Best Way to Rough New Bevel on Plane Blade?

[Brian Holcombe]

I change the bevel angles on most japanese chisels that I have, I think that they're setup for softwoods and since I use them in hardwoods I prefer a steeper bevel (30~ for bench chisels). I have been doing this on granite with sandpaper for the last round of chisels and it takes about a 1/2 hour to get the bevel. Not terrible, but can get old when doing a full set of chisels.

I've considered a tormek, but once I get the angle established my routine evolves to a maintenance which is much simpler.

A2 plane blades on the other hand....would not mind a grinder for those.

[Steve H Graham]

This is all interesting stuff; especially the post about the 20" wheel. I think a wheel with a big diameter would be a big blessing, because it would be much flatter than a small wheel at its outer edge.

It's too bad no one makes an expanding wheel for sanding belts, the way they make expanding drums. That would be neat. Now that I think about it, I kind of wonder if my oscillating spindle sander might be good for this. It's really easy to do precise work on it. It's nearly useless for most metal work, so I never really though about using it to sharpen things, but for this purpose, it might be fantastic. Maybe I'll dig up a scrap blade somewhere and fool with it.

Again, I guess I was stupid to get rid of my 1800 RPM grinder, but I was doing machining, and for that purpose it was totally, 100% useless. On HSS lathe tools, my fast bench grinder is a joy.

Based on my success with the diamond stones, I think the easiest solution is a DMT coarse stone. I really tortured myself with the fine stone.

If I can get a grip on using my little Rockwell 1x42 grinder, maybe I can avoid getting a second bench grinder and increasing clutter.

[Brian Holcombe]

You can get a 14" contact wheel for a beltsander.

There used to be a major manufacturer of very high quality knifemaking beltsanders, but the name escapes me at the moment. I used some of their parts on the one I made for myself that is currently in use at my fathers shop. I built it when I was a kid and used a flat platen because I preferred to flat grind my knives. I have contemplated converting the sander to a contact wheel and going for a rather large one, or just buying a professionally made machine (I built mine when I was 14, so it has it's plusses and minuses).

Here is a current manufacturer;
http://www.beaumontmetalworks.com/sh...aspx?itemid=64

I used a variable speed motor on mine, and the purpose of doing so was that I used it to rough out the finish on hardened blades. One would normally work the finish to a certain level prior to finishing with some expectation that they will be working the finish again after heat treating and the initial stages of doing so were much faster on a belt sander than by hand.

[Steve H Graham]

I would love to have one of those. I am hoping to make one eventually. The little 1 x 42 I have is really useful. I put a treadmill motor on it, and I can run it at all sorts of speeds.

I found a site called Supergrit.com. They have the correct grease stick for the belts, not to mention a huge selection of obscure abrasives.

06-06-15 rockwell grinder and bench grinder on utility cart.jpg

[Steve Voigt]

If you walk into almost any professional shop, what you will find is a dry grinder, most likely with inexpensive grey wheels. That's because it's both cost effective and time-efficient. You can splurge and spend a hundy on a new one from a big box store, or you can find find one on Craigslist for as little as $20.

Lots of people are either unable or unwilling to learn how to use a dry grinder without burning the tool, so they will steer you toward things like Tormeks and whatever. You can go that route if you want to waste time and money, but I would listen to what George Wilson said earlier in this thread.

If you prefer to go a non-powered route, you might consider a Crystolon stone--much cheaper than diamond, and very fast.

Also, just a general comment. A lot of the questions you are asking--how to sharpen, how to joint an edge, etc.--are very fundamental questions, and it would probably help you a lot to consult some basic hand-tool woodworking texts. There are tons of books on the subject, and your local library probably has a bunch of them.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying in any way to discourage you from posting these questions. Just be aware though, that on a forum you will get a zillion different answers to every question, and not all of them will be good answers. For example, in the other thread, a bunch of people suggested various crutches like match planing or using a fence. If you read most reputable texts though, they will just tell you to joint the edges one at a time (unless you're dealing with thin pieces like drawer sides). The other methods simply aren't necessary.

My point is, for almost any basic task, there is a standard accepted way it's done. Books can be more helpful than forums for figuring that out, because forums have no filter.

[Andrew Pitonyak]

This is all interesting stuff; especially the post about the 20" wheel. I think a wheel with a big diameter would be a big blessing, because it would be much flatter than a small wheel at its outer edge.

I like the hollow grind so that I can more easily free end during the maintenance stage. I rarely use my Tormek since after I have the hollow grind it is trivial for me to keep things sharp freehand on my water stones. I have some crappy cheap chisels that I sometimes use, have not thrown them on the Tormek in a very long time. Think I need to follow Mr. Holcombe's lead and sharpen that one at 30 degrees. Of course, I have been doing the free hand so long with this one that I think that I need to re-establish the bevel. I can hardly use it without the edge folding over, was not the case previously (even if it is cheap and prone to folding over). Well, either that or delegate it to simple paring since it is wicked sharp with the narrow fragile tip.

[Steve H Graham]

Also, just a general comment. A lot of the questions you are asking--how to sharpen, how to joint an edge, etc.--are very fundamental questions, and it would probably help you a lot to consult some basic hand-tool woodworking texts. There are tons of books on the subject, and your local library probably has a bunch of them.

I appreciate the suggestion. I do like hearing about different ways of doing things, though.

[Jim Matthews]

Check to see if your files are harder than the steel that needs grinding.

A good bodyshop file makes quick work of most of my grinding jobs.
I doubt it would work on modern powdered steels which are amazingly hard.

I've got a knife maker's belt with 80 grit for the stuff my files won't cut.

Mark, grind to the line and dip it in a coffee can full of rusty water and tailings.

[Steve H Graham]

It never occurred to me to use a file. I had just assumed the steel was too hard. I'll try that.