Wandering edge
- This topic has 6 replies, 4 voices, and was last updated 07/04/2018 at 7:59 am by
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Drew I believe you have a Pro Pack 3 so your knife should be clamped centered. You might check the angle of the flat side of the knife from side to side to see if it is indeed sitting and clamping square in your vice. Are you using anything between the knife steel and jaws to help with protecting or clamping the knife that might be pushing the knife off center, like tape or something? Some knives may be off center from the manufacturer.
It’s not the easiest thing when first getting started to draw bevels of even height, from side to side. Differences in hand pressure, dominant side and coordination, left to right side may make it easier for you to work one side bevel more easily and efficiently then the other side. It takes time, practice and refinement of technique to get the bevels even side to side and even along the knife’s length heel to tip, also. The size and height of the bevel is affected also by the knife’s position in the vice, (i.e., the sweet spot). As you spend more time getting the bevels even the edge will come to the center.
Marc
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Lol, I was just about to quote you. ”For the uneven bevels, work a little to one side then switch to the other side. Keep going back and forth, a little at a time. As you gain experience you’ll get a handle on how much you can do to one side before you need to switch. Try to keep your efforts more even. For this a visual aid like a lighted loupe or a USB Digital Microscope is necessary. There’s nothing quit as helpful as seeing what your doing up close.”
Yeah, I’m thinking the factory grind was wonky… 3.50 dollar beater knives. No tape or chammy in this one, but I can see how that’d push to one side. Lesson learned. Check from the beginning. Grind as necessary.
Thank you for your past post and this current one. I’m working on a machete, and my eyes are crossing. Time to sleep before I cut a thumbnail off.
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As I’m sharpening, I inspect the edge both from the side, where it’s easier to see the depth of a ding or a chip, and from the very top, looking down on the edge and the two bevels, watching for burrs and uneven bevels.
Yes, it’s quite common to find wonky bevels on factory grinds, both in their width and angles. Generally, I don’t attempt to correct the width errors in one sharpening. I’ll do it gradually, over several sharpenings, the intent being to preserve as much steel as possible. Very few owners (customers?) care that much about perfection. And those who do will make their wishes known to you.
With kitchen knives, it’s can be desirable to have the edge somewhat off-center. If you know that a knife will be used in the owner’s right hand, you can shift the cutting edge toward the left side (looking down at the blade while cutting). This will help in making very thin slices in solid vegetables and sausages.
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Drew: You’re dead-on with the chisel analogy. In fact, where only one side is beveled, it’s called a chisel grind. I will sharpen both sides at the same angle, but move the apex toward one side.
If you consider that a chisel-ground blade is used with the flat held vertical, as its being driven into the stock, it cannot drift off of that vertical line. The material being cut (examples: radishes or wood) will be driven to the angled side. The material will have to give somewhere and that’s on the bevel side.
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Check out this thread. It will explain the asymmetric grinds concept.
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