Aspiring Knifemaker with Questions about Craftsman 2x42 and jigs.

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leozinho

Joined
Jan 7, 2005
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I've gotten the bug to make knives, and hope you guys will indulge a question.

My goals are pretty modest. Make some user knives for myself and family and friends. I plan on following the advice and use 1084 from Aldo and do a home heat treat. Perhaps when I'm able to grind a decent knife I'll move to a different steel and send it off for a HT.

I'm currently watching Craigslist for a Craftsman 2x42, but I'm a bit worried. I could never freestyle sharpen very well, so I'm having a hard time imagining how I'll be able to put a decent grind on a knife. (The answer is with practice, but still...) Has anyone created a jig for the Craftsman? Could you not lean the belt back at an extreme angle and use the tool rest as a jig? (I don't know if that's possible.)

I've seen Fred's bubble jig, which would also be an option, but seems that really comes into it's own for convex grinds.

Just like my goals, my budget is pretty modest, so I won't be able to follow any suggestions telling me to just get a KMG. :)

Thanks.
 
You should check your local pawn shops also.I started with a Craftsman and a couple of 1x30's i picked up used.My craftsman i bought new for $99. shipped.I mainly did cleanups,rehandles,and sharpening and they are great for that.There are many here that make beautiful knives with them,but i cant include myself in that group.Here's a link with good info. http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...0-belt-sander-from-sears?highlight=2x42+knife
 
My only tip is do not use a jig. I just sort of jumped into knife making on a whim. I have made over 10 knives now and the experience of grinding free hand accumulates quickly. Patience and practice and in no time you have perfect grinds with minimal effort.

To me using a jig kind of takes the "handmade" out of custom knives. Call me a traditionalist.
 
Fred's bubble guide is for flat grinds, though it can be used other ways, it is excellent as a reference point. You're still freehanding but not guessing. It's worth ten times what he charges. Don't bother with the clamp though, not with the 2x42. It just doesn't work with the grinder unfortunately. If you plan to hand file plunge lines it'd be worthwhile though.

Give it a try, it takes a little practice but not that long to get the basics. After that it's the little details that get ya. You can go from total newbie to "ok" with just a knife or two and a few days work. After that it's a lifetime's journey of improvement.
 
I used jigs (2x4's with different angles cut on the side) when I first started and the fred's bubble jig for awhile. They were like my training wheels when I was starting. They helped but they are meant to just guide you till you can get to the point of not using them!
 
Like anything else worth doing, learning to grind takes practice.

I personally wouldn't bother with a jig unless I was making Scandi ground knives.
 
You can make any number of jigs for any kind of machine or grinding, but I typically encourage new makers especially to really try learning free hand grinding first.

That, or at the very least, try free handing 10 knives for every 5 you make with a jig. Jigs are great for instant gratifacation, but they become somewhat of a crutch and even a hindrance when you want to expand into different shaped grinds, or different kinds of knives. When you need to take a different direction on a project, embellish a little more on a blade, or make a repair on the fly, you'll start to see how limiting jigs can really be.

All that being said, I will say that Fred's Bubble Jig is a great learning tool and it really only takes SOME of the guess work out of free handing. I've not used or owned one myself, but it seems like more of a stepping stone to learn free handing than something that all but makes the knife for you.
 
Leozinho a lot of good advice and info on this site from people that have been making knives far longer than me. My advice would be to take your time and practice. Consider your goals and what you are comfortable with and don't be afraid to try different things untill you find what works for you and your tools. I use what would be a non-standard setup with jigs or rests. See this link. http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/830001-Introduction-thanks-some-WIP-PIC-heavy-and-some-questions. I have made a few knives but what I have found most useful is starting out grinding at least one practice knife out of cheap steel I will never finish. I read somewhere some guys even use paint stirring sticks to practice.
 
Remyrw said:
Fred's bubble guide is for flat grinds, though it can be used other ways, it is excellent as a reference point. You're still freehanding but not guessing. It's worth ten times what he charges. Don't bother with the clamp though, not with the 2x42. It just doesn't work with the grinder unfortunately. If you plan to hand file plunge lines it'd be worthwhile though.

Give it a try, it takes a little practice but not that long to get the basics. After that it's the little details that get ya. You can go from total newbie to "ok" with just a knife or two and a few days work. After that it's a lifetime's journey of improvement.
Click to expand...

Remyrw
I agree with everything you say about the bubble jig, except about the clamp, and I use a "mighty" Sears 2X42.

I made my own clamp and think I would use it with or without the Bubble Jig. My thinking is that it is tough to sense the angle of the blade in relation to the grinding belt, but when you add an "arm" sticking out another 6 inches or so then it becomes a little bit easier to tell. It also gives you extra "stuff" to hold on to in addition to just the blade.

- Paul Meske
 
I recently made 2 or 3 knives with a craftsman 2x42, and as expected, made quite a few mistakes.

I was blaming the grinder whenever I could. :-)

Then I decided to cut a stack of "blanks" out of some 1X birch that I had laying around the shop.

I very quickly learned a lot in a very short time.

This in very valuable when learning how best to do the plunge cuts, and keeping the grind even while rolling around the belly, etc.

In addition, I'm left with a nice wooden pattern if I like the result.

I've found that handling a 3D wooden knife can be a very good indicator of changes to be made to the design.

~mike
 
I started out grinding completely freehand, but still ended up with persistent problems. Mainly due to that first contact with the belt. Fred's Bubble jig really helped me correct that problem. Nowadays, with commission knives, I'll do the first 3 or 4 passes on the bubble, just to set the angle and then go onto grinding completely freehand.
 
Hope its OK if I add a comment or two.
In retrospect, I should have given my invention a different name. The name should have been The Angle Teacher or The Pitch Reference; but neither has the ring of The Bubble Jig. That's just what we called the handy little gadget I glued together to help us grind better blades.
The reason its so use full to beginners is; when you make your first try at freehanding a blade your muscle memory has no idea what a 3 degree grind is, or a 10 degree or a 2 degree grind. You have no point of reference, your just guessing. When you talk with other makers who grind using the bubble, the conversation is about degrees, its about the angles used to grind a specific blade. If someone says I just ground this fighter, it has 2 1/2 degree bevels. Ever one knows what he's talking about. They can produce the same grind.

For the maker who has ground say 500 blades, as I have, the bubble is still applicable. As stated above; set the bevels using the bubble and once their established, finish the bevels without it. The grinds are always identical for that particular blade.

So instead of limiting what you are capable of grinding , using the bubble as a reference adds to the possibilities.

I'm heading for the shop, I've got a couple of 2 1/2 degree bevel fighters that need finished. :D

Happy grinding, Fred
 
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