Why grind the distal taper first?

Fred.Rowe

Fred.Rowe

Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
Joined
May 2, 2004
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There is an issue that arises when the distal taper in a knife is not ground before the bevels.
If the taper is not ground first, the maker ends up fighting to keep the grind lines straight all the way through the grinding process.
If the distal taper is ground before the bevels are ground, the maker will have a much easier time, maintaining the grind lines all the way through.
I feel the end result of grinding the taper in a blade first, is the forward section of the blade will be more in tune with the overall geometry of the blade.

If you are a maker who does this differently, post your grinding process so I can see what other view points are out there.

Happy grinding, Fred
 
Hi Fred:

Thanks for sharing this valuable info. As I said in the email we exchanged, grinding the distal taper first is something that never occurred to me. All of my blades that have distal tapers have them mostly by accident.

I'll give this a try. Do you know of any instructional videos about how to grind a distal taper?

Thanks,

Geron
 
I thought a proper distal taper was forged in during the forging process. That’s how I do it that way I don’t have to deal with it when I clean up the forged edge bevels.
 
I just a scribe a center line, then I can eyeball it from the tip to confirm. Not too difficult for me anyway.

How do you grind an accurate distal taper before? Surface grinder attachment?
 
Fred I forge mine in. So in a sense yes the distal taper is put in before main grinding.
Brion
 
I forge the taper in unless I am making a kitchen knife. Then I just forge flat, grind clean and HT, then grind the taper first and then the bevels.
 
I forge kitchen knives. I forge taper, I leave .187" thick at the ricasso/tang around, forge to .09" by the middle and .07" near tip then heat treat. Grinding bevels is very quick
-Trey
 
I mainly do full flat ground knives. I grind the distal taper while I am grinding the bevels. It's very easy to adjust once the grind is at full height.

When forging, I just forge the distal taper in as others do.
 
You better know how to grind in a long even distal taper without forging or you will never be able to use many steels available.

Grinding a taper from edge to spine at the same time from ricasso to tip is much of the fun grinding.
 
Sprayman said:
Hi Fred:

Thanks for sharing this valuable info. As I said in the email we exchanged, grinding the distal taper first is something that never occurred to me. All of my blades that have distal tapers have them mostly by accident.

I'll give this a try. Do you know of any instructional videos about how to grind a distal taper?

Thanks,

Geron
Click to expand...
Sprayman said:
Hi Fred:

Thanks for sharing this valuable info. As I said in the email we exchanged, grinding the distal taper first is something that never occurred to me. All of my blades that have distal tapers have them mostly by accident.

I'll give this a try. Do you know of any instructional videos about how to grind a distal taper?

Thanks,

Geron
Click to expand...
Geron,
Don't know about any vids? Here is how I do mine, I'm a stock removal maker... You need to make a push tool. I take an old ruin Kitchen knife with a big comfy handle and grind away all if the blade except for 2-3" in lenght and an 12" wide and make a little point in the middle that is just small enough to go into the last Pin hole on the tang of your blade you are going to grind...

With the grinder off and a 60 Grit belt and present the tang straight up to the platen.. With your new tool in the last tang hole look for the bottom of your platen and eyeball where you want the tang taper to stop..

Turn it on and press the tang in with the hand tool.. its going to take a little while to get a hang of how much pressure to use etc... So if you have any blades you have already )%$#@ Up. :D Try in on one of those first.

Don't worry, every maker has a small collection of those or they haven't made very many knives!;)

That should get you started and maybe a few other makers can add in some of their tips to help!:thumbsup:
 
I grind the distal taper with ease using a surface grinder attachment. Then grind the bevels, and finally clean up the plunge and bevels on my lengthwise grinding platen.
 
Knife makers usually discuss knives in geometric terms, but I imagine a little trig doesn't hurt.

Signing off here, Fred
 
This is the only way a real stock removal maker does it :p forging it in is just lazy. :D

20180610_112456.jpg
 
No lazy forging for me.
For daggers I grind the taper but not the bevels before HT.
I mark two lines about the center of the edge 0.04" apart. To make the lines I just drag the blade across a drill bit slightly smaller than the thickness of the piece, flip and do the other side.
Then with a coarse belt (60), I use the underside of my contact wheel to thin it on each side toward the tip, approaching the lines I marked.
Once I get it back from HT, it is easier to grind the bevels with a more consistent grind angle, without the centerline wandering.
 
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