Tapering Tangs

First time in this part of the forums. Gotta love the internet. It's mind blowing to me to think even Steve Johnson puts off tang tapering day.

My contribution is, I hollow grind, then taper on the flat platten of the belt grinder using a push stick. I use the disk just to refine the taper. I have stopped using wet or dry in the coarser grits though. I always hated how poorly the S/C cut. I've been using Norton Champagne AO paper. It is coated bodyshop paper, but the coating doesn't gum up like Carborundum or the stupidly overpriced 3M. The backing and glue hold up to getting wet. Costs like wet or dry, but I find it cuts better.

Welcome fellow tang taperer, Mike. We ought to get together and put off tapering tangs for a few hrs. someday, huh?

Thanks for the tip on the paper, I'll try it.

Some years ago I found a product that made flatting steel and tapering tangs much easier for me. It may not work for all of you but I will share it with you anyway.
First of all I profile my blade design,drill and ream all holes,then with a 2" or 3" wheel I hollow grind the tang up almost to where the guard will be fitted. I tried Jims way of grinding a full piece of bar stock but it presented more problems than it solved. Drilling holes after tapering the tang since the holes should be at 90 degrees. If you don't lay out your blades with the rear most edge in the center ,your taper will be offset. The thing that makes my tapering simpler is my hand magnet!!!! It has a 100 lb. pull and the size is 5/8" wide and 4 1/2 " long x 2" deep equipped with a handle. I simply pop the blade on the magnet and take it to the Bader platen running at 6000 surface feet per minute and with a 40 grit belt you can have one side of a tang tapered in 2 or 3 minutes. I hold the tip of the blade in the vertical position and apply pressure to the tang with my right hand. adjustment to the grind can be adjusted with either hand by manipulating the angle or pressure. after a few tries it will become simple and you will throw away all of those dangerous push sticks. The magnet comes encased in a stainless steel frame so if it starts to get hot just dunk it in a water bucket. I sell these magnets for $12.50 plus shipping if anyone is interested. If you don't think it is the best thing you have bought lately simple return it at my expense and you wont be out any thing-----------------Rade

Rade
There might be some misunderstanding on my tapering the tang on the whole bar before cutting the blade out. I only do this because most of my knives have alot of drop to the handle. I do all the necessary hole drilling before tapering after deeply scribeing the blade design in the ( surface ground )bar of steel. I have found that with a crows beak at the end of the handle causes some problem when trying to keep the taper grind horizontal across the width of the handle.....using the whole width of the steel bar ( for me) gives me more control. I actually use a 5 inch wheel to do the hollow grind down the middle of the handle....this seem to work very well. When I am finished with the taper I use the previously dirlled rivit holes to index the original ( hardened) template back onto the blade and re-scribe the blade and then to the band saw to cut it out. All of my blade design templates are made from hardend D-2. I use them for drill guides and for scribing. If my designs don't have must drop to the handle and the handle is in alignment with the center of the blade and blade edge, then I use the much the same method everyone else uses. As for using the magnet....I have never tried that ....It sound like it would work very well. I have use a push stick method since the very beginning and that works well for me. I have seen your tapers and they are very well exicuted........you could say perfect. Thanks for your help the other day.......
Jim

Jim I didn't mean to knock your process but it just didn't work for me. Nothing works for everyone. Ill be glad to send you one of the magnets and let you try it. It works for so many things I even use it for a quick rip guid on my band saw, picking up small metal objects-even under water. Thank you for the compliment on my tangs-----your tangs loog good to
Rade

Good idea, guys. Sounds lik it'd work very well.