Work Rest; Yea or Nay? How do you grind bevels?

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Augus7us

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Oct 9, 2014
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I was reading Salem's bevel grinding how-to recently and he was showing how he ground swept plunge lines and I noticed he wasn't using a work rest.

It seemed pretty obvious to me while reading his article that grinding with no work rest offered more versatility and options than using a work rest and dragging the blade straight across. I've grown comfortable grinding with the work rest but I also don't want to limit myself and feel that is what I am doing.

So where does the work rest fit in? I imagine many knifemakers get their start using a work rest but do most graduate from it and leave it collecting dust? Does it have a place and time in bevel grinding high end custom knives? Is it a completely personal choice and there are 20 year vets out there that still use it to make custom bowies that command several thousand dollars?

I know knifemaking is subjective but I am looking at this like a grinder. You can make knives on a 2x42 or 6x48 but I image over 90% of the guys making a living at it own at least one 2x72.

Look forward to your responses

-Clint
 
Some of the best use a work rest with great results, others grind freehand with equally great results, there are many ways to put a bevel on a blade. Try as much as you can and see what works for you and your style, there are not any rules as long as you get the results you are looking for and are happy with.
 
It helped me to learn the mechanics at first and to be able to repeat the same thing from side to side. With that said, once I got the feel of the bevel settling on the platen or wheel, I went on to free hand.
 
Free hand should not be the goal. Well ground blades is the goal. I've found that anytime I start focusing on the technique instead of what I'm trying to accomplish, I tend to close off avenues that may have offered advantages not yet seen. Keep an open mind and do not be intimidated.

"Without deviation from the norm, progress is not possible" F.Z.
 
If anyone says they do not use a work rest ask them if they use a platen?

Both are flat surfaces the blade moves against and pretending one is ok and the the other is silly

Personally I rest my knuckles on the work rest and the blade on my index finger with the thumb providing the pressure and pull across with the other hand.

Freehand, work rest and combination of both for me, it is about working with my hands and creating with them.
 
i free hand but the rest gets put to use when profiling blanks. i built a 45degree rest for shaping the fronts of my kitchen knife. i have been thinkig about usig the 45 rest to break the bevels in on profiled blades
 
My work rest has been used perhaps three times in 7 years? There is practically not even a scratch on it. Some rust though.

I guess I never got the hang of grinding on one. I just ground freehand from the start. It seemed simpler that way?
 
My old welding teacher said "there is no cheating in welding", basically meaning if you pass inspections and follow the points of the procedure, who cares how you held the torch or operated the pedal.

I started mostly with a workrest, I don't have any problem with people using them, but these days they not only get in my way, they actually limit the quality of my grinds.

An important part of free-hand grinding is that you have completely unimpeded sensory feedback from blade to belt, and you can literally feel where material is being removed.

A workrest can either have no negative effect at all, or if the blade edge has a burr, the workrest is dirty, or any number of other things, it can actively sabotage your work.

On blades such as a full tang with a large built in guard or large jimping or filework, the workrest can really start to screw with you. Recurves can be a total pain as well.
 
The end justifies the means!;)

I've use the work rest to steady my hands, I used it to profile I've used it at an angle to put initial bevels in the profiled blades before HT.

Ive ground my flats completely free hand and I've put my finger's on the side of the flat platen using it as a work rest to steady for each pass.

Find what gives you the best ground blades you can do in the technique that works best for you.:)



Get a 2 x 72" 1-2 HP with a variable speed. The best deals in abrasives and most variety of quality belts are in this size.
 
I find it useful, it is on the bottom of the flat platen.
So i can raise the work to the central area of the platen and grind freehand when i want.
Anyway for the most it just help supporting my hands....i'm slim, i don't have the knifemaker's belly rest. ;)
 
stezann said:
I find it useful, it is on the bottom of the flat platen.
So i can raise the work to the central area of the platen and grind freehand when i want.
Anyway for the most it just help supporting my hands....i'm slim, i don't have the knifemaker's belly rest. ;)
Click to expand...

That Sir is a well developed Grinding Muscle!;)
 
I started grinding bevel by the free hand method and have never used a work rest to do so. I use my work rest frequently for other operations though. I feel that free hand grinding offers me more flexibility when grinding (for example) blades with a re-curve edge then I would have if I were using a rest or jig.
 
I ground freehand for years, and still do sometimes, but just started using my toolrest when bevel grinding. I was pretty dadgum good grinding freehand. I'm better AND faster grinding with the tool rest.
 
Sorry for the delayed response, I tried posting a few times and got database errors...

Thanks for the replies. Some of the knives I want to grind are going to require I grind them freehand and I was looking for some info on how common it is among knife makers to grind some or all their knives without the work rest.

I don't think I will ever retire the work rest when grinding bevels but to get closer to my goals I think I will start grinding without it on some knives to better familiarize myself with grinding freehand.

-Clint
 
Remember everyone uses a work rest

Some are stationary and made of metal

And some of them are dynamic and made of flesh and bones
 
Another question should be: grinding standing or seated?
When seated you can rest your elbows on your feet, I was told it gives more control, I grind standing without work rest, I use it only for profiling.


Pablo
 
Here is what Nick has ta say bout it! ;)

[video=youtube;-6HOn5dVQqI]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-6HOn5dVQqI[/video]

So, basically It's good to be able to do both. If you are making your living ofby making knives, and especially doing a run of the same knife , if using a rest makes it go faster for you, then by all mean use it! But there are certain things (complicated blade shapes, plunges etc) that can pretty much only be done freehand.

I actually (most of the time) use my work rest only to rest my hands on, but am still holding the blade off of the rest when I grind, so I'm not sure if that "qualifies" as freehand :D ;)

~Paul
My YT Channel Lsubslimed
 
PEU said:
Another question should be: grinding standing or seated?
When seated you can rest your elbows on your feet, I was told it gives more control, I grind standing without work rest, I use it only for profiling.


Pablo
Click to expand...

Pablo,
Thanks for bring up the grinding position. I grind seated You can lean forward and brace your elbows on your knees. I also am put together with titanium pins in my spine and standing in one place gets really uncomfortable really fast. When I started almost 20 years ago I was told that I couldn't grind knives sitting down.

Well, yes you can. So find what works for you and remember that there is really no wrong way to make a knife. :)
 
I learned to grind freehand because the guy that taught me ground freehand and his tool rests were on the bottom shelf of the workbench. :) Do what works and do it well.

One of the guys here showed a bracket/jig that formed a parallelogram with the ceiling to hold an angle. Can't remember who it was, but that was pretty ingenious.
 
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