Brandon Miller Knife Maker Extraordinaire!!!
- Thread starter BrandonM
- Start date
kevin - the professor
Well-Known Member
good start, for sure. My first were ugly butter knives with sharp edges.
There is an old joke in NYC (I hate NYC) that goes: some stranger asks a local - "Hey mister, How do you get to Broadway?" Local answers - "Practice!"
corny joke - but it holds true for knife (and sword) making. Get your hands on high quality real ones, especially historic pieces from when the real combat/fighting pieces were made.
keep posting, too!
kc
There is an old joke in NYC (I hate NYC) that goes: some stranger asks a local - "Hey mister, How do you get to Broadway?" Local answers - "Practice!"
corny joke - but it holds true for knife (and sword) making. Get your hands on high quality real ones, especially historic pieces from when the real combat/fighting pieces were made.
keep posting, too!
kc
BrandonM
Well-Known Member
Really amazing progress!are you doing the plunge lines and edge grinds with the grinder? (and what kind of grinder are you using?) or are you doing it by hand with a file?
I am using a 2x42 Craftsman belt grinder. Less than $200.00. The plunge lines are done by hand on the grinder, no fixtures. I lined the platen with a cut section of tile to act as a liner. I still need to get used to it. It affects how the plunge lines come out. I'll get there.
BrandonM
Well-Known Member
I wanted to share what I use for a belt grinder. It's a Craftsman 2X42. I made a few simple mods to enhance it's greatness. I didn't have the money to buy a nice grinder, and still don't, but I didn't want to wait on making knives either. I know I'm not the first to use the Craftsman. I just wanted to share my experience with it.
I had to cut one side of the work table off to make changing belts quick and easy, otherwise you have to remove the table to change a belt.
I used 4 magnets I had laying around and a scrap piece of angle iron to make a magnetic holding device to clean my flats up with. This actually works really well, and cost me nothing.
I epoxied on a $1.50 piece of tile for a backer to my platen. This is throwing my grinds off. I'll have to practice with it to regain my control and feel.
What's that you say? You need variable speed you say? Agreed! This Macgyver maneuver gives me 3 total speeds. I use this for sharpening with a clamp on the trigger. I had the drill and didn't use the 6" disk grinder that came with the Craftsman. Where there's a will there's a way.
I had to cut one side of the work table off to make changing belts quick and easy, otherwise you have to remove the table to change a belt.
I used 4 magnets I had laying around and a scrap piece of angle iron to make a magnetic holding device to clean my flats up with. This actually works really well, and cost me nothing.
I epoxied on a $1.50 piece of tile for a backer to my platen. This is throwing my grinds off. I'll have to practice with it to regain my control and feel.
What's that you say? You need variable speed you say? Agreed! This Macgyver maneuver gives me 3 total speeds. I use this for sharpening with a clamp on the trigger. I had the drill and didn't use the 6" disk grinder that came with the Craftsman. Where there's a will there's a way.
Very cool! Thanks for posting that! I've been considering a 2x42 myself (I've got a HF 4x36, it's pretty much impossible to do a decent edge grind with it, well a decent plunge line anyway, the belt wobbles some, and the platen goes way past the edge of the belt).
Why is the tile messing you up? Just not used to it?
Love the MacGyver rig!!
Why is the tile messing you up? Just not used to it?
Love the MacGyver rig!!
BrandonM
Well-Known Member
Why is the tile messing you up? Just not used to it?
Love the MacGyver rig!!
I think it just changed how it handled. It feels different now when I put a blade against it. My grind lines are coming out all over the place. It's just different I guess. If I had started with it I doubt I would have ever known the difference. It does make the belt ride a lot smoother when putting moderate to heavy force on the blade into the belt. That I like.
