I generally run my grind up into the tang on hidden tangs or I will blend out the plunge with a 8" wheel length wise.

MP

You might float that in with a slack belt. (Remove the platen)

Or get an additional platen and cover it with a soft material.

Thanks Matthew and Karl. I have been doing full tangs. I will experiment with the methods you have suggested.

on a full tang I would just carry the bevel angle through the tang.

MP

|quoted:

on a full tang I would just carry the bevel angle through the tang.

MP

This provides a really nice look as the tang in the handle tapers from wider at the back to narrower down at the belly. However, it presents a small challenge when attaching the scales and drilling the pins holes. I do my full tang kitchen knives this way as well, but I have a surface grinder so I can bevel the blade easily and then bevel the scales to match.

Scott, do you have access to a surface grinder?

Joshua I don't have a surface grinder. I guess I need another tool for the shop.I only have a Belt grinder and a 9 inch disc grinder.

Like you said I was worried about the bevel in the ricasso area so the front of the scales would be a problem when I glued up.

You should be able to use the disk to flat everything to the the bevel angle easily enough.

That is true Matthew, but the challenge comes in making the bevels on the tang match the bevels on the scales perfectly so the pin holes remain straight. Otherwise, you have to bend the pins through the handle scales. This isn't a problem when you are using very thin pins (like 1/16" maybe even 3/32"), but if you use thicker pins, bending them when putting the scales on makes it difficult to keep everything aligned, tight fitting, and not crack the handle material. I suppose you can figure it out mathematically and get the bevels close enough so it becomes easier. I suppose you could pre-drill the handle scales to match the locations before beveling the tang/blade (I do this anyway)and when it came time to set the scales, put the pins through the tang, set the scales onto the pins, and use clamps to squeeze the handle materials together. Not sure how well that might work, especially if you are planning on using a mosaic pin or any pin thicker than maybe 1/8".

I typically use 1/8 corby bolts during glue up as i like the mechanical properties they provide along with the epoxy bonding. I pre-drill holes prior to heat treat but do not fit scales until after final grind and hand sanding.

I was wondering if a small drum sander on a drill press would be good to feather the plunge out.

I refer back to Karl's suggestion. Get some platen cushion and smooth it out. If you don't make your plunge cuts so dramatic to begin with, you will have an easier time blending them away with the cushion or slack belt.

Thanks Joshua. Makes sense.

99% of what I make are Chef knives and depending on the type of knife I may choose to have or eliminate the plunge. It's easiest to eliminate the plunge by running it completely off the knife.

Here is an example of a couple different grinds, The bottom 2 knives have the grinds run off the blade just below the handle. These are traditional Japanese single bevel knives. The top knife has a plunge but it terminates a half inch up from blade edge. These all cut like crazy.

Steve thanks for your post. I can see that in the last 2 knives your bevel is below the handle line eliminating the plunge line. This makes perfect sense. Have you done any that are full flat grind (taken to the top) and made plungeless?

This is one of my typical knives. It's a full tang and I leave the plunges in. The grind is flat and goes all the way to the top of spine I leave just a little curl at the top of plunge where it meets the spine.I push the plunges back until they terminate just above the blade edge(makes it easier to sharpen. I try to push them back until at least a quarter inch between bottom of plunge and blade edge.