I few points I forgot to add:

Always wear a respirator, NOT a dust mask, when grinding or cutting the steel. Black boogers and flem are not fun nor is the stuff that makes it into your lungs.


Always wear saftey goggles or glasses. An errant spark, steel shard, or knife blade and wreak havoc on the eyes. (BTW I use hearing plugs/muffs as well)

Keep a bucket/cup of cold water and an old towel handy while grinding the blade. This is for cooling the blade between passes on the sander and drying it off before sticking it back on the sander.

Don't grind in flip-flops, crocs, sandals, or high heels <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />. Sparks and shards of steel can easily get in these and bury themselves deeply into your skin.

Don't grind in polyester or any other "plastic" garmets. Sparks can melt thousands of tiny holes in it and ruin it. I've got a North Face TKA100 pullover that's been ruined this way. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif" alt="" /> I now wear a welding apron during this operation.

To do a flat grind, I start with about a 45 deg angle and walk the grind up to the top of the blade. I usually will make a few passes on each side then flip. This is to ensure that both sides match throughout the whole process. (If I screw up on one side, then the other looks the same way and then it doesn't look so much like a screw-up. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />) You'l find that grinding on one side will seem easier than the other (right hand vs. left hand guidance). This is normal and will (hopefully) get easier with time.

Convexing is not too difficult. Yes, you'll probably want to start out by flat grinding a little. It's faster/easier to remove stock when you're pressing hard against the platen. Then remove it and slack belt the rest of the way. Be careful to watch the edge when convexing. It is easy to grid more on the edge (bottom) of the blade than the spine since it's out of view and many of the grinder belts run top to bottom. This can ruin a profile in seconds.

Usually when I grind, I set my platen back about 1/4" or so away from the back of the belt. This gives an ever-so-slight convex to the grind, but still allows me to press against the platen.

I hope this helps. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

I wish Dan would produce a small hatchet - I'd certainly be in. The timing's never been right for me to score a Ratchet on the sec market. He's certainly welcome to use this design - one that was inspired by the Busse/Swamp Rat design.