Which contact wheel, if you could only have one?

Chris Railey

Chris Railey

Well-Known Member
As the time fro me to order my new Pheer grinder approaches I intend to buy a contact wheel, small wheel kit and flat platen. I was wondering which size wheel would be best for all around use. I do not hollow grind...yet but I intend to do some once I have the new grinder just so I will have the skill. I was thinking of getting the 12 inch wheel but I do not know enough about hollow grinding to know for sure if that is a good choice. Opinions please? I do not make many large knives (over 5 inches of cutting edge).
 
80% to 90%+ wheels out there are 8". That doesn't make 8" automatically the best choice. It's just how it went.
Next would be 10", 12".
14" wheels get expensive in a hurry.
The bigger the wheel, the bigger the hollow grind for bigger knives.
If your knives are 5" or less, an 8" will work fine.
for small wheels, by far 3/4" and 1" are the most used.
 
I think it's mainly the look you're after. If you want big broad hollow grinds that almost look like flat grinds, I'd say 10" or bigger. If you're building Loveless hunters, a 4" or 5" wheel will give that look. If you're making razors, maybe even smaller.
 
I settled on a 12". Was the right choice for me. Yes it will hollow grind 5" or smaller knives. It's also good to help flatten blanks, sure you could do that with a smaller wheel too. Another thing I considered was someone on the thread I posted said but the largest wheel you can afford, you can always go smaller and the money would be cheaper for the wheel!! At least that's how I justified it!! LOL!!
 
I love the look of super convex hollow grinds. I had a bill Stapel knife that was so hollow and such a tall grind I was afraid to use it...seriously...Sliced cheese and apples like a son of a gun, though! I just gave that knife to my older brother who is a recent cancer survivor (I hope...) and an avid knife collector. He is way more careful than I am with blade use, so I know he'll take care of it.

So i think a bigger wheel (10" plus) makes a stronger grind. It doesn't take much concave to bounce the light back and show that beautiful grind.( not always mine...lol)

blade strength is an important consideration too. Everyone say a hollow grind is the weakest edge there is. I've noticed that on some hollow ground production blades it looks like they used a smaller wheel with the center-line of the wheel high enough on the blade to where the edge of the blade is just starting to get thicker again... with the final edge almost being a mini-convex. Obviously where you grind at on any wheel affects the "angle" of the hollow grind. so you have a lot of variables to play with. I find the bigger the wheel the easier it is for me to grind.

As a kid dad would drag me to knife shows...most of the top makers were hollow grinding if I remember correctly...or...since dad loved hollow grinds that's all he was pointing out to me...lol. I still love them...cause I like slicers...and they slice!
 
I started with an 8” and now ,after three years, also have a 12”. I like the 12”. I like a hollow grind that isn’t as deep. But, I also like deep hollows on certain styles. Yes, I’m talking out of both sides of my mouth. :). Since you ask if you could only have one, I would do the 8” because I think it’s more versatile. 8” is also about the right size for initiating the palm swell at the butt of the knife handle.
 
MikeL said:
I started with an 8” and now ,after three years, also have a 12”. I like the 12”. I like a hollow grind that isn’t as deep. But, I also like deep hollows on certain styles. Yes, I’m talking out of both sides of my mouth. :). Since you ask if you could only have one, I would do the 8” because I think it’s more versatile. 8” is also about the right size for initiating the palm swell at the butt of the knife handle.
Click to expand...
I use my 12 inch wheel for the recurve on the rear of the handle on my larger knives but dont do a hollow grind
 
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