is the "smart jig" from KnifeJigs.com any good?

[AVigil]

In that case, you could mount it on a clamp so you wouldn't get water in it. I have never dunked the tang in water when I do the bevel. The only time I do it is when I am cutting the outline of the knife.

That is way to much to deal with. Having electronics attached to a hot blade is an accident waiting to happen.

Once a knifemaker learns that when the grind from the edge of the blade meets the desired distance up the blade, on both side, is the exact same angle these "angle indicators" become redundant.

 

[Mitchell Knives]

Seems like an overly expensive toy IMO.

I doubt it would last very long in the average shop between the heat and the water.

 

[SmartJig]

Wow, I am kinda shocked that this is an actual product. If you need help grinding then get a bubble jig.
First thing I noticed was the exposed USB port that faces the grinder. Save your $200 and use it to buy steel and belts and practice. This thing does not help you when you get to the nose and need to sweep the grind. This is the area where most have issues anyway.

I think innovation in knife making tech is always a good thing. However, I don't see the virtue of the SmartJig.

99.8% of the jigs out there operate on the same basic principle (outlined here https://youtu.be/jj4ffxIPTT8). If you want to work with jigs, why not start with something that is ubiquitous and proven?

The Smart Jig and the BubbleJig are functionally the same thing - they lock onto the knife, and indicate the angle between the device and true level (we'll call this "angle A"). This is a problem, because this is not the angle you are concerned with - you are concerned with the angle between the platen and the steel (we'll call this "angle B"). As JT mentioned, when you grind the nose/belly/tip of the knife, these types of jigs don't really help because angle A and angle B are different when you're at a curved section of the blade.

If you don't agree with or understand what I mean, try drawing everything in a 3D modeling program. Or imagine that you are grinding the bevel on something extreme like a chakram. You would start with the BubbleJig or SmartJig at the 12:00 position. As you rotate the chakram, the jig sweeps from 12:00 to 3:00, and its reading becomes less and less meaningful. Eventually the BubbleJig or SmartJig will be at the 3:00 position, and here, its reading is completely meaningless.

The "normal" grinding jigs have a similar problem - as you grind the knife tip, you lose the benefit of the set angle and must 'cheat' the grind. This is hard to explain in words, but again, if you imagine grinding something extreme I think you'll get it.

Contrary to the name, I think it's stupid. You can advance your skill free handing a whole lot with $200 worth of steel and belts. I have nothing against jigs or guides, but I would use a bubble jig if I had trouble figuring out how to maintain an angle. That said. Once you start to feel what is going on with a flat grind and have a repeatable technique to move the blade across the platen, you are in business and the jig will sit, except perhaps if you use it to sharpen.

Wow, so many unfair and false comments without having enough knowledge about the product. Here are some clarifications:

- Smartjig does have a USB port which faces the grinder but it comes with a cover to protect the port.

- During the bevel process, Smartjig mounts onto the tang. Normally, knifemaker holds the knife by the tang while dunking the blade area in water. The jig uses a magnetized L bracket to mount onto the tang and the bracket attaches to the jig via two screws. The jig's case is solid aluminum. There is very little heat traveling through the tang, the bracket, screws, the aluminum case, and finally to the electronics. If the user fails to cool the blade periodically and the jig happens to get warm, the jig has a temperature sensor as a safety feature to detect it and alert the user. Alternatively, if you need to dunk the entire knife in water, you can mount the jig on a clamp and attach the clamp to the tang.

- The jig works on both the flat and curved area of the blade.

- There is no issue with the angle of the platen since the jig is referenced to the platen's angle.

- The jig is NOT a stupid device. Please don't make these kind of comments if you have no knowledge of the device.

- The jig has programmable tolerances. That means you can determine the accuracy of your finished bevel angle. This is not possible with other jigs.

- The jig uses lights to show the position of the knife relative to the programmed bevel angle. Lights are easy to see compared to other devices.

- The jig can be used to sharpen large knives like machetes. This is extremely difficult with other jigs.

