Hey how do u flat grind a knife

The 16 years I've spent making knives has taught me a few things. First is listen to those who have put in the time and have the experience; they have invested the time to learn the craft; having access to this wealth of information is priceless.
Don't limit yourself with preconceived ideas or concepts; it will limit your growth and make learning difficult.
Practice will work wonders; using good technique will increase this wonder ten times over.
Enjoy the journey, it can be quite pleasurable.

Fred
 
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Remember the saying "If you're not cheating, you're not trying". This applies. Don't think that a bubble jig, or any jig is "cheating". If it helps you make a better product it is worth it. A guy that forges all his own blades and sharpens them on rocks probably thinks that your fancy grinder will be cheating. It's all relative. Use the best tools you can to make the best blades you can. Bubble Jig, grinder, forge, smooth rock, it doesn't matter.
 
Sargeant1215 said:
Sorry but to me that would be a crutch
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This has been beat to death before. I made knives and ground freehand for 30 years. Then I came down with Parkinson's. The jigs I have made keep me making knives. Anyone can make one of these. The point is to make knives and not how you do it. Here are two pics using the jig and one showing end product.
 

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Sargeant1215 said:
Sorry but to me that would be a crutch
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As long as your customers are getting the very best product, does it really matter how you make it? I purchase and make knives because having a great knife has always been important to me and great knives get expensive quickly. True, making them can be just as expensive, if not more, than collection but at least this way, I know what goes into making them. I think Snody said it best in one of his knife making videos, " Its about developing a benchmark and producing a tight tolerance product for your customer EVERY TIME." Of course its paraphrased but you get the jist. If you're making knives to keep a tradition alive, that is one thing, but if you're making knives for the sake of profiting you're going to have to produce quite a few as efficiently as humanly possible. Just my .02 cents, you're welcome to disagree. :D
 
tomwatson said:
This has been beat to death before. I made knives and ground freehand for 30 years. Then I came down with Parkinson's. The jigs I have made keep me making knives. Anyone can make one of these. The point is to make knives and not how you do it. Here are two pics using the jig and one showing end product.
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Mr. Watson, first off, sorry to hear about the Parkinson's... secondly, those grinds are amazing regardless of how they are made. I wish I could control my jigs so cleanly. :D
 
I wish you the best mr. Watson,
Now, The most important thing in knife making is transparency or what will can call good ole honesty!
If you buy pre-made blades. Just say so. If you use jigs or fixtures and someone asks about your process of knife making? Just tell em like it is!

Some might say that your power grinder is cheating and you should be using a hammer and files only.

I call my knives "Sole authorship" I do everything but the heat treatment and I tell my customers the reason is Paul Bos HTing does such fine work and has state of the art equipment including Cryo work, that I could screw around for many years and maybe get close to the quality of their work on air hardening steels? I chose to spend my time designing and making my knives and handles.

So we all have our "jigs" so to speak.
 
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Mike928 said:
Mr. Watson, first off, sorry to hear about the Parkinson's... secondly, those grinds are amazing regardless of how they are made. I wish I could control my jigs so cleanly. :D
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The problems all of us will experience as we get older are coming straight at you. Some will not see them until they run you down. Luckily I was only side swiped. When it started interfering with my knife making, I knew I had to do something. The jig I have now for grinding will grind both hollow ground and flat ground blades. I have a whole library of 25 or so things I classify as jigs. They all make it easier. I had one well known maker told me he would never use a jig. Ever. God bless you brother and I hope you never have to.
 
I will say the bubble jig is a great learning tool. I had the worst trouble trying to learn to flat grind but purchased the jig and used it for a while. It taught muscle control. I dont use it myself anymore but pull it out when I have someone in the shop I am trying to teach.
 
Well it's hard for me to come up with money when I make under 9g's a year so yeah it's harder than people thing for me to save being that it took me 5 years to get my 2x72 grinder
 
You should be able to get a 2' piece of square tubing from a local metal fab or welding shop that will fit your machine. I would imagine that would be no more than 4 or 5 bucks total if they charged you for it at all. You will also need to get two bolts and two nuts if your making it to hold your flat platen, so figure in another whopping $2. As far as not being mechanically inclined enough to make it, if you have the ability to make a knife, I would think that cutting a piece of steel to length and drilling a couple of holes in it should be well within your skill set. It will however take about 10-15 minutes of your time.
 
All steel suppliers around these parts cut to length whatever you need. Radius the sharp corners, drill and tap two holes and you have one. The last hammer in we had here we made 24 of them, which supplied everyone who attended with extra tool arms for their shops. Worth the effort.
 
tomwatson said:
From your first post in this thread to the last, something just is not right.
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Agreed. Been watching this for a while. Enthusiasm, perseverance and dedication are commendable traits. But channel them in the right direction.

You will find that the "knife" community is VERY special and unique group. They are, for the most part, gracious, giving, helpful and respectful. Very rare, in today's world. But they ask the same in return. You want to make sure you don't ever take advantage of such amazing people.

Remember that all of us have our own troubles and trials to overcome and your circumstances are not anybody else's fault. Be careful of having your requests for knowledge and help seem demanding and pushy. A sense of entitlement or instant gratification without putting in time and effort required to 'pay your dues' so to speak will turn many helpful people away.

Take your drive and enthusiasm and point it in the right direction and it will take you far. I wish you all the best on your journey. :)
 
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