A very wide subject for such a thin line!

As thin as you can make the edge for that job and still stay together is usually the best cutter.

I use a flat grind with the last 1/4 to 1/2 inch or so rolled on a rolling platen. The flex on the platen gives a very consistent convex from heel to point.

A heavy chopper requires a thicker edge and therefore more roll than a fillet knife; for two extreme examples. If the roll on the edge is just barely able to be felt; it's pretty close.

To say the edge is .005,.010 or .025 before rolling the edge is misleading; that knife, for that job, in this form, with your heat treat; is how thick and how much convex is needed.

The edge that Lin; or Steve, or Brion can get by with; others may not. Heat treat is a lot of the equation.

I have been lucky to travel across the country in the past to participate in cutting events; a well made and heat treated knife can be much thinner than most would think and still not fail.

After rolling the edge to sharp; I use stones to put the final edge on. A fine india for working knives; much finer stones for dress and investment pieces.

Only the last tiny bit of the edge touches the stone; the profile has already been done on the grinder.

I chop on a chunk of dogwood or bois d'arc to test the edge. Before final hand sanding. Pretty basic.

Next!

Thanks for posting, Mike. By a "rolling platen," do you mean this? I can see how something like that could make rolling the edge much more consistent than just adjusting the tension of the belt. Can you use the rollers as contact wheels? If so, how great would it be to have a rolling platen with different sized wheels (kind of like the Caffrey Platen).

I've never seen a rolling platen in use, but it seems that the wider gap would be used for choppers (to get a more dramatic apple seed), while the smaller space would be used for slicers for a more gradual transition over more of the depth of the edge...is that correct?

Does anyone out there use a concave (hollow) grind for slicers? I'm assuming (I could very well be wrong), that if you did a hollow grind you would just use a stone to finish it off, without rolling the edge. Is that correct? It seems like there isn't anything left to roll, really. Why do we not see more people doing hollow grinds on slicers? Is this type of grind/edge just not durable enough?

Thanks in advance for any input, corrections, and advice.

Steve Morley

|quoted:

A very wide subject for such a thin line!

As thin as you can make the edge for that job and still stay together is usually the best cutter.

I use a flat grind with the last 1/4 to 1/2 inch or so rolled on a rolling platen. The flex on the platen gives a very consistent convex from heel to point.

A heavy chopper requires a thicker edge and therefore more roll than a fillet knife; for two extreme examples. If the roll on the edge is just barely able to be felt; it's pretty close.

To say the edge is .005,.010 or .025 before rolling the edge is misleading; that knife, for that job, in this form, with your heat treat; is how thick and how much convex is needed.

The edge that Lin; or Steve, or Brion can get by with; others may not. Heat treat is a lot of the equation.

I have been lucky to travel across the country in the past to participate in cutting events; a well made and heat treated knife can be much thinner than most would think and still not fail.

After rolling the edge to sharp; I use stones to put the final edge on. A fine india for working knives; much finer stones for dress and investment pieces.

Only the last tiny bit of the edge touches the stone; the profile has already been done on the grinder.

I chop on a chunk of dogwood or bois d'arc to test the edge. Before final hand sanding. Pretty basic.

Next!

Mike I as well would be interested to hear more on the rolling platen.......

Thanks Rob

I think it can be called a Rotary Platen. I use mine a lot. Type "KMG rotary platen" in your browser and you can find it.

|quoted:

I think it can be called a Rotary Platen. I use mine a lot. Type "KMG rotary platen" in your browser and you can find it.

Thanks Lin

I've looked at them before, may have to have another closer look .....

Mike hit it right on the head, IMHO. <img src=' http://www.americanbladesmith.com/ipboard/public/style_emoticons//cool.gi f' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='B)' />

I made these recently, and they cover my thoughts on the subject as well as how I go about trying to get there. <img src=' http://www.americanbladesmith.com/ipboard/public/style_emoticons//blink.gi f' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':blink:' /> <img src=' http://www.americanbladesmith.com/ipboard/public/style_emoticons//biggrin.gi f' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':D' />

I still don't know how to embed a video here, so hopefully Dan can rescue me again if I just post the links. <img src=' http://www.americanbladesmith.com/ipboard/public/style_emoticons//unsure.gi f' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':unsure:' />

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZE5P6TYCdU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ssribfAn8TQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQ24NS-79vo

Nick

Thank you for the videos! Here they are:

[media] http://www.youtube.c...h?v=vZE5P6TYCdU [/media]

[media] http://www.youtube.c...h?v=ssribfAn8TQ [/media]

[media] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQ24NS-79vo [/media]

Nick,

Thanks again for providing an awesome tutorial!!

I haven't posted to this thread, because I have been working to change my process for creating a rolled edge. I've not really been happy with the results that I get from rolling the edge on a belt grinder. So, I've started using the disk sander to roll edges. I haven't got the process down to the point that I want to post up tutorial information. But, I'm glad to see that you are using the disk sander for this work too.

I also want to mention that I have started using the Rhynowet sandpaper. This stuff is fantastic! I had heard that it was really good, a long time ago. But didn't buy any, as I had a large inventory of silicon carbide paper. Once I started using the Rhynowet paper, I wished that I had tried it earlier. I would have just thrown away all of my SC paper. The Rhynowet paper cuts much faster and makes hand sanding a lot easier. I've also noticed that there are not nearly so many J hook marks from back and forth sanding. This makes the final satin finishing a lot less time consuming.

Nick,

Thank you for taking the time to make these great tutorials. They are very helpful! The video and sound quality are very good!

You are so right about the Rhynowet paper, it is great stuff. Like Steve said, I saw an instant improvement in the quality of my finish. Using the scraps from the disc for hand finishing saves money, too!

Bob

Thanks guys! <img src=' http://www.americanbladesmith.com/ipboard/public/style_emoticons//smile.gi f' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':)' />

Dan- Thank you for saving me again! <img src=' http://www.americanbladesmith.com/ipboard/public/style_emoticons//cool.gi f' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='B)' />

I'm trying pretty hard with the videos. There's a ton of stuff to learn and improve on, but I'd like to think that I am learning a bit as I go. <img src=' http://www.americanbladesmith.com/ipboard/public/style_emoticons//huh.gi f' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':huh:' /> LOL

Something that is really interesting about turning the camera on while you work (at least for me!) is it will leave you scratching your head wondering things like,

"Why did I do that?"

"Why was I holding that like that?"

"Boy that looked wonky!"

"I shouldn't have hit it THERE!!!"

<img src=' http://www.americanbladesmith.com/ipboard/public/style_emoticons//blink.gi f' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':blink:' /> <img src=' http://www.americanbladesmith.com/ipboard/public/style_emoticons//laugh.gi f' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':lol:' />

I have tried just about every paper on the market (even the infamous Norton Black Ice) and I feel the Rhynowet is hands down the best for everything I do.... disc, hand sanding steel, hand sanding handles, lapping parts, etc. I just pray that Indasa keeps making it for the next 45 years or so. <img src=' http://www.americanbladesmith.com/ipboard/public/style_emoticons//wink.gi f' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=';)' /> <img src=' http://www.americanbladesmith.com/ipboard/public/style_emoticons//biggrin.gi f' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':D' />

Thanks Fellas!!! <img src=' http://www.americanbladesmith.com/ipboard/public/style_emoticons//smile.gi f' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':)' />

-Nick-

Hi Nick,

I meant to ask this yesterday, what kind and grit are you using on that face plate to dial in your plunge lines?

Thanks!

Bob