Grinding shoulders on a belt machine.

Fred Rowe

Well-Known Member
Of the 1,000 plus knives I've made over the last 17 years, nine hundred and seventy five have been hidden tang knives. I just like the looks of hidden tang knives. This means I've filed the shoulders on a lot of knives. I have a filing jig that I clamp the blade in and using a long angle lath @@@@@@@ file, I get the job done.
As I've gotten older it has become a lot more stressful on my body to do this work. Filing is hard work.

I have tried many times to do this work on a belt machine but without acceptable results. After working on this over the last year I have finally put together a technique that results in exceptionally straight shoulders with the plus of being done in just a few minutes.
We put together a video that shows how this can be done on your belt machine.

Happy to answer any questions, Fred


[video=youtube_share;xiO_VEPOekM]https://youtu.be/xiO_VEPOekM[/video]
 
It helps if you type in the "b" word as b@stard. That way the nanny program on the web host won't give you a bunch of @ signs. As far as filing your shoulders on the blades, some times hand tools just can't be beat.

Doug
 
It helps if you type in the "b" word as b@stard. That way the nanny program on the web host won't give you a bunch of @ signs. As far as filing your shoulders on the blades, some times hand tools just can't be beat.

Doug
Hi Doug,

My mother never told me that long angle lath b-a-s-t-a-r-d file was foul language. But then Mom could swear like a sailor, God bless her. :)

I would agree about the filing with hand tools thing if I wasn't 72 years old and dealing with degenerative spine disease. I sit while grinding as well; don't tell anyone I use a chair.

Fred
 
Little secret, I grind and forge sitting in a chair too Fred.

If we want to stay in knife making we have to adapt as we age and use whatever is necessary to keep us going. The idea of sitting around watching the tube is not agreeable for me.
How does it work, forging sitting down?

Fred
 
So Fred, please don't take this as a stupid question/revelation, But thinking in the manner you just explained it would give me a shoulder top, bottom and side to side!! :les:

I just want to clarify what I just saw! What you are doing is creating a shoulder directly behind the ricasso. The purpose I am assuming is so that when the guard, is slid on from the rear it has that shoulder to rest on, which eliminates a lot of the fitting problems, duh! How come I never thought of that before!!!

As you can tell by my question/revelation, I have yet to attempt a hidden tang knife! I have always thought the only shoulder would be at the top and bottom of the blade edge. But........................ doing it this way would create a shoulder all the way around!

I have never worked with or been around another knifemaker, while he was working so most of this stuff I have figured out on my own. I often read something, that makes me think, the answer to my problem was right there before my eyes and I never saw it till I heard someone state it!!! :blink: Thanks Fred, I think you just lit up my light bulb to something I never realized!!! :35:
 
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