Honing plane longer on one side...

[Tore LR]

I'm not really any good in writing English, and my lack of right terminology will show for sure. But here we go:

I have a T3 and use the knife jig. On most knifes it works fin, but some times I get a longer "honing plane" (the grinded part of the blade) on one side and shorter on the other. What do I do wrong?

[Jeff Farris]

Most people for whom English is their first language would not have explained that nearly as well.   

There are two issues involved that you need to watch closely.  The first is how the knife is clamped into the jig.  The knife can be locked in the jig such that the blade is not parallel with the axis of the jig, depending on the shape of the blade.  Make sure that you grip the knife in the jig such that the blade is parallel with the shaft of the jig. Gripping the blade at the very back of the edge will help in this regard.  Many people put the blade too deep into the jig.

Next is grinding time.  The knife jig forces you to be somewhat ambidextrous. That's your new English word for today, and it means that you need to be both right and left handed. When you're doing the more unnatural side of the blade, it is very easy to quit too soon, simply because it is awkward and uncomfortable.  It improves with practice, I promise you.  Make sure that you give both sides of the blade equal grinding time.

[Tore LR]

Thanks for nice input on this one, Jeff. I think I just have to practice some more, cause I try to follow your advice, but still it seems like the "honing plane", and of course the angle, is different on one side of the blade compared with the other. Hmmm, practice practice....

Edit: After reading a bit on this excellent forum, I think that the right term for what I'm talking about is "the bevel". The Bevel is longer on one side compared to the other...

[Jeff Farris]

Tore,

Yes, bevel is the term for the ground plane.

If the angle of the two bevels is very close to the same, but one is longer than the other, then the issue is grinding time.  If the angles are significantly different, then the issue is that the knife is clamped in the jig out of parallel with the axis of the jig.