Hollow Grinder Jig

[Matthew Gregory]

Actually it aint too bad if you deburr and round things up nicely first and GO SLOOOOOOOW till you get used to it.

That's funny as heck!

YIKES!

I can't believe that dirty old coot IG hasn't chimed in here, yet.


BACK ON TOPIC!

How many people here use a jig for their hollow grinds? Please post, I'm interested to know...

 

[Steve Hayden]

Actually it aint too bad if you deburr and round things up nicely first and GO SLOOOOOOOW till you get used to it.

Be careful you don't stab your hamster...

 

[fitzo]

......How many people here use a jig for their hollow grinds? Please post, I'm interested to know...

I bought one of those expensive jigs from a knfe supply catalog for a student-friend a few years back when I was trying to teach him and he was having a tough time. It was a waste of money. Like so many jigs, it dictates what you can and can't do in terms of knife design. It took a great deal of fine setup and basically had to be readjusted for each design, rendering it useless for the "one-off" maker. I also found it dangerous, in that it had a tendency to want to drag the blade down into the space between workrest and grinder when one tried to rock the blade to grind the belly curve and tip. My friend realized a nasty slice in his hand in one such instance. When I thought perhaps I had set it up wrong, an extended conversation with the retailer indicated that they, too, considered it more a limitation than a boon and agreed it could be a hazard.

All in all, I found it a terrible waste of money. Others mileage will vary, I'm sure. I learned freehand, though, and there is no substitute for that.

I ended up lending the jig to a friend in TN, who found it equally unwieldy. It then got sent to another TN guy, a newbie who also found it not to his liking. It now resides in a box somewhere in Johnson City, TN. It holds the box in place quite well, I'm told.

It would probably work well for someone who designed their work to fit the jig, and made each style in batches.

The two simple jigs I've seen that seem to have some usefulness are the angle iron folder blade holder of Higgy's and the platen "surround" for flat grinding from the Jones boys. I'll personally stick to "no workrest, no jig" freehand grinding for bevels.

 

[fitzo]

duplicate post...sorry

 

[Bruce Bump]

I invented a pendelum style apparatus that worked really good but I loaned it to a friend and never saw it again. I was forced to grind freehand and now it comes easy for me. Its just time spent at the wheel, the more the better.

 

[rashid11]

- buy or build a 2x72 _belt_ grinder

- one CAN use a very simple yet effective jig for flat or hollow grinding. To see what it is and how it works, rent http://smartflix.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=1041

- when you get good , you will realize you don't need no stinking jig
I think nothing beats good ole pair of hands we all got, and there's no limit
to how accurate/minute your control can get, as you improve.

But, one thing that jig helps with is keeping yer fingers away from 5000 SFPM 50 grit belt ! That thing will eat yer flesh off faster than a flock of piranas, so be careful. The wounds hurt like the dickens and take forever to heal.