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80crv2 spiked hawk

Hello, newbie here.

I'm trying to make my first knife, and my biggest problem is getting a clean plunge line.

I'm using a belt grinder with ceramic belts on a polyester backing (Bora7) in 80 or 120 grit, and I grind with a jig. I let the belt overhang the platen, following Sorrells' rule, by the thickness of the steel bar I'm using for the blade. However, I always end up with a step at the plunge line, like in the picture. This step is so pronounced that I can lift the blank with my fingernail under the edge of the ridge.

I want to achieve a crisp, rounded plunge line...

Could the issue, besides my lack of skills, be due to the belt being too tight or too stiff? Please help! I'm trying with both annealed and hardened steel... I've already ruined a lot of material and can't figure it out!

Thanks!

https://preview.redd.it/orrkq1qbd94e1.png?width=800&format=png&auto=webp&s=34abd684db2a9938cb2311af457025ecd9b7e286

Please ignore the handle. I know it's shite. Avacado for scale no banana available. Made from a bronze plaque with a typo. Roughed out with a grinder then hand peened. Aged with a variety of methods. May turn it into a spear if I can find the right wood

I wanted go make a spookeshave but I don't have availability of tool steel likes A2/O1/D2... Is there any other steel I can use that are any good for tools blade or i have to find a way to obtain tool steel. The only way I could have A2 Is by re-forging a bolt, made of that steel, into a flat bar

Would it be possible to make a “butcher block” style handle for a hidden tang knife? I was thinking it would be pretty to make a handle out of a mixture of dark and light colored woods.

Is there anything I should be worried about in this project?

Looking for the best bang for your buck abrasives for my grizzly 2x42. I currently use combat, but am seeing some cheaper options out there… empire, benchmark, phoenix. Any thoughts?

The photo from 1902 shows knife grinders in France working on their stomachs. This unusual position was adopted to protect their backs from strain and prevent them from being hunched over all day. It was a part of their routine to lie prone while grinding blades, especially in places like Thiers, known for knife manufacturing. Interestingly, workers also had dogs lie across their legs for warmth, adding a quirky detail to this historical practice.

I was playing with an app that supposedly you draw a knife and it will make it. I doubt I will ever use this app, but it was cool to play with it.

I recently made a drawing of a "sloyd" wood carving knife based on the Mora #106 or Flexcut KN50. I think the shape is called "harpoon".

When I did this the application warned me that the tip might be too fine to survive heat treating.

This makes sense but this is the first time I have seen such a reference.

So does a very pointy knife need to be HT with a more rounded or squared off tip and ground to shape during sharpening? Or does one simply make it longer than needed and take care of it the same as a broken tip?

How much is enough?