Sunday Funday

My day in the shop:

I started by pulling my cherry/brass layup out of my little press.

Then promptly messed it up by roughing two left side blanks. Ugh. I've got another layup drying in there right now, so I'll make a pair of rights tomorrow.

Got this paring knife finished and sharpened...and even better...ready to put in the mail!

Until today, I've used this magnetic welding square to hold blades for flat work. It works well for wide blades, but it's not ideal for narrower ones.

If the blade is not as wide as the square, you have to hold it at an angle across the flats. It works just fine, but isn't perfect.

So I made this: an aluminum block with embedded magnets. I just put some masking tape over the magnets to help keep them clean.

It does its job and keeps my fingers safe. The little holes that go all the way through are in case I need to remove the magnets. I can put a punch in there and pop them out. I hope. I mean, they're epoxied in and had better not be easy to remove!

Holds narrow blades better than its predecessor.

That's the idea. A block of aluminum with three magnets embedded into it.

Outside of that it was just the required finish grinding on the blades heat treated over the last few days. I would have gotten another handle done if I wasn't an idiot with those cherry/brass scales. Oh well.
Mistakes or no mistakes, it was a good way to work through a snowy Sunday. It was the first snow of the year today, which meant I didn't want to leave the house. People forget how to drive in the snow from year to year, so if I can avoid the road for the first snow, I will.