Main Discussion Area > English Warbow
Question on bow nocks
stuckinthemud:
Take off the bench grinder shrouds, put them on backwards (I know, it sounds stupid), now your wheel direction is reversed, sparks go up/forwards (wear eye protection!) BUT the work cannot 'catch' the wheel and pull you into the machine, nor can it 'catch' and pull down into your femoral artery/jump out of your hands and impale your toes - all it can do is bounce and skip on the wheel. Also, it cannot 'catch' and chip the thing you are grinding, if your doing something delicate like re-grinding a chisel. Some people find the shrouds a PITA and take them off to allow access to the whole of the wheel allowing easy changes of angle of attack, but I would never advocate removing a valuable H+S innovation >:D
By the by, why are you grinding horn? It's super soft and a very course emery cloth, or decent rasp, or even a nice sharp whittling knife (or all of the above) has always worked for me
WillS:
I just set those work platforms as close as possible, and ALWAYS rest the work on them. Impossible for the wheel to bite/kick them downwards that way, and sparks flying upwards is always a risk. It is nice having them running backwards for sharpening blades however.
You got the shape spot on, it's that nice piked profile the originals have.
Agree with Stuck about the horn - bit of practice and a sharp knife (kept sharp with the grinder ;) ) gets them shaped and finished beautifully. You can even polish them with a knife which is nice. I've never liked those super shiny, over-polished nocks as they're so un-medieval. A good scrape and a rub of wax and you're good!
Ruddy Darter:
Hi stuckinthemud, WillS, I only use the bench grinder to shape the flat drill bit, I'm not going to shape horn on it at all (it's also advised not to grind soft materials, including soft metals, with these wheels, can clog the wheel and cause other hazards according to the manufacturer.)
I sharpen all my chisels and bladed tools by hand with different grade diamond sharpening stones and would probably only use the grinder for chipped or broken edged tools and then finish with the stones. It's not something I will use often. (Why I bought the cheapest available :D.).
To shape the horn nock I will use knife, rasps, (coping saw works nice to rough shape and take large bits off easily) scrape smooth with Stanley blade and fine sanding cloth, like you advise.
I tested out the shaped drill bit on some wood and works o.k, the hole diameter is bang on 12mm.
(I'm waiting on some horn I've ordered.)
Thanks,
R.D.
WillS:
Cracking job, well done!
I found that as soon as I had a bench grinder, I was using it for so much more than I thought I would!
stuckinthemud:
I pretty much only used my bench grinder for sharpening gouges - I put on some decent honing wheels - and running reversed wheels was pretty much essential but then I discovered the power-file and my grinder never saw the light of day again
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