Flat grinding a tanto?

[Happy Face]

Hello.

So, I've started making some knives, which I will post at a later date. I'm asking this at a friends' house, computer is broken.

I have a Craftsman 2x42. Recently I started work on a Tanto, but I'm stuck. It's an american style one, and I don't know if you can flat grind them. Is there any way it's possible?

 

[theflyingplatypus]

To my knowledge most Americanized tantos are flat ground. The hollow grind is going to be much more difficult I presume. Depends upon your experience though.

Kaleb

 

[james terrio]

Sure it can be done. You MUST put a decent face on your platen, the one that comes with the Craftsman is terrible... it's too wide, not nearly flat to begin with and is made of soft steel, so it will get less and less flat the more you use it.

All you need is a piece of fireplace glass, hardened steel or similar. JB Weld it onto the existing platen. USAknifemaker supply sells the tempered glass cut to size and has more complete instructions (scroll down). Once mounted, you can adjust the platen back a little to account for the thickness of the liner or face.

The Craftsman is a good little machine for the money. You can order high quality belts for it from Tru-Grit or SuperGrit. They're far better than the junk belts at HF or Sears and actually come out cheaper if you order enough to make up for the shipping cost.