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Abrasives and belt grinding in a working knife shop

Abrasives

Grinding and Sharpening 154CM: Belt Recommendations & Technique

Belt recommendations, grit progression, and sharpening tips for grinding 154CM on a 2x72 belt grinder. Free guide from Torus CNC's ForgeBrain.

1 min readWritten by Rich LinvilleFree to read

154CM has a well-earned reputation as one of the easier premium stainless steels to grind and finish, which is a big part of why it became the workhorse steel behind decades of production knives. It sits in the moderate range for belt demand, tougher on belts than simple carbon steels but noticeably easier than harder-edged CPM steels like S30V or CPM 20CV.

Open folding knife with a satin-ground blade and olive-grey scales resting flat on a dark padded shop bench.

Belt Selection

Standard ceramic or good-quality zirconia belts handle 154CM well. It does not demand the premium structured abrasives that harder, more carbide-heavy steels benefit from.

Maroon and blue-green abrasive belt strips draped over a wooden dowel on iron stands, cloth backing visible in the bends.

Grit Progression

StageGrit
Profiling / heavy stock removal50
Bevel refinement80
Pre-finish120
Finish grinding220

Technique

Standard technique applies well: moderate belt speed, light controlled passes, and a coolant mister to protect the temper. 154CM’s forgiving nature means less babysitting of belt condition compared to harder CPM steels.

Brass coolant nozzle sprays mist at a knife tip touching a vertical belt, with water draining into the tray below.

Sharpening

154CM sharpens easily and responds well to standard sharpening stones. It does not require diamond or CBN abrasives, one of the reasons it remained the go-to premium stainless steel for so many production knife makers for decades.

Hands hold a small fixed blade at a shallow angle on a pale ceramic bench stone in a black base, with dark swarf streaks.

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