A knife is one of the tools that a farm cannot do without. In specialized stores, a wide assortment of a wide variety of kitchen, dining, multifunctional and hunting cutting products is presented to the attention of consumers. In order for the knife to be effective and last for a long time, it must be correctly selected. However, most home craftsmen prefer to use their own blades. Having the right tool and supplies, beginners are faced with one problem - they do not know how to properly lower the knife. This element in the design of the product is very important, because the appearance and cutting properties of a home-made blade will depend on its quality performance. You will find information on how to make downhills on a knife with your own hands in this article.
Familiarity with the item
Despite the fact that the manufacture of a homemade knife is a rather time-consuming process, this does not stop home craftsmen. There may be several reasons for this. Mostly this is the desire to satisfy your creative potential. Using improvised materials, you can create a knife of the type you like. Judging by the reviews, handicrafts are practically not inferior to factory ones. In addition, it is possible to significantly save. However, the manufacture of a knife at home requires strict adherence to the rules, namely, the home craftsman will have to follow the sequence of actions. According to experts, one of the important stages of production is the design of the slopes. These elements are made by milling flat blanks and are very important in the design of the blade, as they provide its piercing and cutting properties. How to make descents on a knife? What tool will be needed for this? Read more about how newcomers to make smooth descents on a knife - below.
Ways
Those who do not know how to make a descent on a knife blade can be recommended in one of three ways. According to experts, the most common tool for this task is an emery machine. This technique is mainly used by beginners. The second method is considered more complicated - using an angle grinder (grinder). The third is practiced by experienced craftsmen who “feel” the metal and can practically do without additional technical devices.
How to make descents on a knife with a grinder? What do you need for work?
Before you make the descent on the knife, you should get the following tool:
- Blank for blade. Judging by numerous reviews, good knives are obtained from paintings from old mechanical saws. Due to the fact that this material is cheap, if it is damaged, it will not be a pity to throw away the workpiece, and a beginner has the opportunity to practice working as a grinder before making a descent on a knife from raw materials more expensive.
- Cardboard template of the future knife.
- Angle grinder (aka grinder). A thick abrasive 125 mm wheel is mounted on it. With its help usually perform stripping and peeling work.
- Vise. On the workbench they must be firmly fixed.
- Screw clamp.
- A corner or piece of pipe with a square section.
- Capacity with water.
Where to begin? Preparatory stage
For those who do not know how to make descents on a knife, experienced masters recommend that you follow the following sequence of actions:
- First, using the template, you need to transfer the outline of the blade to the blank.
- Cut the knife with a grinder. This must be done clearly along the marked line. At this stage, experienced craftsmen do not cut out the butt, otherwise in the future, during grinding of the descents, difficulties may arise: the tip of the blade will turn out with heaped edges. According to experts, this part of the blade is the most problematic.
- Apply a line of descents to the workpiece. This must be done from two sides. The line itself should be as thin as possible, but clearly visible at any angle.
- Clamp a rectangular pipe or corner in a vice. A blank will be pressed to it by means of a clamp. Experts recommend using two clamps. In this case, the master will be able to press the tip of the knife. If the clamp is one, then it will have to be moved closer to the treatment site. The entire plane of the workpiece should be pressed against the support as tightly as possible.
At the preparatory stage, it is undesirable for the clamp screws to be too tight. It is enough to prevent the workpiece from shifting. It will be more convenient to work if the clamping devices are located on the opposite side. The places in the workpiece on which the slopes are machined should, on the contrary, be closer to the master.
What do experts recommend?
