Knife Grinding Basics | Plunges & Bevels | Knife Making
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- čas přidán 30. 07. 2024
- A compilation of tips and tricks for becoming a better free hand grinder. Knife bevels and plunge lines can be a challenge to grind! Here are a few things I've learned over my time making knives that have really helped me get better bevels on my blades. Practice is key, but I'm hoping this this tutorial will help you on your knife making journey.
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Do yall have any more tips for free hand grinding?! I'd love to hear them. 🙌
Red Beard Ops you don’t know what it means for me to get started with a great hobby. I suffered from a really heavy burnout and could not find the energy to do things. Everything including thinking about was to much. I will make mistakes but will learn from them. Thanks again.
I know it's not an entry level thing but you could go over how to grind hawkbill and curved blade. I free hand blades for my folders and finding out the right technique was a nightmare.
don't do it all with just a file.
I'm relatively new to this but when my grinds start to become uneven I can straighten them out by rotating the edge vertical to flatten it out kind of like cross sanding to keep it flat. you gotta be careful around the tip and the bevels though.
I have a suggestion. I use a hardened file guide as a "stop" to set where I want the plunges to be. That way I don't accidentally grind too far towards the handle end of the blank. I use old or Nicholson files so that I can bypass needing a forge and quench tank, only an oven to temper the blade after grinding the blade profile.
If your uncomfortable getting your fingers that close to the grinder wrap your support finger in a light medical tape. Not much that you can't articulate but enough to save your finger. Usually a loose wrap 2 layers thick.
I have literally been looking for this type of direction for weeks! Thank you! Liked and sub'd! I couldn't figure out for the life of me how to walk the plunge back towards the tang!
Glad I could help! Thank you sir!
Thank you....will be putting some of these tips and tricks into practice
Cheers sir! Glad it helped you out!
Rewatching again & again!! great presentation!
Heck yeah, thanks David!
I love all of the camera angles! Thank you sir for the outstanding video.
Thank you sir! Much appreciated!
Man a lot of great information here! I really like all the cool headers and sound effects that you've added. I would also like to add that grinding free hand allows you to grind shapes that you would never be able to do on a jig! Excellent video my friend
Good point sir! And thanks man. I'm getting a little better at Davinci Resolve. Great quench tank build by the way... What a beast.
Thanks for your help!
Glad it helped!
Very helpful tips! Much appreciated!
Glad it was helpful! Cheers
Great tips!! Another awesome video.
Thanks Matt! Really glad you enjoyed it! Cheers sir!
Great job! Thank you for showing! 👏👏👏
Thank you! Cheers!
James,
Great Job as usual James! Excellent information and very well presented. Thanks for your efforts!
Thank you very much sir! Really glad you liked this one. Cheers man.
A true craftsman. You do great work, I always enjoy your videos.
Hey James, thanks a million. Really appreciate your comment!
I love the fact you mention the approach and stance to the grinder, I say exactly the same thing to our apprentices when learning to file at a vice. Loving your videos helping me loads.
Thank you very much Garry! Cheers
Thanks! This really helps me with my plunge lines. Best tutorial I've seen.
Glad it helped!
Great tips, you really covered areas that are typically gaps in other instructables. Form and body mechanics are key to so many trades and crafts!.
Cheers sir! Thanks for the props. I feel like golfers would make good knife makers... lol
Thanks for the vid!
This is an excellent tutorial! Thank you for being so clear, concise and helpfully in-depth.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Thank you. I am trying to improve my knife making and grinding is definitely my achilles heel.
Good luck sir! Sorry for the delayed response!
Very helpful tips! Thank you
Glad it was helpful! Sorry for the delayed response!
Fanatic tips bud love your work 👍🍺
Hey Jason, really appreciate that! Thanks!
Cheers , this was alot of help
Thanks Adrien! Really glad you found it helpful.
Great video! Been blade smithing for about two years now just hobbies style and have always kinda struggled with my plunge lines and have watched many videos on the subject. I learned some shit here today and am looking forward to putting it to use. Appreciate the time and energy you put into it! Looking forward to watching more of your stuff later on....... After play time in the forge😎👍🏻 Cheers
Thank you sir! Glad you got something out of this!
Fantastic video! I learned through trial and error with some tips from Mike over at Ekim Knives a few years back. Kind of wish this video would have been made about 5 years ago.
