1st time grinding

Rick Otts

Well-Known Member
Well I ground my 1st knife today well it was 3 really.Ed and the rest of you guys don't worry I won't be taking anyones biz in this life time:) My plunge lines were good but I need too learn to apply the pressure more evenly.For some reason I could get the grind too only go up so high on the blade sorry no pics.
 
We all started with our 1st.... :D

It can only get better from here, and you'll figure out angles and feel/pressure as you do more.
 
^^^ Ditto!

It's a learned skill. Even after all these years of doing it, I often find that most of my grinding time is spent correcting things! :)
 
"Remember sand paper is your friend. Lots and lots of sand paper."

Ty...that's how I make my grinds look decent...lol.

But...I think grinding may be the most relaxing thing I get to do.
 
But...I think grinding may be the most relaxing thing I get to do.

You're a very sick man! :) I've had students literally walk out of the shop and drive away on "grinding" day of a class. :)
 
Some of the best advice I've heard, although sometimes hard to do, is to use belts like they're free, and use quality abrasives. I know it get's expensive, but so is ruining a knife you already spent hours on, because you're chasing a bad grind with a half dulled belt, or burning the tip off because it's grinding too hot.

Even pressure is certainly a huge part of the equation, but so is having even abrasives left on your belt. ;)
 
You're a very sick man! :) I've had students literally walk out of the shop and drive away on "grinding" day of a class. :)

Really!? I find grinding very much a "zen" thing...the only way I can focus on all the variables at play is to relax and let my eyes,ears, and fingers take over. It seem to be less an intellectual thing than a "feel" thing. I probably would have gotten in my car and gone home too a coupla times but I was already there...lol
 
Keep at it And don't get frustrated. I have found that it is a lot easier to fix most bad grinds post heat treat. The steel doesn't grind away near as fast and is a lot more forging. I also agree with AR. Fresh sharp belts.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk
 
I am going to pratice on wood blanks cheaper!


I had a few feet of mild steel flat stock that I grabbed for scrap price from a local fab shop when I first started grinding. Gave me a pretty good feel for what knife steel would grind like, but at a fraction of the cost. I also started with a work rest to help steady myself, and very simple, straight shaped blades. I also started with chisel grinds, just to get the hang of getting "one side" presentable, and after I felt pretty good with that, I started grinding both sides to a center line.

One tool that I only very recently started using, but kind of wish I had invested in much early, is a file/grinding guide. That can certainly help take SOME of the guess work out of matching up plunge lines.
 
I am going to pratice on wood blanks cheaper!

While it certainly is cheaper, I don't think it helps to grind wood. The consistency is so much softer/different from steel that it doesn't allow you to "feel" the things you do with steel.
 
I had a few feet of mild steel flat stock that I grabbed for scrap price from a local fab shop when I first started grinding. Gave me a pretty good feel for what knife steel would grind like, but at a fraction of the cost. I also started with a work rest to help steady myself, and very simple, straight shaped blades. I also started with chisel grinds, just to get the hang of getting "one side" presentable, and after I felt pretty good with that, I started grinding both sides to a center line.

One tool that I only very recently started using, but kind of wish I had invested in much early, is a file/grinding guide. That can certainly help take SOME of the guess work out of matching up plunge lines.[/QUOT I know wat you are talking about with that guide.There is a guy on here who sells them 120.00 I believe I would love one of those.I got a cheap Grizzly grinder for now and on my last blank I used a jig and set my shelve at 4degress it was ok until I slipped and messed it up.But for some reasome my grind would only go about a 1/2 ' high then stop using my jig.Thanx Rick!
 
for some reasome my grind would only go about a 1/2 ' high then stop using my jig.

That sounds like an issue many of my students have when they first start grinding. They forget to track the belt so it's edge is just a TINY BIT past the edge of the platen....what happens is.... if you don't track the belt just that tiny bit past the edge of the platen, the belt will grind only as deep as the thickness of the belt, and the ricasso side of the plunge gets stopped from going any deeper by the platen itself. It's something that is easily missed until you figure it out/understand what's going on. I suspect in your case it might be difficult because the belt tracking on the Grizzly isn't the best.
 
Yes you are right Ed I was having a problem with the tracking on my belt.I couldn't get it to run stright then I remembered wat some guy said about having too shim a new grinder so last nite I put 2 washers to make my platen move to the right more and now it's on track the way it should be.
 
with grinding, one thing that makes a WORLD of difference is to establish a FLAT bevel very early on with your first belt. Don't even worry if the angle is right- you can fix the angle as you go. But if you never have a FLAT bevel to lay on the belt you will chase your tail every time you make a pass. Once you have a flat angle on the blade to lay on the belt, the knife pretty much grinds itself. Then as you progress up to finer belts you can slowly walk the grind toward the spine. If you don't have that flat to begin with you will constantly chase your grind lines all over the place. That's how the dips and waves and gouges happen.
 
Ok guys sorry to say I won't be at the knife show this yr beacuse me and my grinder are having issues until it does was it is suppose too I am sleeping on the couch :)
 
Back
Top