What's going on in your shop? Show us whats going on, and talk a bit about your work!

[javand]

Patrice, 2-3 thou isn't really light with a stone. You can go heavier, but for this kind of work, especially where you don't have contact with the magnet sucking heat out of the work piece, you need to be taking like 0.5-1 thou passes. As your work heats with those larger passes, it's warping up into the stone, it's also deflecting since it's not supported beneath.

In a perfect world you do this kind of work on a sine plate or a sine chuck, but barring that, you need to be taking extremely light passes.

Personally when I'm working on a hardened blade, saying, truing the ricasso, I take a max of 1 thou passes, because warp is such an issue if you're not using flood coolant.

Don't get me wrong, I'll hog multi-thou passes off a bar I'm thinning or a billet of damascus, but there's enough mass there to handle it, and warp isn't a concern.

 

[Bob Ohlemann]

Patrice, maybe I'm missing something here but I believe you shimmed backward. You should have done the first side with a single shim and the second side with a double. I don't think shims are a accurate way to do the taper. A sine plate would be far more accurate/repeatable.

Bob

 

[12345678910]

I agree it looks like you shimmed funny

and consider putting the tang sideways on the magnet for shorter grinds

 

[PT Doc]

Patrice, wouldn't the blank deflect toward the table since only both edges are supported, one by the table and one end by the shim? Would you get better results with it being ground across the short dimension of the blade?

 

[javand]

Problem he's going to encounter if he lays his work across the table the other way, is that he's going to have little magnetic transference and he's likely to send his work flying.

When you jack something up on shims this way though, you have a lever somewhere, so in order to get consistent angles you have to lever off the exact spot on both sides.

You guys are right though, one shim on the first side, two on the other, when doing it this way. Regardless, I don't see you getting good results with this method.


Usually you use gauge blocks and a sine table/plate. You can clamp or chuck to the ricasso, grind one side, flip, shim the tapered tang to prevent deflection, and repeat.

 

[Willie71]

Here's the little fighter I had glued up when I posted the picture of my profiled blades.

 

[Patrice Lemée]

Thanks for the tips guys. The tang is pretty thick so I don't think deflection played a big part in it or it would also have messed up the first side I did. Gonna try the 1 shim - 2 shim approach and also lighter passes like you guys suggested. I'll let you know how it works out.
As far as precision, I am not looking at perfection here, just need a constant taper of some sort. Anything would be better than the way I use to do it, eyeballing it on the flat platen. Always ended up with a slight variation somewhere in the taper that way making the guard fitting more pain than it already is.

And Sam, I have no idea what you mean about doing it the other way? How am I suppose to grind a distal taper when grinding across the blade? Most likely I am not understanding what you mean.

 

[JMJones]

Patrice, shim the chuck not the part. One shim first then the other. It is very repeatable because you have a surface grinder and can make two shims the same thickness and to whatever dimension needed for the results you desire. I know that machinist cringe when we do belt conversions on surface grinders or shim parts for taper or a whole slew of other things we do but remember we are not machinists, we are knife makers. Whatever it takes.

 

[JMJones]

That is an enviable addition to an already enviable shop!

Well the last of my major equipment purchases just arrived. My 75 lb. Iron Kiss Hammer. Now I just got to figure out how to get it off the shipping crate and plumb it up.

 

[Patrice Lemée]

Patrice, shim the chuck not the part.

Brilliant JM! Didn't even think about making the shims myself, I was looking around at buying some.

 

[12345678910]

And Sam, I have no idea what you mean about doing it the other way? How am I suppose to grind a distal taper when grinding across the blade? Most likely I am not understanding what you mean.

Brilliant JM! Didn't even think about making the shims myself, I was looking around at buying some.

I meant to turn the knife at right angles to the wheel - so the grinds are shorter and the heat build up is less

The taper depends on where the shims are

as mentioned a sine table is the way to go, but you can look at photos and mock up something close

soda pop can aluminum is pretty consistant for shims

 

[NickWheeler]

Well the last of my major equipment purchases just arrived. My 75 lb. Iron Kiss Hammer. Now I just got to figure out how to get it off the shipping crate and plumb it up.

