How to 'square up things' ?

In my knifemaking attempts I am often fighting to square up stuff - in particular wood blocks for handle making. I do realise that good quality equipment is part of that, but I guess I could improve a lot if I were to use a proper technique. At the moment I only have 1x30" 250W belt sander that also has a 125 mm disc sander on the side. I am usually using the disc sander to square up handle blocks but it is next to impossible to get a right angle irrespectively how much effort I invest in squaring the work-rest. I will not get properly ground block in neither vertical, nor horizontal direction. I even have that little thingy that allows me to hold one side of the block that is being ground perpendicular to the disc. Still, the results are poor.

I should have a proper 2x72" in a month or two (or so I hope), but even there I will need a proper technique.

I would appreciate your help & advice, thank you.

Freehand it. Look at it, take a little, use a square to check if you feel like it. I tend to trust my eyes. Whenever I've tried gettibg tools to do it for me they're always more off than my eyes will catch instantly, so for me it's just as well to freehand it from the start.

I use a strip of aluminum angle as a guide, clamped 90deg square to the face of the disc. I've found that the leading edge (and the outside) gets reduced fastest so changing it up by flipping the block is important. I use a tap-tap-tap method vs push, this helps greatly.

Also, reduce the size of the block as much as possible before trying to go for the perfect squaring up. I rough square, then cut, then rough again all before I go for the squaring up perfection.

How do you do with flattening scales?

Robin, you must have a hell of an eye Seriously - I am up to certain precision able to see that things are off, but getting them fixed free hand is in different category. I will need to think how I could reach that.

Dave - I have to admit that I have 'discovered' that frequent turning and tapping improves things. Reducing the size is a good idea, thanks. I have not flattened scales yet, as the only knife that will not have integral handle did not get that far yet I am trying to learn to make WA handles - seems demanding enough But once I will get there I would first get the best possible job done with the disc grinder and then finish on flat (stone) surface and sanding paper taped to it.

I use a big piece of granite with a sheet of sandpaper. Long pulls in every direction with even pressure. Seems to provide my best attempts at finish squaring.

Just for future reference...

I don't use the table when flattening scales. I freehand using the top of the disc. Then I turn the disc off and hand flatten against the un-spinning disc. I find this the quickest and most precise way to do it, even compared with using the granite plate/sandpaper.

60x discs are my favorite, I don't even go finer than that.

RDalman said:

Freehand it. Look at it, take a little, use a square to check if you feel like it. I tend to trust my eyes. Whenever I've tried gettibg tools to do it for me they're always more off than my eyes will catch instantly, so for me it's just as well to freehand it from the start.

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This is exactly my experience too. The eye is a far more complex, and more importantly, nuanced tool than anything you can buy.

I've been just eyeballing it on the disk sander when squaring tops and bottoms of wa handles. So far so good.

Speaking of top and bottoms of wa handles...Stefan makes sure that the handles stand straight on a table when viewed from all angles, keeps me from bitchin' during install.

I'm a little late to the party here, but consider installing a foot-switch to your grinder. Sometimes the approach/removal of your work-piece from a disc allows your hand positioning to waver and "crash" the handle material. If you stop/start the disc by foot, then you reduce that chance.
-Mark

Mark, you are not late at all. That is a good point. One indeed needs to be careful during the approach/removal. I have so far reached some improvements - in particular when turning the handle block and only grinding for a short period of time on each side. I guess I will start to get better results once I will get some more robust tools, but at the same time learning how to get the most out of the 'imperfect' tools one has seems to be the key. There are no 'perfect' tools out there anyhow

When I was helping Stefan get out of the weeds before he left Hawaii leveling pieces was one of my jobs, made me appreciate how much work goes into wa handles. Used stone block with sandpaper. One side of a metal square on the ends to see any light coming through.

Don't have Dave's skills on a sander did most of it freehand.

