Hand made Knife Sharpening Jig

I have seen some jigs on the internet for giving a knife blank a "grind" or profile.  This is the step before the final edge that is used for cutting.   I have started to work scrap metal into knives, so I thought I would try my hand at making  one of these jigs.

I wanted it to 1)  fit my small work bench  / project  table,  2) be inexpensive, 3) be easy to construct, 4)  really work!

Step 1: Wooden Base Assembly

My first step was to gather some scraps of wood.  I had oak  on hand.  I think anything would work as long as it is not warped.  Plywood would be fine, too.

I cut the pieces to form a "T".

I cut the long  piece  to fit across my work table, so I could clamp the finished "T"  top and bottom.

A board was placed across the top of the "T"  pilot holes drilled, then screwed together.

Comments

[Ortzinator]

Any idea how to clamp the knife when it has a handle?

[Phil B]

This is a nice home adaptation of the Lansky knife sharpening system. I had thought about how to do an adaptation of their system, but yours is a better, more versatile system than anything I had imagined for myself.

[deebee2u]

I've never seen a "Lansky system"...??

[Phil B]

Here is a photo of the Lansky knife sharpening system in use.  Here is a link to buy one.  They have different models at different prices, depending on how many stones come with the set and whether they are a common abrasive or diamond. 

[Dave54321]

Miss Popular Mechanics ? Well they are all on line
google search POPULAR MECHANICS + YOUR SEARCH ARTICLE

For this example I chose (Jigsaw)

http://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&tbo=1&q=popular+mechanics+1950+%2B+jigsaw&btnG=#pq=popular+mechanics+1950+%2B+jigsaw&hl=en&sugexp=pfwl&ds=bo&cp=18&gs_id=p&xhr=t&q=popular+mechanics++%2B+jigsaw&pf=p&sclient=psy-ab&tbo=1&tbm=bks&source=hp&pbx=1&oq=popular+mechanics++%2B+jigsaw&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&gs_sm=&gs_upl=&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.,cf.osb&fp=ce37751bc6e5d6d6&biw=1007&bih=611&bs=1

You can look up magazines from before you were born
Happy Reading Phil
from a old fan of Popular Mechanic Mag's

[Phil B]

Thanks. I did an Instructable on some great home workshop projects in some of those magazines. Click on this link.

[deebee2u]

Thanks

[Foxtrot70]

After looking at this it appears that this could be scaled up to handle axes of any size. A really nice finished edge is accomplished with this. Great Instructable!

[Malhecho]

i think i might build one to get my machete sharp. i just cant nail the angle. how much pressure do you typically use?

[makingcustomknives]

This is an excellent idea for cutting a consistent bevel. Kudos.

[Pokololo]

I can see how confusing it may be as I wondered the same thing, I think what sawtooth1953 is asking is do you use the file under the rod like a pendulem going along the knife edge? or do you use the file like a hacksaw useing the full lenth of the file?


If I may paraphrase, sawtooth1953 it would be more like your just using the file to sharpen the knife on it's own holding the file at each end like a motorcycle handlebar, and the rod is just a guide to keep you steady on the angle

I hope this helps

[deebee2u]

I wear protective gloves, hold the file with two hands one at each end of the file. The rod stabilizes the grip and keeps the file aligned. I only push the file from the edge toward the spine. Never "saw" with a file. The pendulum idea will not work.

[bradster2256]

I learned from my grandpa when I was young to use a stone by hand...not to be mean or anything but what if you need to sharpen your knives somewhere other than your workshop...I'd recommend buying some cheap knives dulling the hell out of them then learn to sharpen your knives on a stone by hand. It's a good skill to have. some interesting things you can use to sharpen your knives car Windows , the cocking serations on your glock ( the Austrian army does it all the time ) , ceramic pottery , and the bottom of certain glass bottles.

[deebee2u]

Thanks for your reply... I agree with you.

However I made the jig to profile the blade of hand made knives. This is sharpening in the most general sense. Not the final steps with I like to do by hand as you can read in the last photo of the Instructable: "Ready for hand sharpening / strop."

[earlye]

This isn't about putting a final edge on the blade, but about getting a profile ready for final sharpening. See his last step...

[maxman]

Do you work down one side of the blade then flip it over and do the other side? If so, how do you make sure you are working eachside equally?

[deebee2u]

Good Question
Yes. I can realign the blade after flip over by keeping the blade parallel to the edge of the block of wood. I eye ball the parallel aliignment.

[Topcat2021]

Good Job your jig looks very useful, I think that I'll make one of these myself as I have a few good candidates in the shop that need some attention.
Keep up the good work
Dan

[sawtooth1953]

Creative, indeed!
You wrote: "To use the jig, place a metal file under the rod and on top of the knife." and "By changing the placement of the rod in the hole, you can change the angle of the file "grind"."

I was wondering how long the file should sit under the rod and on top of the knife in order for the knife to become sharp. Just kidding... there has to be some technique of holding the flat file against the round rod, no? It seems like the file would slip easily unless taped to the rod, no? Maybe a pic or two showing a knife being sharpened?

Thanks,
Spence

[deebee2u]

I have found that all I need to do is hold the file with two hands - one at either end of the file. The file does not slip. Hand grip alone has worked very well. I too thought that I would have to tape the file in place. Perhaps this would work if you wanted to only use one hand.

[MadBricoleur]

wow, very useful.

[theouro]

Thats amazing! very creative!