I learned in the past to do without a surface grinder, or milling machine and even the precision ground steel. Up until recently I finish sized all my material on a granite plate. My Nielsen magnetic grinder now does help me some. If you buy precision ground for the blade what do you do for the back bar? Yes you can use stand offs , micarta, short spacers. and even I was told wood. To size down metal for blades and back bars leave your metal in a rectangular shape. It will grind more even overall. If .010 or .015 deeds to be removed start with say a 60 grit. This will help to keep the grinding more even than pushing on a 220.
I enjoy using a lot of the Beuller- Uddelholm (spelling Yuck) steels such as M390, Elmax, and ABL-E. I believe they are great steels for cutting, resharpening , and easy of using. I know AKS has ABL-E. The other two are hard to find in smaller thicknesses. The makers I have helped get started in making liner locks still don't have surface grinders. Some do some pretty terrific work on the folders. Maybe give the mind steel a try? I grind all my blades after heat treat. Frank
