jig vs free hand

Freehand here too.

I agree with Stacy on this. IMHO, if there is a way for you to work the piece with that device and come out with multiple results, its not a jig. If it only comes out one way every time; jig...
 
What about using files to grind the bevels from start to finish? I'm considering building a filing jig that I can adjust the angles on since my first two knives have been really thick behind the edge. On the other hand, should I keep working on my freehand filing skills and just say forget the jig?
 
leozinho said:
I'm very new to knifemaking, so take this for what it's worth.

After butchering a few blanks freehand, I bought Fred Rowe's Bubble Jig and have been very happy with the purchase. I'd call it more of a grinding aid than a jig.
Click to expand...

I agree about Fred's Bubble Jig. I liken it to training wheels on a bike. Used properly, it presents less of a learning curve. ...Teddy
 
So how many craftsman here limit their use of jigs in their other crafts? I know in my hobbies...Split cane bamboo rodmaking, Wood Working and home shop machinist would not even be possible to achieve a high level of work without the use of jigs.

In knifemaking I free hand grind mostly and sometimes use a rest. I go with the flow and if the flow is not consistent from side to side I pull out the bubble jig or use a rest for grinding.

I do not need to use the bubble jig for most of the blade but towards the end of grinding using the bubble jig really allow you to zero in on the accuracy of the grind and get great consistency when finalizing the grind. And for grinding in a clip the bubble jig is the best.

Experience tells a craftsman when a jig is needed for consistency and accuracy. Even the great Bob Loveless realized using a rest while grinding was a great improvement in his grinding

We all use some form of jig or tool out side of ourselves for knifemaking it is just some people do not recognize they do so.
 
I dont like sounding like a advertisement but will add my plug for the bubble jig. I have just recently (tonight) used my tool rest for the first time to help profile a blade. Up until now I have done free hand. When I first started they were pretty horrible so I bought the bubble jig and that helped a ton with learning how to work the grind down from the edge. I think it is invaluable when learning to give you a reference to learn your muscle control.

At one point it just kind of clicked and I was able to start not using the bubble jig. It took alot of wasted metal and I am sure I have more to go but I think it saved alot of time in learning my grinds.

I think jigs could be a valuable tool, however do I use them no unless you consider the bubble jig and a file guide jigs (in that case I do use them). Not sure if I am just to lazy or I just dont take the time to go into the process of making them. When I find time to grind a blade which is very limited I want to start grinding not spend the time making more contraptions which if I am not careful will consume a large amount of my free time.
 
The title of this thread, jig vs freehand, poses a question that should not and really does not exist in the knife making world. Over the last fifteen years I've visited knife makers shops in many states and have attended hammerins as well as events put on by the ABS, the Knife Makers gild and others. The reason I went was to gain knowledge, any and all knowledge. It never occurred to me to ask if a technique I picked up was accepted by the majority. I had my eye on the prize, which was to make the most functional, best looking knife I could make.
A good friend who made the most stunning folding knives, had a fixture or jig for almost ever part of the knife. It never occurred to me to ask him if he felt like a slacker because he used these fixtures. He made the most stunning folders!
If you stop by my shop, or most any knife makers shop who has invested the time to become skilled, you will see an assortment of machines and tools and jigs and fixtures that will boggle the mind.
I suggest going to events, visit other makers shops and be open to "all" the possibilities.

Fred
 
I am fairly new to knife making, and have tried several methods. I did my first couple of blades freehand, and they turned out well. I then made a very nice jig, one that was easy to clamp a blade to and set an angle. It worked good as well. But I have found that after all the blades I have ground out, I have done 95% of them free hand. I just get a better feel for what I am doing when I do it freehand, and they have seemed to turn out better, especially if i am giving a blade a distal taper. I can feel how much pressure I am putting on it as the tip gets thinner. This is important to me because as the blade gets thinner too much pressure and it will start to flex and I can bugger up my bevel. In a jig, you don't get to feel the blade wanting to start to flex, so, to me, it seems harder to distinguish when I might be taking too much off. I am 100% freehand now. I would consider the jig again if I was making a large run of a thicker blade that I didn't want any variance in geometry. But thats what I like about making custom blades. No two are exactly alike.
 
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