How to make a descent on a knife exactly so as not to spoil the workpiece? Judging by the reviews, there are frequent cases when the metal is cauterized, cracked or pits form on it. According to experienced masters, this is possible if the manipulations are carried out with an edged disk. For this reason, it is advisable to work with a thick peeling stone for metal. Masters recommend using an abrasive whose thickness is at least 7 mm. One of such very high-quality and wear-resistant products is an abrasive wheel from the Japanese manufacturer Makita. Judging by the numerous consumer reviews, it easily grinds even red-hot steel. Having mastered the technique of making slopes using peeling circles, many home craftsmen switch to thick cut-offs. To reduce vibration, which is a consequence of significant axial load, work should be done in circles whose thickness is at least 0.2 cm. If you ignore this advice and start with cut-offs, sooner or later the beginner will still return to rough ones. However, during this time you can translate a lot of blanks. In addition, the cutting disc under the influence of lateral load begins to vibrate strongly. Often it breaks down and can be dangerous both for the master himself and for those around him.
About chamfering
First, the middle is marked on the blank. The line outlines the place for the future cutting edge. Then, tightening the peeling disc more reliably, turn on the grinder. The machining surface should be perpendicular to the edge of the knife. It is not necessary to lean heavily on the disc, on the contrary, they should barely touch the workpiece. First, a small chamfer along the edge along the marked line is carefully removed. It is important that a distance of 0.2 mm is maintained from the line to the middle of the knife. At this stage, you should be as accurate as possible. The grinder can be moved along the entire length of the machined cutting edge. So that the metal does not overheat and does not lose its original properties, it should be periodically cooled during operation. For this purpose, the surface of the workpiece is abundantly watered with water. Some newcomers often ask questions: why chamfer from the workpiece and what will it give? According to experienced masters, it will be much easier to make a descent with the already existing chamfer, since it will be an obvious visible lower boundary that you can’t enter. It is important that the chamfer is removed along the entire cutting edge.
Continuation of work
After the chamfer has already been removed, you can begin to manufacture slopes on the workpiece. It will not be difficult to do this: the craftsmen carry out gently with a peeling disc towards the butt. Judging by the reviews, in the places where the disk touches, a perfectly visible trace remains on the surface, making it easy for the master to monitor the movement of the stone. Since the chamfer border is noticeable, the craftsman will know exactly where he should stay. Next, near the heel of the knife, you need to arrange the beginning of the descent. To do this, you need to cross the end surface of the stone with a cylindrical one, gently bringing the disk to the line. The machining surface should be perpendicular to the cutting edge. If you look from above, then when working properly, the disk will be rotated vertically to the plane of the knife. This will be allowed by a stone with a cylindrical surface: the cylinder, rolling along the workpiece, will indicate the vertical. If a deviation occurs, the disk will be on the edge, which immediately feels the master and stop the work. Otherwise, a stone in the workpiece can be made into extra recesses, which is undesirable.
How to make races on an emery knife?
Judging by the reviews, many knife makers try to simplify their work as much as possible. For this purpose, various additional devices are created. The main mechanical "assistant" of such a specialist is a grinder. The tool is equipped with a motor, and work is done through stone. You can display the descent on the workpiece by holding it simply in your hands.
It is enough to drive back and forth along the grinding wheel. The edge of the stone should be perpendicular to the surface of the workpiece. However, in this case there is no guarantee that the same angle will be maintained along the entire cutting edge. It is possible that the hands will get tired of holding the workpiece and the descent will be lost. This can be prevented with the help of a special technical device. They make it from a steel plate, a piece of a corner and a clamp. The plate will be used as the platform on which the workpiece is located. So that it does not slip, it is held pressed to the corner. With this device, the width of the slopes is adjustable. To do this, just turn the screw of the clamp, changing the angle of the plate.
About handmade
This method is mainly resorted to by specialists who know how to “feel” steel and know when to stop. Work with a file "by eye". The workpiece is securely fixed on a flat surface. Then, with a file, at the right angle, they begin to arrange the descents. Judging by the reviews, this method is tedious and long.
Finally
Whatever method of designing the slopes the home craftsman chooses, it is important not to forget about safety measures. Before starting work, you should check the health of electrical equipment and get rid of defective disks. It will be possible to prevent injury if you use protective gloves and glasses.