Lol, thank you sir! Glad you enjoyed it.
Great video, just what I needed as a starting knife maker. Thanks for sharing from the Netherlands
Cheers from Texas! Good luck sir!
Thank you. Great vid.
Thank you sir! Glad you liked it!
Those were some great tips, thanks man. Just getting into knife making and this info should be really helpful.
Awesome sir! Glad you enjoyed this one. Good luck on your journey!
This is some great contents! I've got about 1/2 dozen knives under my belt and just got a 2x72. Haven't even unpacked it yet. Thanks for the video from another Texan
Awesome! Thanks Barry, really glad you enjoyed it! Good luck with your grinding!
Best tutorial on this subject i have seen. Thank you
Glad it was helpful!
Thank you so much for this!!! Hope all is well!
You are so welcome!
Great video great useful info thank you keep grinding
You bet, thank you sir! Sorry for the delayed response!
This video, right here, is solid gold. I was really blowing it before watching this. Thanks man!
Glad to hear it! Thanks for your comment man!
Good video thanks for sharing.Have good week and stay safe.
Thanks, you too! Really appreciate your comment sir
Feels like a golf lesson. Very helpful!!!
Glad it helped!
Excellent tips and techniques, wish i would have know these ten years ago.
Me too! Cheers sir
Bought my first beltgrinder and started, thanks to your video. You inspired me, Thanks and cheers from the Netherlands
Awesome! Good luck sir! Hope you enjoy the hobby! I bet you will
Thanks for a great video, learned alot 👏🙂👍
Glad to hear it! Heck yeah man
big thanks for your advice over all this time. I now have a 2x82 belt grinder and my bevels are so much better now
Glad to help!
Great video, thank you for being thorough for my newbie brain!
Glad to help!
Nice video and thanks for your tips! Scotch brite, gotta get one!
Any time! I love those belts!
I'm just getting started learning the craft of putting an edge on steel. Thank you for this excellent information.
Glad it was helpful!
Great video
Thanks man!
Good Info, thanks for that.
Thank you sir! Glad you enjoyed it
Super cool video I will watch several times.
Awesome! Glad it was helpful!
Lots of great tips here James. I would add to be confident as soon as you step up to your grinder. If you are squeamish or fearful that you were going to mess up, you probably will. Positive attitude goes a long way!
Very good tip sir! This 100% holds true! Thanks for your comment man! Cheers
great video, thx
Glad you liked it! Thank you!
Well said. Pretty much spot on. I learned the same type grinding from Mike at Ekim Knives several years ago. Biggest thing is lots of practice. For me it didn't happen over night. Ocassionally I would take a 4' piece of mild steel cut it up into 8 or 9 pieces and just practice. Was a lot cheaper than messing up good high carbon steel in the beginning. Practice does not necessarily make perfect however Perfect practice does make perfect.
Thanks Jim! I agree... practice is the key. It's painful at first, but satisfying once you simi-get-the-hang of it.
Great information
Thank you very much Tom, glad you enjoyed it.
Another great video man. I made a CZcams folder(I guess is what they're called) for knife making info that I can refer back to in the future when I reach that point and need help. I just added this video to it.
Heck yeah man, really appreciate that. This was one of the hardest parts of the knife making learning curve for me to tackle. I wouldn't say I'm a pro, but I've come a long way from where I started. Just figured I'd share some of the journey. Cheers man, take it easy.
Thanks for vid, very helpful. I've been struggling with my bevels and grinds , very frustrating. Will get some steel to practice on , will see how it goes
You can do it! Cheers man, glad this may have helped you out. Good luck with your practice!
Wow .Your video is the best to learn about shaping blades . thank you for teaching us .
My pleasure!
Thank you for making such a helpful video! I’m just getting into blade smithing and can never get the bevels right. This is the only video I found on the subject and am super glad I did.
Glad I could help!
Im diving into knifemaking soon and am planning for equipment. This video is excellent advice!!! thank you!!
