Suggestions for good clean bevels and ricassos?

I've used this kind of makeshift jig on a 6 x48 sander before. Run the belt all the way over to the very edge of the sanding platen/work face for each side you are working..
You can then use a jig like this.
 
Im sure I can find some steel to make a jig. This week. Simple piece of steel and some nuts and bolts.
 
There is a lot more to a good even grind than simply clamping in a jig and going to town. I have a very nicely made grinding jig and it is still very easy to screw up the plunge. I find the best use of a jig to be for truing up the grinds with a hand file after I'm finished on the grinder just before hand sanding begins. Something as subtle as your mood can affect the way you use your jig, grinder, move your body etc. from one day to the next. There is no one size fits all solution to the issue of perfect grinds where the human element is heavily involved in the process.
 
Thanks Jon. I have had days where Im in the zone and its clean grinds and bevel and plunges are perfect then, i have to go to the w word. Next day is a bad mood bad day and all is crap. Lol
 
Om Om Om Om Om Om!:arabia: That is the zone you want to be in while working in the shop! No a jig doesn't do it for you. Send it to a Machine shop or a for hire blade grinder for than. A jig merely gives you a guideline for you to work inside of. You still have to work!:biggrin:
 
Ahhhh the sweet kind voice of comical reality, aka rhino. Lol too true man it takes practice and experience. The stop jig is my concern. Bevels I have a good grip on but room to improve as always.
 
I just wanted to point out how Wall e takes the time to reply to each post. I like that and hope I can remember to do the same the next time I ask a question.
 
I try to. I work graveyard in a grocery store so breaks and lunch is study time aka reading the posts, replies, and comments. That and I'm so broke I have a penny wishin for another to rub two together. Lol seriously though I do make ends meet just have no disposable income.
 
For consistency and repeatability a jig would probably be a good idea. At least initially.
 
If you were closer I'd show you my jig I made fro grinding. I will try and get some pictures, it's super easy to make and it's helped me grind
 
I havent dug into my flat bar scrap yet but may use a piece of 1x and just a pair of machine screws. Kdx getting the muscle memory and eye recognition of where things stop and start by using a jig will possibly help. bodam sounds good. Thank you both for the helpful tidbits
 
Wall e
Here is a pic of a couple of my sanding jigs. They are Manzanita burl my brother scrounged for me in the mountains after a big fire. I just grind the angle I want and there ya have it! Cheap too!
sanding fixture.jpg
 
One thing I don't think anyone answered for you yet is your What Belt? Question.

A 2 x72" belt is the industry standard and they are the most economical way to buy belts. Also cheap belts from Asia will cost you money in ruined steel. I like VSM from Germany because they are an economically priced ceramic belt but, cut cleanly and are cut even. Wobbly belts will ruin your day as Eric mentioned early.

Norton, Hermes, VSM, 3M are the brands you want to get in Ceramic for 36, 60 ,120 grit for grinding steel and then there are A/O Norzac, Gator and scothbrite for finishing steel. For handle work I find that A/O work the best, Hermes is the brand I prefer.
 
Thanks slatroni. May try that since the tic bush is plentiful around here. Lol
Rhino at the moment Im adding to my handicap with a harbor freight 4x36 belt sander. Not too bad on the wobble but isnt the best platen design.
 
Walt,
www.trugrit.com in Ontario California sells Ceramic belts for many of the flat sander sizes. Call them and check if they have 4 x36, I know they have 6 x 48" Ceramic and they are defiantly worth the cost.
 
They have from 36 grit to 800 grit. Life will be smoother soon. Have to do a little figuring and talk to the accountant and get a few belts for less than what Im paying for a cheap arse belt.
 
Most knife makers find it fairly easy to come up with knife designs, whether they are originals or interpretations. Bringing them to fruition is the challenge, especially when just starting out. Many a new maker has brought smiles to our faces when they want their first effort to be a Gladius or large classic Bowie knife. That was me 15 years ago and it makes me smile still. People who have already acquired their skills suggest, "make some thing basic and simple first learn how to grind, learn how to make a bevel and a ricacco flat and true before you try your hand at the hard stuff. Ideas are the easy part; gaining the skills through practice is the hard part and its where you pay your dues. Every jig or fixture in the world will not make you into a Don Hanson or Bruce Bump; that takes years of experience. I'm sure both of them use fixtures & setups to control certain processes but that is not what makes them who they are. Its the mistakes they've made, the years of working out processes and the dedication to maintain a high standard of quality.

I've been to a shop where they grind on a commercial scale. They have grinder setups where the stock is clamped in place and a long lever is used to apply the pressure to grind the blades. They grind a single blade in less than a minute. They can repeat the same action over and over without error; this to me is not knife making its a production line.

At its essence knife making is a soulful experience. A wonderfully made knife, when held in the hand, can be viewed with your eyes closed. You can feel it. Mediocrity has its own feel.

My 2cents, Fred
 
It is the cold hard truth of hrs grinding and finding what fits and what fails. My question has brought many insights from many makers most, have been just log the grinding time. My two grinds so far are a bit of a mix of a saber or apple seed and a flat grind. So is just the hrs of work and grinding.
 
Hey Walt, I built my own grinder, it wasn't to hard to do. I do have a good backround in machine shop thought and also it helps to have a mill/drill, lathe, saw in your shop. Boy, if you lived closer, we'd absolutely team up on this thing and build you a nice one. That being said, not even sure where you live but I'm sure it's not Deer Lake Penna, I'd love a mid-winter project. Also, here where I live, we have a steel graveyard(M.B. Glick LLC) where all the old steel and machines from days-gone-by go to rust away. 10 acres of nothing but aluminum, stainless, brass, tool steel, carbon steel, as well as all kinds of plastics and composites mostly used in industry all laying in a 10 acre field. It's all sold by the pound, so you can get stuff dirt cheap. There must be something like that near you, do some research and maybe you'll get lucky, I hope so anyway! Walking through those fields is like being a kid in a candy store.
Anyway, back to your issue, if you like, I could send you a copy of my prints that I built from. They are easy to understand and it comes with a parts/piece list. You do need to buy bearings, pulleys, bolts, etc. As with anything, the more accuracy you can put into, the more your going to get out of it. They say you can do these grinders without a mill, I'm not sold on how accurate that could be, but many have done and they work wonderfully.
Well, let me know if I can assist in anyway, not sure how, but we can get something going.

ps. Where you located anyway?

Wayne
 
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