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Ed Caffrey's Workshop Talk to Ed Caffrey ... The Montana Bladesmith! Tips, tricks and more from an ABS Mastersmith.

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  #1  
Old 02-11-2001, 11:17 PM
Vaquero57
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need some help guys


Hey guys, I need some solid advice. I am building a 2x72. I am serious about this one. I have a 3hp motor and lots of square steel tubing. I cannot decide if I want to build a square wheel setup like a wilton with 2 small wheels at 12 and 6 o clock with a platen and rest or a horizontal 2 wheel design. I only flat grind so hollow grinding is not a question here. Is it hard to grind bevels using a square wheel setup and a rest? I have gotten pretty good at flat grinding horizontally on a 4x36. I would like to try a square wheel design but am afraid that
1) The rest will get in the way of pulling the blade out and rotating down to get the point.
2) I cannot see the back of the blade because it will be facing down to 6 o clock. I use the back of the blade as a reference point to see the angle of my grind.
So tell me are square wheel setups pretty difficult to use and is it best to freehand with one or to use the rest to keep the blade from shooting out of your hands and lodging in a foot? Cory
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  #2  
Old 02-12-2001, 06:34 AM
foxcreek
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My home built 2 x 72 has two wheels; the platen is horizontal between them, no tool rest; and the belt moves away from me as I work. I have gotten pretty decent at flat grinding on this. I need to make a guard for the wheel nearest me as i work, I sort of stand next to and lean over a tad, but it works fine. I dont see how people flat grind off a rest now that i have gotten used to this set up. You press the blade down to the belt with finger tips and get a great feel for whats going on. I dont like the idea of all that belt speed moving TOWARDS me either. If I wanted to hollow grind then I would need a tool rest off the rear(near)wheel. This sort of set up keeps things super simple. A straight line support for the idler or back wheel incorporating tension in line with center of front(drive)wheel works if the two are the same diameter, and gives you a level horizontal blet, but if the wheels are different diameters, the idler will have to be positioned up to give a level upper belt.
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  #3  
Old 02-12-2001, 01:36 PM
Ed Caffrey
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some help....


I'm partial to the square wheel design, possibly because that's the grinder I have in the shop. I have used just about every type of grinder out there at one time or the other, but I like the ability to get in close on the square wheel design. I also like the fact that is is an easy change over versus the two wheeled styles. From reading your post I assume that you are grinding with the edge down, using a tool rest. It might take a bit of practice, but I think if you learned to grind free hand, you would find that a tool rest creates more problems when grinding than it solves.
The addition of the two smaller wheels on a square wheel design gives you more versitility than a two wheeled setup.
The bottom line is that just about any style or type of grinder will be servicable once two criteria are met..
1. You become accustom to it.
2. Your moving parts are true and balanced.
I have some photos from a local gentelman who is producing grinders, and an looking into having on built to my specs. I'll try to find the photos and post them up on the forums.


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Old 02-12-2001, 09:49 PM
Vaquero57
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I grind with the edge away from me and the belt going away from me. Tonight I tried grinding with the belt traveling towards me and all the blade did was chatter. It left various bevel lines in the blade. Fortunately I was using a 320 grit belt so I can fix it. I am just not sure If grinding with the belt pushing the blade away from me (or down from me as with square wheel) is comfortable. When I ground my first blade ever on my 4x36 I did it the same way I am still doing it (horizontally belt traveling away) and it was so natural. I managed to do a pretty darn good job on that knife. That is why I amn afraid to change except people keep telling me a square wheel is what I want and with practice I will like it better. One friend I have grinds vertically with the back of blade up and edge down. Is this acceptable? The only problem I see with this is when the edge gets thin towards the end you might slice into your fingers if the belt grabs the blade. I guess it is exactly like I grind now only vertical. I do not put my fingers in front of the edge. He probably doesn't either. Right now versatility isn't a priority Ed. I am not gonna hollow grind for a long while. I am a flat grind man. Unless someone asks me for a holloow grind I am not gonna worry about it. I do agree with gettingn close to the work as if i design a horizontal model then having the platen as close to the end as possible is a priority so my arms do not have to reach out. Cory
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  #5  
Old 02-12-2001, 10:56 PM
Frank Niro
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Hi Cory I'm like ED in that I use I use a square wheel machine - a Bee machine- and until just a few months ago I did only flat grinding. I now am also doing a little hollow grinding all with the edge up. I have several friends with the same machine all grinding the same way but most hollow grinding which by the way if you get to try it I believe is easier to do and takes a lot less sandpaper believe it or not . I also believe that if you are going to sell knives that hollow ground knives well done of course, will outsell well done flat ground knives- they just seem to have more visual appeal. Either type properly made will do a good job equally except for a few situations that may favor one or the other. I mention this because of course it could be of great advantage to make a machine you may want to be able to have flexibility with later. If you are getting good results with how you are grinding now it may be difficult to make a change . It's pretty hard to argue with success when you are already getting results.Frank
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