Flat Grinding Jigs Are Done!

I did some turning this evening, but it's boring and not worth showing off. The important task tonight was to get my flat grinding jigs into working condition.

First order of business was to bust out my new tap holder!!! My current small tap holder is a piece of junk, so I replaced it with a Starrett. I love Starrett tools, I wish I could afford more of them. Most of the ones I have are vintage, but this one is brandy new.

Tapping.

Fitting the blade onto the jig.

The view from the operating side of the grinder.

From the dangerous side of the grinder. The idea here is that the jig leans forward into the belt, grinding at the cutting edge first. This one is 5 degrees, which will yield a 10 degree included angle.

Test drive complete at 36 grit. I'll run this up through a full grit progression tomorrow, along with test driving the small version. I'm pretty excited to add another technique to my knifemaking. These jigs don't take all of the skill out of the work, there is plenty left to the hand and eye. This just ensures that I can maintain an angle.