Quote Originally Posted by Jim Koepke View Post
Something tells me there is more trick taking place at the center of the blade than at the edges.

This is one of my reasons for suggesting people not try every trick there is.

Step one: Get a good bevel

Step two: Do a couple passes for a camber. It really doesn't take much to keep the edges from cutting.

After you get that working, then try adding a trick if you like.

Here is an old post with thoughts about cambering > https://sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?158373

jtk

This!

In particular, this -
Quote Originally Posted by Jim Koepke View Post
Something tells me there is more trick taking place at the center of the blade than at the edges.
I struggled with this issue on and off for literal years. I spent untold hours and good money trying to sort out exactly the issue you are describing. I chewed through an entire LN blade trying to figure out what was causing "uneven" honing of *some* of my blades. I finally traced it back to haphazard application of the ruler trick, which was creating an inconsistent bevel on the back of my irons. I'm not against the ruler trick, and I continue to use it, but it absolutely has a dark side. This dark side seems to be relatively uncommon, as posts describing the issue you're describing are quite rare (i've seen them all), but when the issue pops up, it's a bear to diagnose.