hollow or flat grind your skew?

[Alex Zeller]

I don't know about a skew but a convex grind on a knife is usually for use where extra strength is needed, like for chopping. For a skew I would think it's advantage of a convex grind would be, as long as the angle of the tip is the same, that the hollow grind might flex more if pushed hard (do you push a skew hard?). I'm by no means an expert, actually I'm trying to learn, so if I'm wrong please let me know. At least one site that talked about skew sharpening that I read had you do a hollow grind and then use a flat stone to make it more of a flat grind with the middle part of the grind still being concave. I would think a convex grind would be more difficult to do.

[Reed Gray]

Well for the convex grind, I ground an old one that way after watching Eli Avisera use it. After playing with it for a while, I found it more difficult to get a long straight cut, like on a rolling pin, but easier for doing curves, especially cove type surfaces, they work better, kind of like grinding off the heel on your bowl gouges for inside bowl cuts.

I have been playing with peeling cuts a lot lately, and blame Eric Loffstrom for it. Watched him get a 220 grit surface on a piece of hard maple using just the peeling cut. So, I notice no difference in 'practicality' with concave. convex, or flat grinds. Heck, I even use my Big Ugly tools. Only real difference I notice in finish surface is that harder woods yield cleaner peeling cut surfaces than softer woods, and a more acute angle leaves a cleaner surface. Most of my skew type peelers are at 30 degrees, with one at 25, and my scrapers at 70. There is a noticeable difference with the 25 degree angle...

Now, out to the shop to make more drawer pulls for the new house and shop... 200 or so...

robo hippy