A simple, sturdy bench helps immensely
when grinding sword blades.
The tang end is clamped into a heavy
vise.
The tip of the blade is fastened to a
board that is fastened to the bench by duplex nails and can be moved to
adjust for blade length. The board is offset to match the vise. The bench
itself must be narrow enough to lean over to get to the blade but wide
enough to set tools on and in this case, to weld on.
A pair of nails hold the blade down for
grinding. When your grinding reaches the nail just grind through as if
it did not exist. Then replace the nail and grind the other edge. Repeat
for each pass. Both edges are addressed with a gradual bevel then the
blade is turned over and the other flat side is similarly treated. Keep
turning the blade over and slowly remove material frequently checking
by eye and feel if the bevels are even.
A tripod arrangement on this bench makes
it more useful on uneven ground in an outside shop.
A substantial specialized blade grinding
bench can make the difference between a really nice gradual edge and a
crude one. Well worth making even for a single sword project.
