help with heavy grinds!

i recently picked up 2 1/4 grind blades, a Worcester and a Torrey. the Worcester has a slight smile to the blade. i have several hollow ground blades that i have no trouble honing to extreme sharpness, however the heavy grinds seem to elude me. i have a norton 220/1k and 4k/8k with a 15k finisher. i can clearly see the edge when i do a spot check under a light while honing, but when i go to shave, the edge just isn't sharp enough. is there a secret to putting an edge on the heavy grind, or is that just the nature of the blade?

The bevel set on a heavier grind is just more work, because you have to remove more metal. The several that I've honed up just took much longer in the bevel set. After a good bevel is set, the rest is pretty standard. Definitely check the sharpness at each stage, that way you don't get to the end and determine you're not there. Good luck.

would having the stones well lapped be of benefit?