Were to buy file guides, or plans to make them

mxlj

mxlj

Joined
Sep 15, 2005
Messages
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Hello, new to knifemaking and would like to know where to buy file guides? or plans or ideas on making them if that is better. is there anything to specifically look for or stay away from in a file guide? thanks.
 
Uncle Al's CARBIDE FILE GUIDE from Riverside Machine. It's one of those costly fixtures that is initially difficult to justify... but once you have one, you'll wonder how you ever got along without it. :thumbup:

Erin
 
You could make one out of a couple pieces of bar stock, some bolts and wing nuts on the cheap.
 
Erin Burke said:
Uncle Al's CARBIDE FILE GUIDE from Riverside Machine. It's one of those costly fixtures that is initially difficult to justify... but once you have one, you'll wonder how you ever got along without it. :thumbup:

Erin
Click to expand...

I almost messed up my drawers when I saw the price, however, I decided to make the leap last year at Batson's.

Best money I have spent in a long, long time.

Robert
 
I used a length of muffler support strap secured around the blade with a nut and bolt to guide my plunge cuts on my first project. Something thicker would be better. That $150 jobber looks sharp, but ouch!

grind1.jpg
 
Mr. Bad Example said:
That $150 jobber looks sharp, but ouch!
Click to expand...

Similar to a woman giving birth. It's painful, but you'd never go back in a million years. My KMG running 40-grit ceramics at mach 10 won't do any more damage to these carbide faces than a silk scarf would. :thumbup: :D
 
Yeah I can see such a contraption being useful for you grinder guys. But for filing, a couple pieces of 1/8" mild steel and some hardware work well enough.
 
I made one out of 3/16" mild steel. It works with the chainsaw file, but eventually starts to be worn away.

I want to get Uncle Al's carbide guide. Side note: They'll make larger ones for more cash.
 
A couple of these 2 1/2" carbide scraper blades from a home improvement store attached to some chinese 123 blocks should work as well as anything for about 30 bucks.

5aaf0a3a-77e6-4b67-94ac-e678bde4205.jpg


Johnny
 
thanks for the great info. i think i might get the bubble jig, and some 1 2 3 blocks
 
How about two old worn out flat files, bolted together? they'd be tougher than mild steel and way less expensive than carbide. Would have to grind them flat on two adjacent faces.

[edit] Actually, I would use the old files as face plates attached to a mild steel file guide. You need the rigidity of the thicker pieces.
 
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Not that I know what I'm doing, but for a file guide I use a scrap piece of steel that has been hardened and filed flat. I use a simple C clamp to secure it to my blade. Being that I am only using files to cut my bevels, I'm not worried about cutting into the side of my "guide". I have also sanded down the sides of my files (making a pillar file, in essence), so I'm not cutting into the side of my "soft" file guide. Makes nice looking plunge lines. It works quite well for me, but if you're cutting bevels with a belt sander, you'll have to do something different. Good luck!
 
So far, I just grind a couple pieces of my scrap square, clamp them on where I want them to be, and use those. The nice thing is, if I damage them, I can just make another one from metal that would otherwise be waste. And I'm always making more of them with every blade.
 
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