OUC, you are not alone! I have been trying to sharpen a knife freehand for the last few months, don't have much time on a daily basis, but try to practice here and there. I still don't feel whether I am on the edge or not, end up with multiple bevels, I grind and grind and the knife gets rather duller.
I am also still not sure which technique I prefer. I watched Murray Carter's DVD and it does make sense but lifting the edge up and putting it down after every 5 strokes or so is guaranty for inconsistency even more (as knifenut and Co. always say), at least in my case. I have been trying knifenut's grip and pressure points and I think I get the idea, found out though that the table height is crucial to be able to lift up the handle for the tip etc.
I think my main problem is that once I decided about an angle that I want on my knife, how do I grind this angle "enough" to be able to follow it through (don't know if that makes sense but I think you get what I mean). That's where the aligner clamp might come into play (which I ordered now too). Once this is established on the coarse stone, I hope I can practice feeling the edge along and cont. to sharpen the knife without the clamp.
Thanks!