Hummina hummina hummina.... *drool*


Dude... that deserves its very own thread!!! Please!

What kind of compressor do you have to puff that beauty up???

Color me all kinds of envious Jimmy!!! :thumbup:

 

[javand]

Nick a buddy of mine has a 75lb Ironkiss, it'll run great off a 5hp dual stage 16cfm or so compressor, at about half the PSI that my Bull or KA-75 needs, and hits like a ton of bricks.

I want one bad. I'd put it up against any self contained with similar tup weight. Cept maybe a Nazel 1B

 

[jimmyseymour]

Hummina hummina hummina.... *drool*


Dude... that deserves its very own thread!!! Please!

What kind of compressor do you have to puff that beauty up???

Color me all kinds of envious Jimmy!!! :thumbup:

For now I just have a standard husky 60 gallon air compressor. I'm hoping to upgrade. Their will be a few equipment auctions soon and I am hoping to get a nicer air compressor. My sand blaster works my compressor to death by itself. If I can't upgrade the compressor I'm hoping to do what we did in the power plant's. Get some big air tanks and use them in tandem with my air compressor.

Tomorrow I'll post better pictures of the hammer itself after I get it off the crate.

 

[Mike Gesualdo]

As an update to my previous post... I finally finished the Western Gyuto I had been working on on and off for 2 months. Was waiting on some major upgrades to my shop and really taking my time with it. It's largest knife yet, and I think it marks #10 for me if I'm counting properly.

Kind of a miserable day, but the rain managed to stop long enough for me to take some pictures.

 

[Willie71]

As an update to my previous post... I finally finished the Western Gyuto I had been working on on and off for 2 months. Was waiting on some major upgrades to my shop and really taking my time with it. It's largest knife yet, and I think it marks #10 for me if I'm counting properly.

Kind of a miserable day, but the rain managed to stop long enough for me to take some pictures.

I really like that!

 

[Rhinoknives1]

Weebus,
Very nice chef knife! I really like that one!
Tell us more? Steel and handle etc?

 

[butcher_block]

im painting the floor of the shop right now then i need to run electric and plum a heater in oo insulation and pannel too (god i have alot to do yet)
facebook;10200908911315674]https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10200908911315674

 

[Mike Gesualdo]

Weebus,
Very nice chef knife! I really like that one!
Tell us more? Steel and handle etc?

Thanks Willie and Laurence!

There were a lot of "firsts" for me on this one, which is part of why I dragged it out over the course of 2 months. My first two attempts at chef knives were pretty huge failures, so I took a step back and really studied what made a good one. So far in the small amount of testing I've done, it cuts beautifully.

Blade is about 9" long (I made a typo in my original post), OAL is around 14"... so it's my largest yet. Ground the distal taper, full flat, then lightly convexed to try and help with food release, 0.005" at the edge before sharpening. Hand rubbed 800 on the blade, 2000 on the spine and heel.

Steel is 52100 at 61rc. This was actually the first knife victim of both my new kiln and new hardness tester. Came out spot on where I wanted it, which was pretty exciting/relieving. Really didn't want to have to send it out for HT right after purchasing those, haha.

Handle is Maple from Mark at Burl Source. Was one of the blocks from this burl. REALLY pretty stuff... I kinda wish I bought more of it. I sanded it up to around 2000 grit, then gave it a few coats of Tung oil. Still experimenting with finishes on it that don't require a buffer, as I don't have one of those. Wouldn't mind a little more shine to it.

This one is going to travel down to Florida with me for the holidays where it'll be a gift from my Cousin to his girlfriend. Should be making its debut at Christmas dinner

And another picture just because:

Mike

 

[PT Doc]

As an update to my previous post... I finally finished the Western Gyuto I had been working on on and off for 2 months. Was waiting on some major upgrades to my shop and really taking my time with it. It's largest knife yet, and I think it marks #10 for me if I'm counting properly.

Kind of a miserable day, but the rain managed to stop long enough for me to take some pictures.

Very nice. Why are the specs of this blade? Thanks

Edit: found the specs one post down. Typed too fast since I got excited with the great blade.