new guard shoulder filing fixture

NickWheeler

NickWheeler

Joined
Dec 3, 1999
Messages
9,437
Here's something I threw together in the past couple days.

I LOVE my filing guides from Uncle Al... but I make really short ricassos on almost all of my knives. Even though my ricassos are always surface ground (so they DO have flat/parallel sides) my filing guides usually don't want to clamp down on the blades and be completely flat across the top.

I've had this idea for a long time, but just finally made it happen. I sketched something like this out about 10 years ago... but I'm certainly not the only one to come up with something like it. Uncle Al actually has a very similar rig on his site! :foot: :)

Anyone could build this. It's very simple... but effective. It would have been faster/easier to start with clean steel... but I try to use what I have.

The jist of this thing... is the you clamp the blade down with the area you want to file sticking out through a piece of hardened steel plate. In this case, it's 3V that I fully hardened and didn't draw back. :eek: (about 63-64 Rc). Since you're filing against a small plate, it can't be anything but flat. With a couple of set screws in the main block, you can persuade the blade a little (if needed) to make sure the blade is square to the guide face.

I used my surface grinder, drill press, and did two milling steps... squaring the end of the block, and making the slot in the face plate. If you don't have a mill, you could drill/file the slot, and give your buddy with a mill a dough-nut to square the end of the block. ;) :)

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Looks like it's eating your knife. :p

So you clamp it to the long plate? If you have a distal taper do you just wedge it until it's square to the filing plate?

Damn I want a surface grinder. :mad:
 
Well this post was a flop and a half! :confused: :foot:

Stuart, there are some set screws in the big plate that allow you to make sure the blade is square to the fixture. That was the problem with my other filing jigs... my ricasso has parallel sides, but immediately starts into a distal taper. So when I would tighten the filing jigs down, the two sides would come together and pinch toward to the tip... creating a crowned effect on the jig's face.

I meant to get a pic showing the other side of my new filing jig, but forgot!
 
Thanks, I always find your post thoughful and informative. I for one appreciate the tutorial and the effort on your part. No flop seen here!
 
Nice set up. Looks like it keeps things nice and square
 
That is a very nice set-up. Thanks for posting this, Nick.

BTW, I don't think this thread was a flop, but a picture of where and how the blade gets clamped to the jig will certainly help clarify a few questions, at least for me.
 
Flop!! ;) I was actually thinking between this and the hand sanding post that reminded me of a few of your jigs n tips in your Fighter(Oh Yeah!!!) and Camp knife WIP's that it'd be nice to add a jig and guide sticky that way contributions from experienced makers don't get lost.
Thanks Nick, I have a couple jigs to make now....I'll come over with a donut or two after I stop at Pacific Machine and Tool for some drops. :D

Question? When I go by Pacific what tool steel should I get? For now all I have to use for heat treat is a PID controlled blown forge I'm building. A kiln is a few months away. O1? I'll most likely take a box or two of donuts to A C Richards the next time I go visit in November as I have 2-3 things that I need milled...
The savings in donut money alone is a down payment on a nice Bridgeport. :D

Another shot of the back side would be nice. :thumbup:

I have my first hidden tang knives that I forged needing the guards fitted the next couple of weeks so this is well timed.

Thanks!
 
Geesh Nick -- 10 years in the R&D phase and then this puny press release?! You usually do remarkable razzle dazzle with your WIP threads. This one was a real flop dude. I just don't get that?! Nor do I get the jig, but then I'm not a knife-making-jig-using-machine-shop-welding-genius. Maybe you forgot us lesser mortals need more illustrations and pictures to understand stuff like this. (Heck, it even took you 10 years to figure it out!) Quit being distracted so much by those horse sized guard dogs and get back to writing a full blown 17 page user manual thread for us. Dang, if you keep this up, next thing you'll be doing is making bare bone one piece hiking knifes that look like dog turds. Maybe we better start a Save Nick Wheeler thread and see if we can raise enough support to commit you to a house of healing for those who suffer such a seemingly irreversible identity melt-down crises. It just might be time for intervention! Wishing you all the best for a speedy and long lasting recovery. -- Phil

PS I couldn't find a tongue-in-cheek smiley to identify this post as jest, so I thought I better put this disclaimer as a foot-note, just in case someone reading this mistook it for anything resembling reality.
 
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Phil, you are so mean, I hate you!!!! :eek: :mad:

:p :D I actually laughed aloud when I read that. :D

I'll try to get some better pics. I realize I sort of went from crappy, rusty, dog-hair covered steel to a finished fixture in about 3 photos... but there were about 5 that came out very blurry. I just kept the camera in my sweatshirt pocket and snapped a few shots as I went... so I wasn't paying close enough attention to notice half my shots were junk.

I actually used the fixture on the knife in the pictures, and it did just what it was supposed to. Imagine that!!! :foot: :)
 
THanks for the explanation. I have the same problem with Uncle Al's little rig. I love it but it doesn't work on all knives easily. With some work and some shims it works but it can be frustrating at times. This is a good idea. Now add carbide to the filing surface and it's perfect!.. :p:)
 
I agree with Phil, it's time for intervention! Friends don't let your friends grind hairy steel ..... call Hairy Steel Anamous! Stop the need for square shoulders, it can be cured, if you help!
 
Sam's right. Didn't mean to cause any confusion. The really cruddy looking piece of steel is just a chunk of mild that was stowed away under a cart under the welding bench. Factor in Shadow knocking his water dish over several times, and blowing his coat this summer, and you pull the steel out to find it covered in rust and fur. :barf: ;)

The only thing that's hardened is the 3V top plate. A lot of steels would work fine for that plate. 3V is something I had in the shop.

I'll shoot some other pics soon guys :)
 
You just can't let me make headway on my "To Build" list can you? ;)
Kidding aside, thanks once again for sharing all that you do.

PS: You did not tell us that you also did some TV.

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Hi Nick, sorry to dredge up an old thread but I just happened upon this. I was looking for info regarding such a jig and I found yours but the pictures are no longer visible. Would you pleeease be so kind as to re-post them or tell me where else I could find them?
Than you Sir.
 
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