What angle should i grind at???

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andrewralso

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Mar 27, 2017
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i have been into knives for a while but never making them so i need help. here is my situation: i have a belt grinder kind of thing that has an adjustable table with increments that tell me the angle. i also have a block of wood witch i plan to clamp a knife blade stock to. what angle should i adjust the table at to get a nice bevel? i'm not even sure if this question is valid but if you know please answer. it would help me out a lot. thanks!
 
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I'm still a relative novice as far as pointy things are concerned, but if you mean the angle of the grind for the cutting edge of the blade, then I think the optimal angle would be dependent on the type of blade steel and would differ from one steel to the next.

Edit: Now that I've re-read your question, I think I've misunderstood it...:D
 
Chariotz4 said:
I'm still a relative novice as far as pointy things are concerned, but if you mean the angle of the grind for the cutting edge of the blade, then I think the optimal angle would be dependent on the type of blade steel and would differ from one steel to the next.

Edit: Now that I've re-read your question, I think I've misunderstood it...:D
Click to expand...
nah in talking about the actual grind
Chariotz4 said:
I'm still a relative novice as far as pointy things are concerned, but if you mean the angle of the grind for the cutting edge of the blade, then I think the optimal angle would be dependent on the type of blade steel and would differ from one steel to the next.

Edit: Now that I've re-read your question, I think I've misunderstood it...:D
Click to expand...
my bad i should have said bevel not grind
 
I have never actually ground a knife blade so this may all go out the window with tolerances, but you could figure it out using trigonometry. You just need the height of the grind, the thickness of the edge, and the thickness of the blade stock.
 
I grind my Culinary knives at Appox, 11 to 20 Degrees! I take the edges to Zero for my Chef & Paring and leave 0.010-0.020 Thousands for Cleavers!
 
The actual angle of the bevel isn't important. It is whatever the angle is for the width of the blade. It actually varies as you go toward the tip. Just grind the bevels from spine to edge leaving the edge at a few thousandths thickness.

To show how it would be of little use to try and set an angle to grind:"
In a 1.25" wide blade that is .125" thick. the bevels form an angle of 5.732°. On the same blade where it has tapered to 1" wide the angle is 7.167°. and close to the tip it is 24.049°

The edge angle is determined somewhat by the steel, but mainly by the use of the blade and intended use. It can be from 15° inclusive for a thin kitchen slicer to 35° inclusive for a heavy camp knife.
 
Don't over think it.
Start your grind. If it doesn't seem to be going the way you like it - change the angle one way or the other to suit your needs.
Each knife of different width and thickness will require minor adjustments.
This is an activity where you need to think on your feet.
 
for a first try I would go with 5 degrees per side. you might not get a full flat grind, but you will have a good start before heat treat. i usually take the edge to about 0.025" before heat treat.
 
Angle per side = inverse tangent [ (steel thickness - edge thickness) / 2 / grind height ]

For a full flat grind, grind height = blade width.
 
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