not sure how long before it gets easy for me? :o
 
Daggers are easy so long as you don't get worried about it. What I see alot of guys doing is trying to line up all the grinds at once. Don't! You will drive yourself crazy trying to.

Treat it as any spearpoint hunter. On the profile, check it by eyeball. If you are unsure, lay it on a piece of paper and carefully trace around it. Turn the blank over and see if it matches. If not make a note and repair that area. Repeat until matched.

Now scribe a center line from tip to pommel (or gaurd for stick tangs). Now scribe your center lines for the cutting edges. Now you want to scribe a line as to where you want your plunges to be.

Grind one bevel at a time. Treat as a non-dagger. Just grind up to your center line and finish off the tip just like any other knife. Repeat this for the remaining three bevels. If your grinds are even your center line at the tip should even out. Slow down your grinder or switch to a smoother belt and even out any little fudges in your grinds. After all your lines are even and balanced, go back and line up all you plunges. If you had tried to line up your plunges and your edge and centerline grinds at the same time, you end up with a mess. It would be like juggling chainsaws while driving a race car across water. Just not possible. Line up one element at a time.
 
I use lots of blue spray layout fluid. Its available from your welding supply store. I cut my dagger out of paper first. Just fold the paper in half and cut out one side, then simply unfold and see how it looks. Cut out several if neccesary to get one you like. Just scribe it on the steel. Scribe the center from tip to tang and the centerlines on the edges. Also scribe the tang and the plunge cuts. Profile to the lines and start grinding the bevels. the blue color helps show where you are grinding.

I finished a 9" wavy kriss blade. The biggest grinding challenge yet.
 
I gotta get some of that spray blue stuff. I think I can out of my shop looking like a smurf.

After a disasterous first blade, the second one went much better. New belt, scribed marks for the center lines and much slower, more deliberate grinds. RW was dead on about the lines, slowing down and ignoring some parts of it. I wanted to pass out...but tried not to.


it on a piece of paper and carefully trace around it. Turn the blank over and see if it matches
Click to expand...
I know this is so simple it should have been obvious (Mr. Obvious?)..but it wasn't to me and is just the thing I was looking for.

Thanks for the help.
 
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