- The jig has been in the market for about 1.5 year and has been used by many knifemakers already. We have had no complaints.

- The PC software does support Windows 10.

 

[AVigil]

... except perhaps if you use it to sharpen.

When the knifemaker realizes he can tilt his flat platen to the angle he wants to sharpen and then hold the blade perpendicular to the floor, zero degrees, to achieve the exact angle he wants on the edge, the angle indicating jigs just are not needed.

The bubble jig is a very good tool, it can get wet, be placed anywhere you want and is not very expensive. I used it as a training tool and now it sits on the bench

But lets be clear, when you learn how the geometry of the blade works and you learn to hold a consistent angle you just no longer need to rely on an angle indicator while grinding.

When grinding you should be looking at the gap between the scribed line on the edge and the belt and not be looking at any thing else.

That little gap and learning to control it will quickly improve your flat grinding and hollow grinding.

 

[Kevin McGovern]

"- The jig is NOT a stupid device. Please don't make these kind of comments if you have no knowledge of the device."

Ok, fair enough. The "Smart Jig" is an inane, overly complicated, expensive, answer to a question no one is asking. Most likely designed by someone with little experience actually making knives. Oh, and it's stupid.

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[SmartJig]

I am a experienced knifemaker, craftsman, and engineer. I designed the jig so that a 3rd grader would know how to use it. And I don't design stupid things. Would it be fair if I call your creations stupid? As I said before, you don't have any knowledge of the device and obviously you have never used it.

 

[12345678910]

If I was inclined to use such a thing, the bubble jig is a tenth of the cost and ten times more durable


The full motion of the bubble is more sensitive than five lights.

 

[Natlek]

How you can grind bevel and at the same time look in this gadget is beyond me Why simple you don t tilt flat platen to desired angle , use simple 90 degrees jig and look where you should is again beyond me

 

[Kevin McGovern]

I am a experienced knifemaker, craftsman, and engineer. I designed the jig so that a 3rd grader would know how to use it. And I don't design stupid things. Would it be fair if I call your creations stupid? As I said before, you don't have any knowledge of the device and obviously you have never used it.

It would be fair, and I wouldn't whine about it. Especially if I was making a thinly veiled attempt at selling on this forum that many of us support by having a seller's membership which you lack. You have 2 posts on this forum and you choose to preach to the very target market you hope to capture. Here is some free marketing advice. Your potential customers ( knife makers) are an independent, resourceful group of folks. We are generous to other craftspeople, both novice and skilled. We put in long hours to make something of quality, so we know quality when we see it. Those who we meet that seek guidance, fellowship, advice, or market who do so with humility and honesty may find a partner for life. Those who do not, will be navigating a burned bridge back to where they came from. Also, we can smell a rat from a mile away. Hope that helps your future endeavors.

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[Kevin McGovern]

When the knifemaker realizes he can tilt his flat platen to the angle he wants to sharpen and then hold the blade perpendicular to the floor, zero degrees, to achieve the exact angle he wants on the edge, the angle indicating jigs just are not needed.

The bubble jig is a very good tool, it can get wet, be placed anywhere you want and is not very expensive. I used it as a training tool and now it sits on the bench

But lets be clear, when you learn how the geometry of the blade works and you learn to hold a consistent angle you just no longer need to rely on an angle indicator while grinding.

When grinding you should be looking at the gap between the scribed line on the edge and the belt and not be looking at any thing else.

That little gap and learning to control it will quickly improve your flat grinding and hollow grinding.

To clarify. I was stating how I might use a bubble jig after the initial period. Having used it to figure out how to free hand grind. I suppose I might still use it in sharpening. Just speculating of course, since I don't have one. But it appears way more suited to the shop than that other thing.

