Chef Cleaver WIP with question.

Mark Barone

Mark Barone

Well-Known Member
WIP for my brother’s knife. Got the warp out with your help. It was not forged. I just hammered marks in for cosmetics, I I have heat treated it with two temper cycles. I have lightly hand sanded the black to bring out the contrast. I’m not sure how far I will go with that. I just might stop here. On my belt sander I brought the up to 400 grit. I would like to hand sand the bevel in the opposite direction for a better finish. Also, if you look at my edge In the second picture , It is less than the size of a dime but not consistent. It might be hard to see. Do you think I could make that more consistent as I hand sand or do you think when put the secondary bevel on when sharpening it will work out? I am debating whether to run it back on the belt sander in that wider center area. 2BC5AB13-B33E-4FD3-A9C9-092E357CC484.jpeg00BF5763-3A3E-466E-92EA-61C51E8A5D59.jpeg
 
Do a convex grind on it. It will help even out the inconsistencies and the blade will cut better.
 
If not a convex grind I think bringing the flat grind up closer to the transition into handle will make it slice better.
 
IJM3567 said:
If not a convex grind I think bringing the flat grind up closer to the transition into handle will make it slice better.
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so I am not skilled enough or have the tools to do a convex grind. Could you explain more of what you bringing the grind up closer to the handle? Does that mean bring it up higher towards the spine? Keep in mind. I also use a jig. Not skilled in free hand.
 
Mark Barone said:
so I am not skilled enough or have the tools to do a convex grind. Could you explain more of what you bringing the grind up closer to the handle? Does that mean bring it up higher towards the spine? Keep in mind. I also use a jig. Not skilled in free hand.
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The slicing ability is greatly affected by the wedge angle of the primary bevel. I think that causes stuff like carrots to crack and shoot off the board before the edge is through. What is being cut?

If I was grinding this, I'd be shooting up to about "here" with the grind, going to about zero at the edge. You can then bring the edge back to the desired thickness. D8575CC6-713E-47C7-97CC-5F72C87D0646.jpeg
 
tkroenlein said:
The slicing ability is greatly affected by the wedge angle of the primary bevel. I think that causes stuff like carrots to crack and shoot off the board before the edge is through. What is being cut?

If I was grinding this, I'd be shooting up to about "here" with the grind, going to about zero at the edge. You can then bring the edge back to the desired thickness. View attachment 74161
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He wants to use it mostly for vegetables . Carrots onions ... I don’t know if I can bring it up that high. I probably should not have attempted this. My platen is probably not straight either
 
You can do it. You've been very thoughtful and aware throughout the build.

Go look over your grinder and jig and see how you think you can take the grind. You'll be an eternity taking out that thickness by hand.
 
To do a convex grind with that grinder you would have to remove the Platen. If this knife is for Vegetables as you have stated i would definitely thin it down with the Flat Grind. Get it close then do the convex grind to finish it.
 
tkroenlein said:
You can do it. You've been very thoughtful and aware throughout the build.
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I'll second this. I'll suggest trying to get the edge straight, centered and an even thickness using your 2 x 42. I'll suggest applying Dykem or a permanent marker as often as you need to coat the blade so you can see where you are removing material and make sure you're grinding only where you want to.

And don't forget, beautiful knives were made long before electric grinders were invented. Don't forget about hand filing/sanding, while it takes longer, it's also a lot quieter....
 
You can definitely do it with your jig. I mean raise the grind just like the photo above with the red line drawn. Just set your jig to a lower angle than before, grind and if you hit the edge before your new grind height lower it again or vice versa. You can also do the math and get it pretty close.
 
Chris Railey said:
Nonsense! You can do it. What angle did you set your jig to during your initial grind?
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My jig consists of Angle iron and a bolt. I adjust angle using washers. I’m still at the eyebal stage. Here is a poor picture of the cross section. It’s pretty much at zero on the edge now. Can you approximate the angle? My brother said it looks about 15 degrees. I don’t have a tool to measure. i can guarantee the jig I am using, the platen I have, I will not be able to bring that bevel line up like others are suggesting. Funny things will start happening. I am not happy with the finish as is. I will hand sand it. I think that inconsistent finish as I went up in grit to 400 has to do with a warped platen. Usually 220 is as high as I can go on my belt sander. EA32E158-0937-4F78-A492-B9B7E8C2B89C.jpegEA32E158-0937-4F78-A492-B9B7E8C2B89C.jpegD2954FEA-521A-4183-95A0-41E1EE5AF3E5.jpeg
 
I know the kind of jig you are using I started with something similar before I learned to freehand. Remove a washer or two from your stack and grind exactly like you did before. That will bring the line up toward the spine. Repeat until you are happy.
 
Chris Railey said:
I know the kind of jig you are using I started with something similar before I learned to freehand. Remove a washer or two from your stack and grind exactly like you did before. That will bring the line up toward the spine. Repeat until you are happy.
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I.l see why I can finagle. there are no more washers left. I actually ground don the bolt head lol. I bet the angle iron isn’t 90 degrees. I will work on it a little more in the morning, thanks for the tips.
 
Mark, do yourself a gigantic favor and grab yourself one of these. It’s a wire gauge with measurements in thousandths. This is the greatest tool since sliced bread for checking your edge thickness. Completely removes the guess work and will show you where your thickness varies along the edge.
 

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John Wilson said:
Mark, do yourself a gigantic favor and grab yourself one of these. It’s a wire gauge with measurements in thousandths. This is the greatest tool since sliced bread for checking your edge thickness. Completely removes the guess work and will show you where your thickness varies along the edge.
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Good idea there , sailor man. (You got five dolla?)
Mark , you can get the wire gauge from Rio Grande Jewellery Supply.
 
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