Tang shoulders???

[Phil Dwyer]

Hey Guys,

How do you square up the shoulders of your blade ricasso to your tang? I've been using a file guide, but I end up filing very sharp shoulders all the way to the tang. I understand this creates a major stress point with high probability for failure. What do you do? Do you modify your file by rounding off an edge so you can get a rounded belly in the corner of your filed in shoulder? Do you do it all with your grinder? If so, how? Do you forge set the shoulder with swage, guillotine or smoosh-a-matic then dress it with file or grinder, but not all the way up to the tang? Or....?

Thanks so much, Phil

 

[birdog4]

I use a round file at the file guide to make the radius, usually a needle file .

 

[Robert Mayo]

I do the same as birdog and use a small chain saw file when i get close to the tang.

Bob

 

[Deweyknives]

Same here. Flat with a file guide and finish with an 1/8" chainsaw file. I leave my tangs as wide as possible and then taper from behind the guard to the butt. I like the extra strength.

 

[Hmathews]

I use a 1/4 inch chain saw file on a file guide. I flatten one side of the file so that that a smooth surface is on the file guide and the file only cuts to the side. The smoother you get your finish here the less trouble you will have getting a good fit between the blade and guard.

 

[galadduin]

I usually finish the tang on my flat platen, belt runs loose at the edges, close to ricasso I use the loose part of the belt, it rounds the connection smoothly...

Emre

 

[richard j]

i surface grind mine with the corner of the wheel slightly rounded. i used to use a diamond burr and my dremel tool since a file has a hard time cutting the steel i use.