I just turned 76yrs old, and I've been making knives for over a year now. I find it a challenging hobby with lots to learn. Due to budget constraints I just got a HF 1x30 grinder for under $60. It has an adjustable small table so I set it with a digital angle finder the simply use a 2x2 10 inch long piece of aluminum angle and small C clamps to do my bevels. Plunge lines are difficult because the platen is a bit wider than 1 inch and the tracking only adjusts to the edge on one side of the platen. The other issue I have is choosing the table angle so when I'm done with the bevel the cutting edge will only be about 1/32" thick, which I've found works fine for heat treating. Never had a warping problem. The problem is choosing the table angle to get that thickness at the desired bevel width. I started out using 1084 steel 5/32" x 2". Later, after a dozen knjves, I switched to 8670 steel and 1/8" x 2" because it can be heated once then quenched saving extra step(s). Bevels on 5/32" are different angles than 1/8" steel to get it down to the 1/32" edge. Grinding bevels wider than 5/8" is not easy on the little 1x30...so most bevels I grind are 1/2" - 5/8". I've made 45 knives to date and want to make some with bevels that go almost to the spine of the blade, so I just ordered a new Grizzly 2x42 grinder. I should be able to do those kinds of grinds on it and hopefully get perfect plunge lines. I'd also like to do hollow ground bevels but the new Grizzly has no wheel and doesn't appear to have an aftermarket attachment for one. It's their new model only introduced in March 2023. Maybe with time there might be something available aftermarket. If you know of anyone that has adapted that Grizxly for a wheel please let me know. I'm just a hobby knife maker. Everyone that has seen my work says I should sell them but with the amount of time 30-40 hours labor alone, it takes to make one mostly by hand, I doubt I could get a fair price. Also I use many exotic woods which are costly and I make a leather sheath for every knife too. If you have advice for me of any kind, I'd appreciate the feedback. I enjoy your videos and find them helpful even though you are a pro with pro tools.
Purchased a Puzon wilderness Bowie recently and the swedge is a false edge. Was wanting to sharpen it. I'm no stranger to sharpening most knives but this is a little more than usual. The swedge on this particular Bowie is pretty radical in the curve. I do have a Work Sharp belt sharpener I use at home. I've even managed to repair a few broken tips for myself and friends. Would you recommend or is it possible to free style the clip? Thanks for the video.
Wait until you try to grind a Big Bear. ( A double hollow ground Bowie with a distal taper). LOL! Its a whole different world and skill set. It can be a bogger! KnifeMaker
A cheap bench vise will be your friend for life. But in my experience a pipe bench vice is much more versatile, you can angle it any which way you want and you won't be sorry you bought one for a little more money
Yea shitty made cross vise, but i use it to mill out my scales for hidden tang and thru tang handles. Plenty accurate for this kind of thing. Just my thoughts from a guy in Tucson
There is a good video out there on how to "accurize" it a bit. I have one. I have used to hog out materiel on 80%r's. Once it was properly aligned. I am not doing final work. But still, to make an all encompassing comment based on one experience seems a bit premature.
Another way of doing it when cutting or grinding a large clip such as the concave type clip on a big Bowie is to use a large contact wheel and grind it point down. Running the blade vertically tip to end of cut on the spine. Easy to see exactly where you are with a large clip. KnifeMaker
And a bench vise is handy for banging on stuff when you need to. I don't ever bang away on my drill press vise setup. It is way to calibrated for banging on. like it's perfectly plumb and stuff like that. And i never take it all the way apart for that reason.
Have you noticed the jack screws on your grinding jig are scoring your grinder table? It looks like it, but it might just be visible marking and not actual scoring.
with the vices I'd say go with the standard machinists vice instead of the cross slide. It's important to know that a drill press does not have the lateral support that a mill has so don't plan on being able to mill just by getting one of those vices. You might be able to do some light milling in plastic or wood but I don't think it would work very well in steel.
I think I've seen every video of yours on you tube, always great lighting, editing, content, and of course that light blue denim shirt for continuity. Thanks for all you do from your new shop and onward.
I built a few different jigs with permanent angles for the primary bevels I make. I have a table drawn up for the bar width I am working on as to what angle I need for the centerline. Saves a ton of time.
You know jigs might seem great on the surface. But I took my beating to teach myself to learn grinding totally freehand, no rest no nothing. If not, it greatly limits your skillset. Happy 4th everyone.