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[Fred.Rowe]

I have old established customers that tell me they have very specific uses for their BJ's that they otherwise, find challenging. Sharpening, swedges, bevel development and others.
An on line friend and customer, in Austria, told me he likes to play with his, flipping the bubble back and forth, like he used to do with his Zippo lighter, when he smoked cigarettes. He said it calms his nerves.
We have been shipping this tool world wide since 2009 and the stories and feedback I get from both new and accomplished makers has made the work of producing them very gratifying.
There is a gentleman that lives almost at the North Pole and makes skinning knives for the local seal hunters.
A maker in New York wrote me and said he had had a brain aneurysm and almost died, but when he got back on his feet he told me he had lost the control to freehand bevels but he could do it using the BJ. That made my day.
I have heard a lot of great stories and I look forward to opening the morning on line mail for I never know what the next story might be.

Happy grinding, Fred

 

[Kevin McGovern]

I have old established customers that tell me they have very specific uses for their BJ's that they otherwise, find challenging. Sharpening, swedges, bevel development and others.
An on line friend and customer, in Austria, told me he likes to play with his, flipping the bubble back and forth, like he used to do with his Zippo lighter, when he smoked cigarettes. He said it calms his nerves.
We have been shipping this tool world wide since 2009 and the stories and feedback I get from both new and accomplished makers has made the work of producing them very gratifying.
There is a gentleman that lives almost at the North Pole and makes skinning knives for the local seal hunters.
A maker in New York wrote me and said he had had a brain aneurysm and almost died, but when he got back on his feet he told me he had lost the control to freehand bevels but he could do it using the BJ. That made my day.
I have heard a lot of great stories and I look forward to opening the morning on line mail for I never know what the next story might be.

Happy grinding, Fred

Fred,

Your great attitude, confidence (founded) in your product, willingness to help others and thick skin results in your excellent reputation around here. I never bought one of your jigs when I was starting out, but in hindsight, I can see how it most likely would have shortened the learning curve for me a great deal. You listen to what other makers around here have to say and implement the good suggestions. For someone having trouble with learning freehand grinding, I would recommend they look into the Bubble Jig based solely on the the experiences of respected makers here, as well as your reputation. Thanks for being a stand up guy.

 

[Kevin McGovern]

Since my full time day job is writing proposals for and managing multi-million dollar contracts (not bragging here, I have no idea why I havn't been replaced by now). I feel I know a thing or two about customer service. If I were in the same situation as the "Smart Jig" maker, and I learned of my product being critiqued on a board made up of people who know a thing or two about knife making, Here's what I would have done. I would have picked the three most critical people and offered to send a unit for testing. A pass around for the product. Each maker using it for a week or two then sending it on to the next and finally back to the company. I wouldn't put my name or reputation on something that I don't have the confidence that even my harshest critics would be won over once they tried it out. I checked the website of this product. There is some nice scrimshaw work in the videos section. there are also some videos showing the product in use. I don't see a single customer testimonial. Good businesses succeed or fail based on customer satisfaction.

 

[SmartJig]

If I was inclined to use such a thing, the bubble jig is a tenth of the cost and ten times more durable


The full motion of the bubble is more sensitive than five lights.

The bubble jig is 1/2.5 of the price. I don't know how you got the durability. Regarding the five lights, you haven't understood what they represent. The green light means the bevel angle is within +/-0.5 the tolerance. The yellow light means the bevel angle is within +/- tolerance. Since the tolerance is programmable, the user sets the sensitivity to what ever he needs.

 

[SmartJig]

It would be fair, and I wouldn't whine about it. Especially if I was making a thinly veiled attempt at selling on this forum that many of us support by having a seller's membership which you lack. You have 2 posts on this forum and you choose to preach to the very target market you hope to capture. Here is some free marketing advice. Your potential customers ( knife makers) are an independent, resourceful group of folks. We are generous to other craftspeople, both novice and skilled. We put in long hours to make something of quality, so we know quality when we see it. Those who we meet that seek guidance, fellowship, advice, or market who do so with humility and honesty may find a partner for life. Those who do not, will be navigating a burned bridge back to where they came from. Also, we can smell a rat from a mile away. Hope that helps your future endeavors.

