blade scribe recommendations

Joined
Sep 27, 2007
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Hey guys...

I've been making knives for years now and have never used a scribe to mark my blades for the grind. I have always used my eyes and micrometer to make sure the edge thickness was uniform, but I've decided that it might be nice to have those marks on the blade while I grind, so I'm looking for recommendations. Any scribes that are worth looking at? I'm looking for the type that I can use with a granite surface plate to scribe the grind lines. I know that it's something I could make myself if I took the time but I get so little shop time these days I'd rather just buy one.

Let me know what you guys like.....
 
Height gauge with carbide scriber. I like the dial version personally. It can be had from Enco for fairly cheap.

Imo that, in conjunction with a granite surface plate, is the best way to go. You can rescribe and check the center at any point while grinding the bevels.
 
While all sorts of fancy ( and not so fancy) scribers exist, the simplest is a drill bit. First, sand the edge profile smooth to 220 grit or finer. Set a drill bit that is about .005" larger ( or smaller) than the steel thickness on the surface block ( or any reasonably flat surface). You can clamp the bit down, but it isn't necessary. For .125" stock, pick a drill bit around .130" ( #30 or #29). Hold the drill bit down with one hand and pull the blank along the tip. Flip the blank over and repeat. You will now have two parallel lines somewhere around .010" apart down the center. Pick larger or smaller bits to change the space between the lines, if desired.
 
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