Still have some choice Hawaiian Signature that I really like & African blackwood. I just moved too. That in itself was big job on both ends. Only have my 1X42 Kalamazoo sander that works great for a hobby guy like me. Need a way to cut bevels don't want a sander making a lot of dust thinking of a small router can clamp to my table. Believe Mikey uses a router.

How about a block plane?

Block plane is nice for straightgrain natural woods. Not so much for the ends which is most important imo, and figured woods. Stabilized woods and synthetics would bot work well either, too hard to cut and dulls the blade

I've destroyed two Wa handles because I can't square up blocks properly or cut in the diagonals properly. I definitely can't do it freehand on a powered sander. I would probably do a better job if I was blind. I will need to try the flat stone or grinding on my disc sander with the power off. Doing it powered is obviously too much for me.

rogue108 said:

I've destroyed two Wa handles because I can't square up blocks properly or cut in the diagonals properly. I definitely can't do it freehand on a powered sander. I would probably do a better job if I was blind. I will need to try the flat stone or grinding on my disc sander with the power off. Doing it powered is obviously too much for me.

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While I have not destroyed a handle yet, the diagonal grinds on a octagonal handle that I make have a very obvious 'hand made' look to them. I fould out that too coarse grit cuts too fast to control how the sanding is going on. I use today #80 on a low power (250W) tiny little 5" dics sander and control the results regularly.

At the same time - looking at the some of the production (and even one quasi custom) octagonal handles I can notice deviations from an symmetrical octagonal shape too, so I do not sweat little deviations so much, not at the moment at least. Maybe one day I will make a rig that will help me to keep costant, pre-defined angle while sanding the octagonal shape. For now I am working on improving my skills in free-hand sanding (but using a work-rest of course). Seing the handles from makers like Ian Haburn just makes me wonder - how the hell do they do that so perfectly?

Funny you should mention Ian....he lives about five blocks away from me and has said it would be okay if I dropped in for a visit, I just haven't followed through. If I ever get over there, and if I learn any "secrets" in his handle process, you'll be the first to know!
-Mark

NO ChoP! said:

I use a big piece of granite with a sheet of sandpaper. Long pulls in every direction with even pressure. Seems to provide my best attempts at finish squaring.

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Dan P. said:

This is exactly my experience too. The eye is a far more complex, and more importantly, nuanced tool than anything you can buy.

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While I might use a 2x72 to clean up cuts from a band saw, I agree with these fellows. Sandpaper, adhesive and chunk of marble or granite works great. Especially if you're using a 220g sheet, it'll make quick work of it. It may not be the fastest route, but it's the most controllable. Also having a pencil handy to scribble across your working surface helps to make sure you're not leaving any low spots.

MaumasiFireArts said:

While I might use a 2x72 to clean up cuts from a band saw, I agree with these fellows. Sandpaper, adhesive and chunk of marble or granite works great. Especially if you're using a 220g sheet, it'll make quick work of it. It may not be the fastest route, but it's the most controllable. Also having a pencil handy to scribble across your working surface helps to make sure you're not leaving any low spots.

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That works well to flatten what should be flat and I use that too., But not to make hure that all sides of a block and 90 deg. to each other.

I make a few passes through a small drum sander to flatten one side, flip it to flatten the opposite more or less parallel, and then run it through a table saw and flip and repeat. I then use a sheet of glass with paper and a square to square it up from there. Seems to work pretty well. My cheapo planer and jointer tore up figured woods and burls.

Matus said:

That works well to flatten what should be flat and I use that too., But not to make hure that all sides of a block and 90 deg. to each other.

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A small machinist square, sandpaper, marble, some elbow grease and attention to detail sure will get you far.

MaumasiFireArts said:

A small machinist square, sandpaper, marble, some elbow grease and attention to detail sure will get you far.

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Since I have everything you have just mentioned it is hard to find an excuse I gess it is not going to be easy to change an inclination of an already flat side in the intended direction. But I will surely try.