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I am not trying to sell the product through this forum. It is already selling. I am just responding to your unfair comments. You pretend to know everything but you don't. I put in long hours too to make a quality product and it is unfair when you just throw a remark like "Stupid device" without knowing anything about the device. You look for humility when you make remarks like that? This product has been tested by knifemakers and wasn't put in market blindly. The product does what it says it does with accuracy and repeatably. I have said nothing dishonest. The dishonesty is on your end.

 

[Kevin McGovern]

I am not trying to sell the product through this forum. It is already selling. I am just responding to your unfair comments. You pretend to know everything but you don't. I put in long hours too to make a quality product and it is unfair when you just throw a remark like "Stupid device" without knowing anything about the device. You look for humility when you make remarks like that? This product has been tested by knifemakers and wasn't put in market blindly. The product does what it says it does with accuracy and repeatably. I have said nothing dishonest. The dishonesty is on your end.

Lack of humility would be saying you made a great product, without any way to verify such a claim. This is empty boasting. What I did was offer an opinion. I never touted my abilities as something more than they are. That would be lacking humility. I'm just a novice knife maker, but not so novice that I would spend $200 on something of questionable benefit. I'm sorry if the word "stupid" offended you. Of course an inanimate object can't be stupid, that moniker is reserved for people.

 

[Willie71]

I am not trying to sell the product through this forum. It is already selling. I am just responding to your unfair comments. You pretend to know everything but you don't. I put in long hours too to make a quality product and it is unfair when you just throw a remark like "Stupid device" without knowing anything about the device. You look for humility when you make remarks like that? This product has been tested by knifemakers and wasn't put in market blindly. The product does what it says it does with accuracy and repeatably. I have said nothing dishonest. The dishonesty is on your end.

You don't want to stay in business very long do you? This is not the way to deal with critical commentary. Learn some basic social skills.

 

[Knife freaky]

To Mr smart jig.

First off the op wanted people's opinion on your smart jig, it was given, and now your whining about it and insulting your customer base! I will be buying a jig soon and I can tell you right now I will not be buying your jig simply because of the way you have handled yourself on this forum! Now for my opinion of the jig based on what I can see. I'm not big on the electronic aspect between all the dust that is raised while grinding and it not being water proof seems like it would be a big safety concern to me. Simply put I would prefer to buy a bubble jig that's built like a tank for cheap then buying a electronic jig that I don't think would last a few months in a real shop for $200!

Daniel.


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[SmartJig]

Lack of humility would be saying you made a great product, without any way to verify such a claim. This is empty boasting. What I did was offer an opinion. I never touted my abilities as something more than they are. That would be lacking humility. I'm just a novice knife maker, but not so novice that I would spend $200 on something of questionable benefit. I'm sorry if the word "stupid" offended you. Of course an inanimate object can't be stupid, that moniker is reserved for people.

I agree. We should reserve that word for people. By the way, the pricing was due to using high quality materials in the product. The cost of the parts alone is over $100. There is a lot of cost in assembly due to the tight space available in the enclosure. I could have made a really cheap product but that is not what I do. Believe me, I don't make a lot of money off of each device and frankly I don't really care if it sells or not. I do have a daytime job as well like you.

Kevin, let's call it a truce and be friends.

 

[P.Brewster]

- The jig works on both the flat and curved area of the blade.

- There is no issue with the angle of the platen since the jig is referenced to the platen's angle.

- The jig is NOT a stupid device. Please don't make these kind of comments if you have no knowledge of the device.

Imagine you are grinding this hideous knife http://imgur.com/a/oTXDN

We start at the green section, connect our jig, set the angle, and proceed.

Next we move onto the blue section. I like to grind with the edge perpendicular to the belt, so now the jig is rotated is 45° from its initial position (along the 'roll' axis).

Next we move onto the red section. Now the jig is rotated 90° from its initial position (along the 'roll' axis).

If the jig measures the angle between level and current position (like the Bubble Jig), then the reading is incorrect - this is NOT equal to the angle between the platen and the steel when we are grinding the blue and red sections.

Does your jig measure the angle between level and current position, or does it take into account rotation of the jig along the 'roll' axis?