Butcher Knife too thick

S

slownightsolong

Joined
Apr 26, 2024
Messages
6
New knife-maker here so go easy on me,

I was given a Butcher Knife with a spine thickness of about 3.2mm. The idea would be to reduce the thickness of the blade down to about 2mm and turn the Butcher Knife into a Vegetable cutting knife. I have a Grizzly 2x42 Knife-Making Belt Grinder, as well as low grit (36, 60, 80) Ceramic belts for it. I tried grinding down the thickness using the belt grinder and 36 grit for about 30 minutes to no avail. I believe it's stainless steel.

Any ideas on how I could reduce the thickness of the stainless steel? Would I have to normalize or anneal the steel first? Than re-heat treat it after grinding it down?

Thanks!
 
It will grind, it's just going to take a long time.
I'm guessing that you don't know the type of steel, or it's hardness?
 
some of my first knives were made with a 1x42 grinder it takes a bit of time and you will need ceramic belts cause they will cut longer. most the time i like to start my post HT grind with 50 grit. to me it juust seems to make smoother grinds
 
Comments and questions:
What type belts are you using? If they are ceramic belts made for high speed and pressure they will just glaze and not cut anything. With your 2X42 I would suggest Blue Zirc belts.

Dip the blade in water every pass or two on the grinder. If the edge gets heated above 400°F it will damage the temper and ruin the blade. If it turns blue while grinding it is de-tempered and ruined.
 
If you are changing the spine thickness and the grind, that’s very similar to starting from scratch with a blank. As mentioned, steep learning curve. I would suggest practicing some technique on non important items.

Your rate of removal (progress to goal) is directly related to the abrasive belt grit and speed combined with the pressure applied. Take your time. 👍
 
slownightsolong said:
New knife-maker here so go easy on me,

I was given a Butcher Knife with a spine thickness of about 3.2mm. The idea would be to reduce the thickness of the blade down to about 2mm and turn the Butcher Knife into a Vegetable cutting knife. I have a Grizzly 2x42 Knife-Making Belt Grinder, as well as low grit (36, 60, 80) Ceramic belts for it. I tried grinding down the thickness using the belt grinder and 36 grit for about 30 minutes to no avail. I believe it's stainless steel.

Any ideas on how I could reduce the thickness of the stainless steel? Would I have to normalize or anneal the steel first? Than re-heat treat it after grinding it down?

Thanks!
Click to expand...
What sort of butchers knife is it? I assume you mean a cleaver?

You'll be able to grind the thickness down, but losing a full 1.5mm of material on a wide blade like that is going to take a while. That's a lot of material. You could focus on thinning it out near the edge rather than at the spine, as that's were the cutting happens anyway.

Lots of us (myself included) grind our knives after hardening, on more wear resistant steels too. Use decent quality ceramic belt and you'll get there. Just make sure to keep the blade cool by dipping in water often.
 
Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith said:
Comments and questions:
What type belts are you using? If they are ceramic belts made for high speed and pressure they will just glaze and not cut anything. With your 2X42 I would suggest Blue Zirc belts.

Dip the blade in water every pass or two on the grinder. If the edge gets heated above 400°F it will damage the temper and ruin the blade. If it turns blue while grinding it is de-tempered and ruined.
Click to expand...
Right now I'm using 36 grit and 40 grit Ceramic belts, specifically these ones - https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B09575J5FH/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1.

Thank you for your comment, I'll try using the Blue Zirc belts!
 
Nick-D said:
What sort of butchers knife is it? I assume you mean a cleaver?

You'll be able to grind the thickness down, but losing a full 1.5mm of material on a wide blade like that is going to take a while. That's a lot of material. You could focus on thinning it out near the edge rather than at the spine, as that's were the cutting happens anyway.

Lots of us (myself included) grind our knives after hardening, on more wear resistant steels too. Use decent quality ceramic belt and you'll get there. Just make sure to keep the blade cool by dipping in water often.
Click to expand...
It is a meat cleaver, I'm not exactly sure the brand or the steel as there was no obvious brand name. Thank you for your comment though! I'll keep at it
 
JV Knives said:
If you are changing the spine thickness and the grind, that’s very similar to starting from scratch with a blank. As mentioned, steep learning curve. I would suggest practicing some technique on non important items.

Your rate of removal (progress to goal) is directly related to the abrasive belt grit and speed combined with the pressure applied. Take your time. 👍
Click to expand...
Thanks for your comment! I'll keep at it. I'm using these belts right now specifically 36 and 40 grit - - https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B09575J5FH/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1.
 
slownightsolong said:
It is a meat cleaver, I'm not exactly sure the brand or the steel as there was no obvious brand name. Thank you for your comment though! I'll keep at it
Click to expand...
Meat cleavers aren't known for Hard steels.... They need to roll the edge instead of chipping when chopping into bone

Ceramic belts need Fast speed, and Hard pressure. YOu might not be pressing hard enough, and your belts glazed over, making them dull. They need speed and pressure to fracture, to keep giving you a nice belt to grind with.

Something doesn't make sense, grinding a cleaver should almost be like grinding a stick of butter, compared to Really Hard steels........... What do you have to compare to? maybe it's not that hard, if you haven't ground 64+ HRC?
 
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