Traditionally, freehand grinding is considered one of the finest skills a knife maker can master. At the same time, it is also one of the hardest skills to learn properly.

I have ground thousands of blade bevels freehand over the years, and I still do the occasional freehand grind. However, a number of years ago I switched to grinding using a rotating flat platen combined with a fixture to hold the blade. The main reason for this change was a repetitive strain injury in my right hand, caused by years of hands-on grinding.

Fortunately, this transition happened around the same time Hardcore Grinders developed their carbide rotary platen, and today the majority of my work is done using this setup. Knowing that I had fully mastered freehand grinding before making the switch gives me complete confidence in that decision. It is very similar to the whole yes/no CNC debate that was going on about a decade ago. Knowing full well that I could make great knives without CNC made that choice easy as well. All that said. Every single knife that comes out of the Anso shop still has the edge free hand ground by me.

Now, back to the question at hand.
The best way to practice freehand grinding, in my book, is to follow these guidelines:

First, use a high-alloy steel and grind after hardening. This has several advantages, but one in particular relates to freehand grinding: high-alloy steel in its hardened state offers more resistance, which means it requires more force to create the grind. This may sound counterintuitive, but at least for me it provides a much better feel for the steel before too much material is removed.

The next tip comes directly from one of the old masters himself, Bob Loveless, who describes the process in his 1977 book How to Make Knives: “Keep your elbows braced closely against your ribs.” This gives you control and ensures that most of the movement comes from your torso rather than your hands.

Another piece of old-timer advice is to consider abrasive belts as essentially disposable. This can be tough advice to follow when you are a novice knife maker working on a budget, but sharp belts cut better, create more defined grinds, and significantly reduce the risk of ruining your work.

The final piece of advice—for now—is to keep making the same blade model again and again. It is much easier to understand and refine a difficult process when you remove unnecessary variables. There is no need to complicate things by working on daggers, folders, swords, or other challenging projects if grinding is where you need to focus. A reasonably sized outdoor-style fixed blade is an excellent place to practice. Keeping the time invested in the project prior to grinding to a minimum also helps reduce tension when you finally step up to the grinder.