Thread: under construction... open to suggestions

building this fixed blade and just can't seem to finish it in my mind..... it is large at 12/8ths wide.... ~6.5" long with the cutting edge ~2.75" long...... it fits my hand better but i wish i would have made the handle i bit longer.... *(it was precut to 6.5")....

any suggestions as to blade shaping??

this is a true wedge and i would like to keep it as such...... remember i ain't much for fancy stuff i just like to make useful tools....

fire away gentlemen...

Originally Posted by paco664

this is a true wedge and i would like to keep it as such...... remember i ain't much for fancy stuff i just like to make useful tools....

Are those 2 statements related?
Because when it comes to being useful, a true wedge is not that great in the 'keeping it sharp' department unless you work with tape. And even then... A minor nick or chip will mean you have to remove enormous amounts of metal.

Even a slight hollow would greatly improve the honing experience, and make the tool much more useful.

i have to calculate a diameter of wheel I will need for a slight hollow... Due to the humongous natureof this blade...

Originally Posted by paco664

i have to calculate a diameter of wheel I will need for a slight hollow... Due to the humongous natureof this blade...

Rough calc would indicate about 30" diameter wheel, assuming 1/4 inch thickness at the spine. That will give you round 0.5mm concave in the centre of the blade. That's one big contact wheel. Yikes

Originally Posted by Str8Raz0r

Rough calc would indicate about 30" diameter wheel, assuming 1/4 inch thickness at the spine. That will give you round 0.5mm concave in the centre of the blade. That's one big contact wheel. Yikes

i don't see that happening...... but i could possibly lay out a ~30" diameter then cut a 12'' long strip 1/2'' tall from around the outside... then glue the strips together and put them under the belt on my bench belt sander...... possibly secured in place with velcro to the grinder bed... then loosen the belt where it will glide over this........

if this doesn't make any sense i can draw out what i am talking about and that may make more sense....

Originally Posted by paco664

i have to calculate a diameter of wheel I will need for a slight hollow... Due to the humongous natureof this blade...

You can use two passes with a smaller wheel. Leave a stabilizer
ridge (or two) down the center line. The ridge can come in handy
for heat treating and perhaps minimize some potato chip action.

Originally Posted by paco664

if this doesn't make any sense i can draw out what i am talking about and that may make more sense....

I know what you mean, you are essentially making a laminated curved platen. As long as you have it well secured to the grinder bed it should work, it might prove to be quite dangerous if it comes off while your grinding.

Originally Posted by Str8Raz0r

I know what you mean, you are essentially making a laminated curved platen. As long as you have it well secured to the grinder bed it should work, it might prove to be quite dangerous if it comes off while your grinding.

That would suck big time....

Longer handle is easy enough to do if you do not mind adding a different material. Two slabs of your chosen wood, synthetic, etc, can be rabetted out with hand tools to match the tang. Handle can be as much longer as you wish. Drill a tang hole before heat treat to pin the slabs. After heat treat, pin and epoxy in place and then shape to your desire. Voila. Longer handle.
The template for your hollowing will work, but as Stu said, if it comes loose it can be dangerous. i have used similar in the past in reverse to do convex grinds on knives. Otherwise there are threads here about using sen {a japanese inspired scraper} to shape the hollow.
Good luck with it and hope your patience lasts. That will make all the difference.
Adam

Well if you decide to go through with the hollow grind DIY, I'd love to see pics of the machine you did it with, and the final product. You guys got a really cool idea going. I've often wondered about it myself, but don't think I could make a symmetrical hollow without a jig. Jig making never seems to end well for me. Meaning to say, most of my jigs do their job once, and poorly, before I hurt myself and the jig is broken. There's something about inertia and velocity resulting in torque I just haven't managed to calculate very well. haha.