Let's see your push stick!

M

Maelstrom78

Joined
Sep 21, 2013
Messages
1,574
Mine is chewed to bits. Now I'm thinking of a golf ball for my palm with a brass bit with a shelf to support the piece but soft to not mar the steel.
 
I was gonna take a picture of my thumb and post it, but then I figured some software probably exists to pull my prints (as mangled as they may be) from it.


:P


For what it's worth, I like a piece of UHM for a push stick, or hard slick wood.


If you're doing a belt finish, brass, *will* mar it up. Practically anything will other than your fingers. It'll also ruin a hand rubbed finish, but since you're not using a push stick while doing that, it's not an issue. Just because something wont scratch hard steel, doesn't mean it wont mess up a finish, because a finish is typically various sizes of small "burrs" raised by whatever abrasive medium you're using to get that finish. YMMV of course.


Don't over complicate it, find something that's comfortable in the hand, that lets you get lots of leverage and that you can move around easily in whatever style you grind.
 
im not sure i understand. so when grinding you use something other then your hands too cut your bevels in? i think i need to make a video of how i grince since i grind thin stuff and dont use a pusher stick
 
butcher_block said:
I think I need to make a video of how I grind since I grind thin stuff and don't use a pusher stick
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With your grinding skills, :thumbup::thumbup::thumbup: on a video.

This is a great topic cause even if we see catch glimpses of a lot of different push sticks used by makers but it is such a relatively simple thing that there is not much info on them. But improving even simple things can make a big diference. I'll take a pic of the one I have been using recently.

I sure hope a few makers do the same.:thumbup:

Thanks for starting this.
 
Here is what I've been trying lately, a flat soapstone pencil holder.



Works good. The only down side it that when grinding pre-HT where the blade temp can go up quite a bit, the soapstone melts and leaves a residue on the blade. Of course it is not a permanent residue and gets removed with subsequent grinding but I would still like to find something that didn’t do that.

Looking forward to what you seeing what you guys uses.
 
Maybe a piece of micarta with some high temp silicone on one end and a golf or racquet ball on the other.
 
I use a piece of oak about 4" long and 2" wide and 3/4" thick I grind a 45 degree angle on the front edge up to about a 1/4" from top and curve the back edge to fit my palm . Takes about two minutes. I might miss place it but it will last for years.
 
Mine is a solid piece of Teflon... thanks to the tip from Mastersmith Tim Hancock! :thumbup: :cool:



I've used just about everything you can think of: micarta, Blackwood, Lignum Vitae, UHMW, even made one with a small sealed bearing... the teflon is the only material that doesn't either burn, or get gummy when hot. :)
 
Patrice Lemée;13476873 said:
Teflon it is then...errr where do you buy Teflon?:confused: Or can I cut up one of my frying pan? ;)
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Also the white cutting boards are made in teflon :)
 
Jim McGuinn said:
I use a piece of oak about 4" long and 2" wide and 3/4" thick I grind a 45 degree angle on the front edge up to about a 1/4" from top and curve the back edge to fit my palm . Takes about two minutes. I might miss place it but it will last for years.
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Nice, I like the description of the shape thanks! I was thinking of something similar but with a small lip at the bottom front edge for the spine to rest on. This would be different than a push stick that I have seen for working on a rest where the piece is supported by the rest and not the hand/ stick.

I saw a video where someone was using a teardrop shaped push stick to work on a rest while doing bevels. So from what I have seen there are sticks with and sticks without rests.
 
stezann said:
Also the white cutting boards are made in teflon :)
Click to expand...

Thanks, I'll have to look around stezan but it must be different over here cause all the ones I have are some kind of nylon (if not cheap plastic) and they don't stand up to heat very well. Ask me how I know. ;)
 
Here is mine...a piece of teflon shoved into a file handle. I've ground an angle into the tip, as that is more comfortable and easier for me to control than holding it straight on.

I use my fingers for final passes for a machine finish though, as it marks the blade. I assume anything like this will get steel/abrasive dust embedded that will cause scratches.

 
I got a couple different sticks of it on ebay Pat. It was cheap... not sure if there are any Canadian vendors on there selling it though.
 
stezann said:
Also the white cutting boards are made in teflon :)
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I say "false". 99.9% of cutting boards are either Polyethylene (HDPE, LDPE, UHMW) or Polypropylene (PP). Teflon is available from many places such as McMaster Carr, US Plastics, even Amazon. It is easiest to find when one searches for one of the synonyms (technical name, abbreviated name, etc) rather than the trade name 'Teflon'. See here for the synonyms http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polytetrafluoroethylene
 
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Patrice Lemée;13477130 said:
Thanks, I'll have to look around stezan but it must be different over here cause all the ones I have are some kind of nylon (if not cheap plastic) and they don't stand up to heat very well. Ask me how I know. ;)
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i understand, actually you instilled the dubt in in me too! i use a piece of an industrial slider from an old packaging machine from workplace, and it's in teflon

edit: the cutting board we have at home it's in ptfe, teflon?
 
stezann said:
edit: the cutting board we have at home it's in ptfe, teflon?
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I see you're in Italy which may explain this.

UHMW (PE) has better mechanical properties than PTFE and is often used in mechanical applications. An easy test would be to put your plastic in a trustworthy oven. Melting points are: PE 240-380°F, PTFE 620°F.
 
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