Mill file for extreme re-profiling?

[JWK1]

I got an old, abused Dexter cleaver a number of years ago. High carbon steel. It had been sharpened so badly over the years that the choil end is far less high than the other end. In between, it's ridiculously uneven. I would like to re-profile the blade so that the tip and choil have the same height on the blade, and the profile curve matches a CCK cleaver. This would leave me with a cleaver with noticeably less height to the blade, and a lot of thinning to do behind the edge.

Seeing as there is no significant value to this blade, I was wondering if it would be practical to clamp the blade down and take a ******* file for the re-profiling, and maybe even use a finer mill file for the initial thinning behind the edge. An experiment project, if you will. I have no belt sander of grinding wheel of any sort, and I can't imagine taking this much metal off for profiling with stones, no matter how course.

Has anyone done something like this for extreme cases? What do you think? Thanks.

 

[deltaplex]

I got an old, abused Dexter cleaver a number of years ago. High carbon steel. It had been sharpened so badly over the years that the choil end is far less high than the other end. In between, it's ridiculously uneven. I would like to re-profile the blade so that the tip and choil have the same height on the blade, and the profile curve matches a CCK cleaver. This would leave me with a cleaver with noticeably less height to the blade, and a lot of thinning to do behind the edge.

Seeing as there is no significant value to this blade, I was wondering if it would be practical to clamp the blade down and take a ******* file for the re-profiling, and maybe even use a finer mill file for the initial thinning behind the edge. An experiment project, if you will. I have no belt sander of grinding wheel of any sort, and I can't imagine taking this much metal off for profiling with stones, no matter how course.

Has anyone done something like this for extreme cases? What do you think? Thanks.

I don't know how hard that Dexter cleaver is, so using a file may or may not be worthwhile for what you're trying to do. That said, I'm going to guess it's in the mid 50's, maybe even high 50's, for HRC and a file isn't going to be a very efficient tool for doing the kind of work you're talking about. You'd be better off going to pick up a Norton Tool stone for <$10 and using that with some oil for the macro stock removal than tying to find a file that's not going to skate on that hardened steel and that won't be dulled before you're done, IMO.

Don't plan on getting all the material removed in one go, your hands and forearms will be much better off if you start in shorter stints with a decent amount of rest in between. That way you're not removing material you don't want due to fatigue, and you don't end up giving yourself a repetitive stress injury from going too hard too quickly.

 

[stringer]

+1

 

[Desert Rat]

I've taken a file to a couple of vintage cleavers. It will just depend on how hard the steel is and how good of a file you have.

One nice thing about files is there is no chance of ruining the temper, so they are nice and safe.

I do a lot of vintage axes that are found in roughly the same hrc range, and I ruin a lot of files, just saying.

 

[Mr.Wizard]

I have no belt sander of grinding wheel of any sort, and I can't imagine taking this much metal off for profiling with stones, no matter how course.

Same situation here. If it will bite a Bahco file is faster than any stone I've tried, the fastest of those being the Manticore by BXCO.

There are tungsten carbide files made by Severance that would presumably be up to the job. They're far from inexpensive, but if you don't have a spot for a belt grinder it might be the best option.

 

[refcast]

I've done this with files. I went back to using stones. The files dull, but the stone abrasives stay sharp. I've done it to a couple knives. Files are too slow in my opinion. Use sticky back sandpaper on wood or something. Much better if you're going that route and not stones. Rhynostick was what I used, the 150 grit is pretty good grit for coarse work.

Ive used diamond plates, and a tungsten carbide flattening plate and sandpaper is better still, sharper abrasive. Well, atoma can be good but it dulls

 

[Benuser]

Very happy @deltaplex and @stringer made me clear I'm not the only one finding heavy thinning a painful job. Stringer's two-minutes rule is a great find.

 

[Mr Kooby Shemayrew]

Amazon sells cheap Chinese 3x18” belt sanders down around $50, and it comes with belts. There is a model that you can flip over and bolt it to a table upside down. You buy belts from 40 grit up to 1000 grit.

There really is no replacement for power tools in some situations.

My mother in law put a massive chip in a heavy stainless cleaver trying to wooden-hammer it through a porcupine fish’s mouth. I had to take several mm off the entire edge to bring it back to the chip. That was a lot of work on a belt sander.

Also I once purchased a stamped non-edged gyuto from IbukiBladeBlanks, stainless clad with a hap40 core. It’s basically a flat press-out of the blade, same thickness all the way around, no taper anywhere. I thought that would be easy with a belt sander. Nope. That was ridiculous with a belt sander. I will never NEVER do that one again.

 

[JWK1]

Thanks for all the replies. Yes, I believe the cleaver is in the mid to high 50s on the R scale. I didn't realize that was hard relative to most consumer grade files. As you could guess, metal working is not actually a hobby of mine.

It's good to know. I'll dull it completely on a cinder block and then see how some various abrasives work. I've got a couple of Chan Chi Kee cleavers that I actually like a lot, and they've got some profiling work to do also, but not nearly as much as the Dexter. I'll make all my mistakes and hone my methods before tackling the others.

 

[HumbleHomeCook]

Very happy @deltaplex and @stringer made me clear I'm not the only one finding heavy thinning a painful job. Stringer's two-minutes rule is a great find.

My two big thinning jobs told me that power is the way to go. I was very, very nervous about it the first time I went to the belt sander but I dulled the edge, kept ice water right there, made quick passes on the (fresh) belt and took my time overall and ended up gaining a good bit of confidence. Still not something I want to do that often but it cured me of my super low-grit heavy-thinning stone search.