TLC Vlog Ep. 2 | A Hollow Grind Edge On My Favourite Wood Carving Knives & Hand Sharpening Tips

Welcome back to the second episode of TLC! This month, I take a look at my straight, slöjd style wood carving knives made by Adrian Lloyd. These are the two knives that I use the most in my practice and I loved spending some time with them to re-establish a hollow grind and bring them into a razor sharp edge. I have been really enjoying these Tic vlog style videos.. I feel as though it is a lovely way to keep a diary of my hand tools and to provide a passive way to share my knowledge and tips on certain methods of tool maintenance. I also like the idea of inviting you into the processes of craft further and offering a real and honest representation of what it is like in the life of a professional green wood worker. I first explain a bit about these knives and how I obtained them and why I really love them. There are some nice stories and these tools have been through a lot! They have moved with me from one country, to another and have carved healing objects along the way! I also explain a bit about their differences and profiles before getting stuck into explaining the notion of sharpening, what bevels are and the mindset I use to hewn my tools. A hollow grind on an edge, especially these slöjd style carving knives has become extremely popular and advantageous because it sets the foundation for an accurate, fast sharpen on the go. By removing the inner belly of the bevel I can easily hewn my tools in the workshop, without having to pause for too long to work through multiple grits and sweat it out! A hollow grind in achieved by a sharpening wheel. I use a Tormek T-8 sharpening machine with an SG-250 wheel. It has revolutionised my sharpening and has really transformed my edges and has saved me so much time and energy in the past year. I set up the two jigs before adjusting the machine to the correct angle before easily hollow grinding both bevels. Whilst sharpening on the Tormek machine, I offer some advice and useful tips of how I approach the techniques. I then take to my simple and affordable hand sharpening set up, that can be easily replicated at home. This allows me to hewn the edge and create two rails to polish the edge at the correct angle. The home set up features a flat surface and a couple of sheets of wet and dry sandpaper and a leather strop, coated thinly in some compound. I explain how to introduce the knife to the sharpening system and how to keep it steady and flat whilst sharpening to reduce the burr, raised by the sharpening wheel. I finally add a few passes with a leather strop to completely remove the burr, resulting in a shaving sharp edge. With the other knife, I use the Tormek's strop function to remove the burr with ease to create a slightly shinier finish. I later test the knives on some paper to demonstrate their sharpness before properly putting them to the test with some finishing cuts to a dry walnut spoon. Lastly, I share some tips and learnings that I have collected along the way of my own sharpening journey as some final words of wisdom! I really hope you enjoy this video and that it contributes to the health of your own sharpening journey. Take care, Samuel CHAPTERS: 00:00 Intro 01:53 My Lovely Knives And Their Story 07:57 Bevels Explained - What Is a Hollow Grind? 11:25 Creating A Hollow Grind - Setting Up The Knives 13:40 Creating A Hollow Grind - Finding The Correct Angle 16:02 Creating A Hollow Grind On The Tormek 18:13 Setting Up Knife No. 2 20:25 Tips For Using The Tormek 22:09 My Hand Sharpening Set Up 25:19 How I Hand Sharpen My Knives 29:00 The Leather Strop 31:08 Looking At The Sharp Knife - Reflections 32:27 Hewning Knife No. 2 32:58 Using The Tormek To Strop - Tips 35:28 Comparing The Two Knives 35:55 Testing The Two Knives - Satisfying 37:58 My Words Of Wisdom And Useful Tips 43:27 Thank You And Goodbye Next Month, I will take a look at my lovely collection of HOOK KNIVES and how I go about sharpening them.