Glad it was helpful!
this is an really excellent video, every single sentence is it's own great tip - thanks man
Thanks Kyle! Cheers
made my first really nice knife/tool just the other day thanks to all these diy/ easy/ the basics videos. big thanks redbeard (its a wax carving knife/tool. it has a fuji cherry handle natural finished just with some spray on polish.blade is custom profiled. made rounded edges on a flat tip spade) wood came from a tree in the yard/my dry fire wood pile. the metal i got from a old stainless wax tool i had laying around the work bench. the similar tools they sell at the stores/online are 75-150$+.. to be fair and 100% honest i did mess the first few up. and yup its a dab tool 😂 big thanks again RBO. smoke um if ya got um lol
Heck yeah! Nice work Mike!
Muy bueno!! Thanks!!
Cheers!
Great video!! I've been making knives for about 2 year. I need to invest in a VFD bad Its on my list of things to buy. Just feel it would help me in several aspects of my making, bevels, edge, not burning light handle material, leather strop. Thanks for the video.
Heck yeah man, VFD's make a HUGE difference.
Thanks for the tips👍. Finally got my 2x72 just about finished. Only thing left is to build a work rest, but until that time I can play around and try to free hand some blades.
Have fun! Sorry for the delayed response! Thank you!
Great video! I have been trying hand grinding and kept sanding my fingers (ouch). Found a small magnet with a handle Harbor Freight and it works great on the blade and saves my fingers. I have learned a lot from your videos.
Awesome man, glad you found a solution! Really glad the videos are helping out. Thanks for your comment!
Great video James, lots of good tips! I just got comfortable free handing myself and really enjoy the process now. Note: my wife is still pissed that she paid $200 for a grinding jig that I have never used, but hey...
The best advice that I could ever offer anyone wanting to learn to free hand grind is "PATIENCE "! Take your time and go SLOW. My hands used to always get burned while holding the blade, so I got used to holding my blades on a handled magnet. Put blue dykem or marker on a piece of scrap metal, mark your grind lines, and practice, practice, practice. Love your videos as always, keep em coming!
Hell yeah Wayne! I'm with you. Taking it slow makes all the difference. No need to be in a hurry! I feel like as I get better I can speed up. Cheers sir. Thank you as always for watching and commenting!
very informative, like your approach
Glad it was helpful!
I would add that for complicated grinds you can take a piece of wood that is the same thickness as your bar stock and cut out the blade shape and practice the bevels on it. When I first started making knives I would try out my bevels on some of my more complicated knife templates to get the grinds down (re-curve, double edge, and false edge knives). Another great video by the way.
Heck yeah, good tip man! I've used some wood too. Very useful and you won't ruin steel! Thanks for watching man. Take it easy. Keep up the awesome videos too!
The pressure is what always messes up my grinds. I end up getting wavy grinds. I used to think it was because I wasn’t tracing the line straight, but now I know that I get the curvy bevels because of differences in applied pressure along the length of the blade.
The work rest / push stick method has been doing well for me recently. Same concepts as free hand but with more control on the push stick. Check out my recent hunter build for a visual.
ThankYou for video. that help me a lott
Glad it helped! Sorry for the delayed response! Thank you
I'm Scaewd of messing up primo work.lol....I have a Multi tool grinder and used to freehand but medical swill set me back,cannot seem to get back where I was.
Went and bought a 1x30 with a rest,might make a jig,have a few great knives all set up to bevel.
A File from 1911 that was 19' I have all shaped but am going to anneal it today..
Great tips here..If I get decent,I'd go buy a bader,worth it to out out nice work faster.
I do not have multitude of belts,much by hand after major removal.Salute!!
I suggest grinding with a rest... Not only does it give you more freehand control but it helps prevent some fatigue 😉
Great video! Love your vids and work!
Thank you very much sir! Work rest grinding is good enough for Nick Wheeler... so I should give it a go!
Best vid on fhg I’ve seen.
Awesome Hugh! Thank you! Glad it was helpful.
Thank you bro
Awesome, glad you enjoyed it! Cheers man
Great video, super helpful! I love that you've added so many steps and tips. Personally, in the past few months I've moved away from jigs in favor of hand grinding but for me I find it much easier to use a tool rest to slide the knife across. For some reason I can't keep it steady enough just moving across the platen but with the tool rest its dead steady for me and I can achieve great finishes and plunges. I haven't used the scotchbrite belts but so many recommend them that I think I need to get a few! Thanks and keep up the content! Perhaps we'll do a channel collaboration some day. ;-)
Thanks man! I've seen the work rest method used a lot. I think Nick Wheeler uses that method. I think I'll need to give it a go eventually for sure! Lots of ways to skin a cat with grinding. Those scotchbrite belts are the bomb.. I need to get some more! Good looking ball bearing Damascus fighter man!
