draw filing

[Stormcrow]

Terry - I wasn't pushing. I was standing with the point towards my stomach (safety no-no) and pulling towards me.

I'll see what I can do standing on the other side.

Cool filing jig, by the way.

[Terry Primos]

If you use a fixture like I do, you just want to make sure that the tip does not protrude beyond the end of the fixture. Then there's no way to stab yourself. I did get lazy and let the the tip hang over once, but I'm a pretty fast learner.

I was doing hand sanding. I had switched from a small blade to a medium sized Bowie. All I had to do was unscrew the clamp and move it back a couple of holes, but I went ahead and clamped the Bowie down leaving about 3/4" hanging over the end of the fixture.

When I am hand rubbing the final finish my blades are sharpened because I test them before finishing. The edge, the tip, and the clip on the Bowie were all sharpened. My fixture is on the edge of a low table and I sit in front of it to draw filing and hand rubbing.

Anyway as you have already probably figured out, at one point I stood up to get another piece of sandpaper and stabbed myself in the thigh. I'm just glad it was my thigh and not my Johnson.

[DiamondG Knives]

Terry
That is a very inovative idea for a filing / sanding fixture! Thank you for posting it!

And not to make light of your stabbing yourself, I had to laugh at the thought of explaining to the ER Doctor, how you recived a stab wound in your eh,er.....Johnson.

One question though do I understand your drawing right. It looks like there is just a row of all thread stubs screwed thru the top plate. I assume there isnt a problem with side to side wobble due to the fact that the tang is securly fastened. And that the piece of leather protects the blade from being scratched by the allthread.

Thanks again for sharing such a good idea!

It is amazing to me just how simple somthing can be made, yet it takes seeing one to make you understand it!!!

Makes you want to say .................................DUH!

God Bless
Mike

[Nat Bassett]

I got tired finishing blades with files and sanding blocks while clamped at bench height since it was tough to really get my weight behind the movement.

SO - I borrowed an idea from old-style wood working and made a blade finishing "horse" based on the ancient shaving horse used to clamp wood for making wagon wheel spokes with spoke shaves.

This thing sits me at a low bench with blade clamped in front of me. The clamp is opened and closed quickly with a foot operated lever for repositioning of the piece. Most importantly however, it puts me in a position relative to the blade where I can really lean into the motion and use my body weight instead of just arm strength.

I use it primarily for sanding since I use the belt grinder for most stock removal and shaping. But with a more narrow support pad to which it is clamped, it would probably work great for draw filing.

Nat.