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The Newbies Arena Are you new to knife making? Here is all the help you will need. |
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#1
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Contact wheel size
I've got my less than optimal contact wheel setup, and it's working. My next thing is a real contact wheel. Over time I'm sure I'll collect several, so how do I choose which size to use for which projects? Currently I'm doing mostly B&T style knives, and drop point hunters and the like. I don't think I'll ever get into big Bowie type knives but you never know.
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#2
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8" and 10" are the most common contact wheel sizes. You can do just about anything with those and you probably don't need both, it's as much personal preference than anything else. Either would do a B&T sized blade. There would be a slight difference in the result, that's where the personal preference comes in. Generally though, if you make smaller blades you'd probably want the smaller wheel. I use a 10" even on most folder blades but when I make a pen knife sized blade I use a 5" wheel I made from a warehouse cart wheel because a 10" on a blade that small makes a hardly noticeably hollow, very close to looking flat ...
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#3
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I have a 4" wheel on my 1x42 and do small HCs once in awhile with that. I watched a video by James McClendon on Youtube and his 4x36 about doing the KITH by modifying his 4x36 to do a HC, so I am going to attempt the same with my 2x48.
I've already made some mods on it and I will use 2 radii, one 3" radius ( 6" round) and one 4" radius or 8" wheel equivalent. Remember radius is half the diameter of a circle. A 6 and 8 would be the sizes I would have. I don't really see a need for bigger. I mean there isn't much difference between the 8" and 10" on a knife. I've seen both and unless the grind is wide it's hard to tell the difference. Dayton is a good base for modifications if you have some metal fab experience and you don't really need a lot either. A 2" wide belt and a 2 1/2" wide platen leaves room for bolt holes.lol James' video link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRqhays5vEc&t=33s __________________ Now it says Guru and it used to say Master. I think I like Master better, though skilled would be the best description |
#4
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I've got an 8" wheel right now and it seems to be a pretty good size for the blades I do. I can see using a 4" wheel or so, and then smaller wheels for radius on tangs and such more than for hollow grinds.
All that said, I see wheels for sale that are 14 even 18" in diameter. What is the application for such large wheels? I even saw a video once where a guy had rigged up a wheel that was like 30"! What's the advantage there? |
#5
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If you're trying to hollow grind a very wide blade then a bigger wheel can be handy. Or, even on more normal sized blades if you want a hollow that is very shallow then a big wheel makes that easy (although it can also be done if you are skilled with your smaller wheel). Most of us never find a need for anything larger than 10"...
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#6
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I like an 8" for smaller 'pocket' sized blades so the radius is a little more apparent.
__________________ Andy Garrett https://www.facebook.com/GarrettKnives?ref=hl Charter Member - Kansas Custom Knifemaker's Association www.kansasknives.org "Drawing your knife from its sheath and using it in the presence of others should be an event complete with oos, ahhs, and questions." |
Tags |
belt, blade, blades, bowie, choose, common, drop point, easy, flat, folder, for sale, grind, hollow grind, knife, knives, made, make, metal, pen, pocket, sale, small, video, wheels |
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