My channel is pretty new and just starting up, thanks for checking it out!
I'm completely new to this. Just wanting to learn some stuff before I get my first belt grinder
Awesome! The files are a good place to start for sure
Okay, I have been grinding non stop and having been screwing up but I have gotten dramatically better the last few days. I was under the understanding to continue grinding with higher grits watching your videos and other videos. I don't know if thats what you were instructing or not, but once I started STRICTLY just covering up scratches only with the higher grits past 80, making no new fixes or nothing it all came together. It all became much much easier just refining what I do with the 36 grit and jsut making sure that the 36 grit is done well. Ill just figure out how to blend in the plunge line with a jflex and thad be the only high grit adjusting to the grind Im planning on doing in the near future.
Awesome, glad to hear of your success sir! Thank you.
Any chance you’ll be trying out making some folding knives? I’d be interested in watching a series from you on that. Personally I’d like to see you make a lock back or slip joint. Enjoy the videos!!!
Hey Jackson, I won't rule it out! I don't have current plans for it, but I can see me doing it down the road! Cheers man, glad you're enjoying them!
Dang that shop is lit
THanks!
Great helpfull video m8. Especialy using the round filing beforehand for beginning. Definately would make it easier to get the feel for grinding without the added worry of messin up the plunge lines
Glad it was helpful! Thanks for watching sir!
Thank you man. It should be helpful. I have been struggling with free hand grinding big time. This answers a lot of questions for me. I had early success with small blades using a diy jig so I started making larger blades. I started to have issues with my small diy jig so I purchased a nice, fairly precise, machined jig. It just is not working for me. I am at the point with my knifemaking where I really need to take the training wheels off and in doing so was once again humbled by the difficulty of making a knife that sports a professional appearance. I have created a shortcut for this video lol👍
Cheers sir! Good luck with your grinds!
@@RedBeardOps Thank you. Same to you!
Shop be lit af yo 🤣
Lol, thank you sir!
Excelente 👏👍🤝🏆🔪🔥⚒️
Muito obrigado!
Thx
No problem!
Hey man I love your videos. Im just trying to find a comprehensive list or video of how or what angle to do the edge bevel vs the rest of the knife
I actually don't measure the primary bevels. I grind the secondary (edge) bevel between 19-22 degrees.
Grinding bevels is the one process I have a lot of trouble with. When I can consistently get crisp even bevels I’ll be a happy man!
Man, it's a process. That takes a while to get right! Practice is the key
grate video ... how do u find the wen tools it seems u have a bunch of them ...ive been wondering what there like there a little cheaper then most does the quality suffer
Hey Chuck, so far they've all held up for me. Not the best quality stuff, but they're working for what I bought them for.
Great video - Thank you. Was going to make a knife scribe for center lines. I think I like the one in the video. Although, I didn’t get a great look at. Do you have a photo of it that you could share. Thanks.
Cheers - Steven
Maybe not enough caffeine this morning, but after I checked out your other videos again. I found the build of the centerline scribe. Great video. Thank you.
Heck yeah, thanks man. Glad you liked it. Sorry I didn't get to you faster.
at 2:39 you describe a pivot motion where you are rotating around your centerline. Have you tried the 'sliding' movement where you keep arms locked and control movement by sliding hips side to side? Rotational pivot causes me to take too much off the tip, and sliding leads to not taking enough off the tip. I'm still trying to find the right balance.
Man, I find that I need a little bit of pivot to follow the edge. So for instance if I was grinding a very aggressive 45 degree bevel and I wanted the bevel to be the same thickness along the whole edge, I would need to pivot a little to make that happen. I think you could get to the same spot if you spent more time towards the tip with out the pivot? (not sure about that). To test your theory, try it on a piece of wood (paint stick).
👏👏👏👏❤
I get so frustrated with grinding…I feel I can do everything else in the knife making process well….I don’t think I’ve had my grinder over 19 % speed yet lol….I am trying hard to learn freehand grinding, as I feel this is the way to go..you have more control over it by hand…guess I just need more practice at it…thanks for the tips…I appreciate it!
