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Randy Lucius

Randy Lucius

Well-Known Member
Had a really nice filet knife going. I was trying to grind on the work rest with a push stick. The belt grabbed and pulled it between the rest and the belt. I was doing it that way because I hadn't installed a glass platen on my new grinder so I could use a magnet to hold it. Pretty stupid mistake. Glass platen is now installed. I'll finish this one out anyway to use as a test knife.

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Been there, normally it is when I am tapering a tang...It will scare the crap out of you at high speed. I ended up grinding a groove in my work rest the same size as my platen so the sides extend behind the platen slightly. Has not happened again.
 
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Chris Railey said:
Been there, normally it is when I am tapering a tang...It will scare the crap out of your at high speed. I ended up grinding a groove in my work rest the same size as my platen so the sides extend behind the platen slightly. Has not happened again.
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My work rest extends behind the platen too. Happened on the last couple of inches of the blade because it became unsupported by the rest. Had a glass platen on my old grinder just sitting there. Could have used it and a magnet. Yep. Very stupid mistake.
 
Another way to prevent that is to get away from using the work rest, at least for the tip of the knife. It does take a while to learn, and I'm sure that even after a few years, it's slower than using a work rest, but I haven't had that happen in years now. ;)
 
billyO said:
Another way to prevent that is to get away from using the work rest, at least for the tip of the knife. It does take a while to learn, and I'm sure that even after a few years, it's slower than using a work rest, but I haven't had that happen in years now. ;)
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Yep billyo. That’s the plan. I’m changing methods so it won’t happen again. Lesson learned :)
 
Wait, you are gonna grind your bevels that way? I just re-read your initial post. I do not know what I was thinking earlier. I am not being funny at all I promise I am curious though, why use a magnet for grinding your bevels? Why not just hold the knife?
 
I had that same thing happen 2 years or so ago. Belt grabbed it and before I could get to the vfd it ground a groove in the blade and turned the area blue. No saving it.
 
Chris Railey said:
Wait, you are gonna grind your bevels that way? I just re-read your initial post. I do not know what I was thinking earlier. I am not being funny at all I promise I am curious though, why use a magnet for grinding your bevels? Why not just hold the knife?
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The thickness of the tip of that filet knife was between .018-.020. Not any way to hold it without grinding your fingers off.
 
Randy Lucius said:
The thickness of the tip of that filet knife was between .018-.020. Not any way to hold it without grinding your fingers off.
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That makes sense to me. I have a weird way of supporting the blade with my index and bird finger fingernail so my finger never hits the belt. Sometimes I forget I am more than likely the only person who grinds like that. I have been freehand grinding with no tool rest since I started so its weird to think of doing it any other way. I even see people grinding freehand with gloves on and I think "how do they do that" it would feel so weird...
 
Chris Railey said:
Sometimes I forget I am more than likely the only person who grinds like that
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There's probably more folks out there than you know. I do almost the same thing, but use the corner of my index finger nail. There was a thread somewhere (I think it was here) a while ago titled "What grinds your gears?" and last year I almost made a post about grinding off my nail and the callus that built up and it took a week or so for it to grow back enough to resume grinding.
Randy Lucius said:
Not any way to hold it without grinding your fingers off.
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well, o_O.... When a blade gets that thin, you shouldn't need to take off a lot of material, so you don't need a lot of pressure on the belt.

Let's not forget that the grinder is basically the same thing as a sharpening stone but with the motor so it can take off a lot more material a lot quicker. You don't have to run it at full power or use a lot of pressure all the time.
 
billyO said:
There's probably more folks out there than you know. I do almost the same thing, but use the corner of my index finger nail. There was a thread somewhere (I think it was here) a while ago titled "What grinds your gears?" and last year I almost made a post about grinding off my nail and the callus that built up and it took a week or so for it to grow back enough to resume grinding.

well, o_O.... When a blade gets that thin, you shouldn't need to take off a lot of material, so you don't need a lot of pressure on the belt.

Let's not forget that the grinder is basically the same thing as a sharpening stone but with the motor so it can take off a lot more material a lot quicker. You don't have to run it at full power or use a lot of pressure all the time.
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Holding the blade was exactly what my OP was about in that thread.

I support the blade using my index finger between the first and second knuckles. When the blades get under .060" the belt will clean my finger. Like bright white cleaning.
 
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