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Zack, I broke one tap, spent a week trying to get it out. Finally gave up and drilled a "replacement hole" next to the original and the finished grinder is no worse for it, but you guys who have made one would sure notice. I learned that it is better to drill the hole to be tapped all the...

Wayne, Thanks! Jay

Zack, Great looking GIB! Puts mine to shame! Yours demonstrates that making the GIB from Polar Bear Forge's kit is as enjoyable as grinding a knife. I too enjoyed building mine. Having no metal working skills, it took me a while, dozens of trips to the hardware store and a broken tap! But, I...

Mike, Thank you! The handle is made of aluminum "scales". I bought a piece of 1/4" x1 1/2" x 18" flat bar stock. I had drilled (3) 1/8" holes in the blade's handle before heat treat. I rough cut the aluminum to the length of the finished handle (two pieces, one for each side.) I clamped...

James, Great video! Jamie really puts on a show. The video could be the subject of a new thread because I think anyone interested in this "kitchen" sub-forum would like to watch it. Thanks, Jay

Well I was pressed into service. Wife's getting home late so I marinated some pork loin and used the new knife to slice some veggies for a decent tossed salad. It worked great kept constant contact with the cutting board from point to heal as I used the rocking motion described by Jwhite (wish I...

Thanks. I'll print this and take it with me to the cutting board, sacrifice an onion or two....

Jwhite, Thank you for your comments and advice! This is my first kitchen knife and flat grind. I do hollow ground hunters mostly, Loveless style drop points. So I have no "pride of design" when it comes to this type of knife and thanks to you guys I learned the easy way how to fix what would...

Well, I ground the blade quite a bit thinner. My wife's first test was cutting thin slices of a 4" red onion, using the blade near the ricasso and pardon the pun, it just wasn't "cutting it". Too thick. Its much thinner now and up to the task. I tried it. I've also changed the ricaso so that...

I think the less you remove with each pass the greater the opportunity to make adjustments until you are satisfied. The speed of the Grizzly is an issue but I'm sure that you'll get used to it. The blade clamp you describe is a good idea. I'm pretty sure they are commercially available in...

I wouldn't be able to give any better advice than Andrew. I follow the advice in Richard Barney/Bob Loveless' book, "How to Make Knives. I'm still at the point where each blade is sort of trial and error. I take many passes to complete a grind. I try to start a grind at the plunge line and keep...

Thanks! The picture is a great help! I thought the way I ground it was a user safety matter. But, I don't use kitchen knives much and the more I think about it what both of you say makes perfect sense. If I don't mess it up too badly, I'll post a picture or two of the knife revised as my wife...

The MAP arm won't work on the GIB. There's a post on one of these forums on that issue. Michael Kantor, who designed and sells the MAP, tried it. But, he said that with some adjustments to the GIB frame it may work. Also, I think on Polar Bear's web site Jamie says the MAP wont work, but the web...

Thanks for the critique! As it turns out, I've got some more work to do. My wife tried it and said the edge near the plunge line is too thick. So I'll grind a bit more to thin the entire blade as it is nearer the tip. I'll make your suggested change. But so I'm clear, the ricasso should be...

I assume you are talking about using the weight of the motor for tension on the drive belt connected to the pulley, or do you mean the tension spring for controlling the tracking of the grinding belts? If you mean for the motor, I have a Delta table saw and that is exactly how it has the correct...

I figured a knife that could go into the dishwasher would be used more that one that couldn't. So here's my shot at a kitchen knife, of sorts. Blade- flat ground, full taper, 1/8" 154 CPM, scales- aluminum, peened with a black spacer to isolate the aluminum from the steel (prevent galvanic...

When drilling, do you try to drill the hole in one operation, in other words constant pressure until the hole is complete? What works best for me on annealed 1/4" stock, drilling a 1/4" hole is- drill with pressure for 2-3 seconds so the bit doesn't over heat, withdraw the bit let it cool for a...

Great WIP! Thank you! About the belt grinder...I did Polar Bear's GIB frame kit and am very happy with it. With your skills you could put it together in a few hours, me 4 months. But I wasn't in a hurry and buying the parts, motor, VFD, platen, etc. over time seemed a little easier on the pocket...

That's a good point about sharpening. I like the new design too, flows better to me. But how do you sharpen an interior curve?

Very nice grinds! Great workmanship! I've been using A2 because its available flat ground at a reasonable price, but I've read that it can be brittle on the edges if ground at too shallow an angle. Don't know if that's true, but what angle do you grind the sharpened edge?