One of the parts of knifemaking that takes the longest to learn! I'm a big fan of work rest grinding nowdays with a push stick... worth trying
Great video. I am curious about your PPE set up. What is it called and how do you purchase it?
Hey Jeff, after COVID it goes in and out of stock... but here is the link - Resp-O-Rator - amzn.to/2M6PMN7
I saw you use scotch brite belts, which im really interested in trying, but rhey are soooo expensive. What belt "grit" do you use? Course, medium, fine?
Hey Goose, to be honest I'm not 100% since since I got that belt with the grinder.... which tells you how long they last! I'm pretty sure that's the fine (there is also a "very fine"). It's my favorite belt man... do yourself a favor and get one!
Great videos, I have lost many hours of my life to watching them! Do you find it easier to freehand grind bevels on thicker blades? Say 1/8" compared to 3/16"? I have only used 1/8" so far, but just picked up some 3/16" O1 Tool Steel.
Thank you sir! Most all of my work is done with 0.125''-0.140'' stock. From time to time I do some 3/16ths. I wouldn't say one is particularly easier than the other though. You may have a better shot of "seeing" what's going on with the thicker stock. The biggest key to success I've found has been to clearly mark my center line... and then taking a good deal of time grinding to it with my initial bevels. Once you have the edge in the middle the rest generally works out.
Hey, great video, thanks man.
One short question, how close to the center line do you get @ the beginning of the grind?
In other words, what's the thickness left after both first angles are done?
post heat treat I go to around 5-10 thousanths before putting an edge on. If you're grinding pre heat treatment you're looking at around 25-30
Can u explain how to bevel a tip? I made a tanto knife but it looks so derpy and I didn’t match up the angles or depth very well. I’m gonna have a bevel jig soon but it seems a bit difficult to get the angles to match up good.
Practice is your best bet man. Get some wood that's around the same thickness as your knife and work with those. Think painter's stir sticks from lowe's. Good practice for sure.
Bonjour , et surtout merci pour cette vidéo ça m’a vraiment aidé à progresser 👍🏼, pourriez vous me donner le nom de votre outil pour marquer la ligne du milieu de la lame ?
Merci
Merci! étriers?
Thanks for the video. Really nicely done and easy to follow. Would you share what make your belt grinder is and where you got it from?
I'm currently using the NorthRidge belt grinder. This video shows the Kadrams Kreations grinder
@@RedBeardOps Great! Thanks for the response!
Awesome video! It looks like this was posted three years ago and the list you posted for belts is no longer up. Also what brand and model of belt grinder do you have there?
This link is still working - www.bladeforums.com/threads/belt-progression-compilation-steel-and-handles.1638807/
I don't think that guy is making that grinder any more. I ended up getting my hands on a NorthRidge. You have a ton of options now days that are top notch! Check out HouseMade grinders as well.
Very green with the hobby so this is probably a dumb question but what are you dipping the knife in before/after each pass...just a bucket of water? Is that just to clean off the blade before each pass or is it needed for the belts?
Hey Scott, this knife has been heat treated (quenched and tempered). If the blade gets too hot (higher than your tempering temps) you can "ruin the temper" ... basically make your blade softer than it should be. It's good practice to cool the blade frequently when grinding post heat treat.
Hey buddy, I was hoping you have an idea/ video or could make one maybe. I hand sand my knives to finish but sometimes the bevel transition starts to fade and it does NOT look anywhere near as good as it can
Thanks for the idea!
Are you doing all of this before heat treat and tempering or after? Thanks for the video!
I've done it both ways. Personal Preference really. If I grind before HT I only go about 80% towards completion
Do you like your WEN filter system? Good for metal dust? thanks
Hey man, I do use one. It seems to do a decent job. The filters get hella dirty... so they're doing something.
awesome video, thank you. that breathing apparatus is hilarious btw, I'm sure its more comfortable than my half face though.
Lol, it does look silly for sure!
@@RedBeardOps do you know the name of the respirator?
@@geemoney5467 Resp-O-Rator - amzn.to/2M6PMN7
When do you graduate to grinding the bevel on the second side? Do you go all the way to the spine on one side first then start the opposite side?
Yeah, I get one side done then move to the other.
You my friend are an outstanding teacher...seriously if I would had teachers half as good when I would of been a much better student.
Thank you very much! Means a lot man