Thread: bevel width

I got this calculator from someone else on the forum, don't know who or where now, but it might help you out...

http://www.coticule.be/wedges.html?f...alculation.xls

I need to learn more about this for custom straight razor making purposes.

The bevel angle should be around 17 degrees and it's determined by the ratio of the spine thickness to the width of the blade, it's simple geometry.
The width of the bevel depends on the bevel angle and the geometry near the edge i.e. the thickness of the blade and the grind, but from what I've seen simple circular hollowing is oversimplification of it, so you can't really have a single formula that fits all.
I can derive you the formula when it's a simple circular grind, it's just basic math, but I don't think it has any practical meaning unless you're talking about thick grinds only.

For razor making purposes all you need to do is determine how thick the stock has to be to achieve a proper angle for your width of blade.

I don't think it's anything more complicated than that, and the bevel does not even come into play, and the grind doesn't mean much either.

Let's take a full wedge, for example, and let's make the spine 1/8" and the blade 4/8" (or 1/2"). Based on that you can determine everything you need to using basic trigonometry. Split the blade in two, and you have two right angle triangles 1/16"x1/2"; calculate the hypotenuse, and then the angles. The shoulder angle is a direct calculation, and the edge angle is twice the result of your math.

If you take a full hollow, the calculations are the same. The only difference is that the bevel won't extend the whole side of the blade.

To make a razor from scratch, just assign your "bevel" an angle of somewhere between 16 and 18 degrees (someone mentioned 16.5 was ideal) and work out the geometry from there.

Good luck.

the thicker the blade ( like a wedge)the wider the width of the bevel now if you want a narrower width then tape the spine and the second part of the question is a full hollow razor bevel would be around 1/8 of an inch