Contact wheels ? (poll)

What size contact wheel?

  • 3" Wheel

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • 4" Wheel

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • 6" Wheel

    Votes: 1 2.8%

  • 8" Wheel

    Votes: 11 30.6%

  • 10" Wheel

    Votes: 17 47.2%

  • 12" Wheel

    Votes: 7 19.4%

  • 12" Wheel

    Votes: 1 2.8%
  • Total voters
    36
Jim Coffee

Jim Coffee

Well-Known Member
if you had your choice of any size contact wheel for making fixed blade hunting style knifes what size would you choose and why?:s11779::
 
8" wheel

Nice tight hollow grind.

I goofed and put 12" wheel twice. I meant to add a 14" wheel.

BC
 
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I use a 12" for just about everything, gets rid of those ugly flat areas. My 8" wheels are used for dust collection in my shop, Ha Ha !
Sampson Knifeworks
 
I've used a 10" serrated wheel since I started on this path. Works great for 90% of what I do, and I can even get halfway decent flat grinds with it. I'm not a big fan of hollow grinds, and would love to try a 14" wheel someday.
 
I'm gona have to go against the grain and say....None of the above. About the only things I use a contact wheel for are profiling, and "small wheel" work....almost all my actual "blade" grinding is done on a flat platen.
 
I went with an 8" wheel just because that is what I have. However I would like a larger wheel. I think my 8" wheel works great for folders and small fixed blades.
But on the other hand I would have to agree a little with Ed Caffrey. I like a nice flat grind or convex grind better than the hollow grind. Even though you will see a few of my knives with hollow grinds. I like to mix it up a little bit & have fun doing different things.
I feel you get a stronger knife that holds a better edge with a flat & even better with a convex grind, than you do with a hollow grind. I know that this has potential to open a huge can of worms which I am no way trying to do. This is my personal opinion & preferance after doing quit a few tests.
 
Mike Jones said:
If you don't want your 8" wheel, I'm sure I think I know a guy who could take it off your hands! :p
Click to expand...

Hi Mike, The 8" wheel I have is a bader with a 5/8" shaft and bearing, serrated. used to be a durometer 70, but its several years old and probably harder by now. SunRay Inc. will re-tire it for reasonable. I will have to blow the dust off and figure what I want for it if your interested? I also have a bader 12" X 1" contact wheel that I may part with too. If interested contact me @ csampsonknives@gmail.com
Sincerely,
Clint Sampson
 
On my grinders I use a 2" polly and an 8" polly (or 10" if the customer wants it) with my rotating arm. This gives the 2" for conturing, the 8" the flat platten and slack belt all on one tool arm. This way you get the best of (almost) all worlds and buying fewer wheels. Tracy also sells a rotating arm.
 
I just bought a 12" wheel. I am new to hollow griding and find that with the 12" wheel you can do small grinds and if you do make a mistake you can make the grind bigger and higher to correct it without having to use a bigger wheel.
 
I'm with Ed,
I like a flat grind myself, most of all of my knives are flat ground, a flat grind will cut much better than a hollow ground blade. You can get a thinner cross section with a flat grind and you don't have to deal with the getting the hollow grind perfect,... Ok, personal experience, (from a long time ago) one of my first knives was a hollow grind, looked pretty good, for a jack leg wannabe beginner knifemaker, got it HT'd and was pretty proud of my handy work! Then I took it to cutting, it was a chopper so I figured it needed to do some chopping! After the first WHACK!!! I checked the blade, well, it wasn't a pretty sight, right behind the cutting edge maybe a half inch up, I could see where the steel had a ripple or a wave in it from the impact, I'm sure there is a name for when that happens. Basically, I had ground that area thinner on both sides of the blade, while leaving the area below it thicker, it did make "a" cut, I went ahead and whacked it to death, just to make sure no one would mistaken it for a knife! After that one, I decided I liked the flat grind a lot more, for several reasons, I will do more hollow grinds in the future. Some knives require a hollow grind, most of what I make doesn't.

Oh yeah, I have a 10"wheel, I rarely use, of course I have small contact wheels for the tight work, a 2"and a 3/4". I would like an 8" more out of curiosity, to see how well it works versus my 10".
Good thread by the way, Rex
 
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