Mike, imagine you had 10 belt grinders with different grit belts on each. Then you had drill presses with your all of your required drill bits and deburing tools needed to complete one knife. Would that be considered cheating? Nope, it would speed up your build process. When you make same model over and over again, I think it is very wise to create multiple jigs and tools to make your life easier. The faster you finish your knife, the bigger turnover you have. Look at Nick Wheeler, that guy has so many little gadgets he came up with to make his life easier. I personally don't see anything wrong with using a jig. I am still learning how to free hand grind but if I was to make the same knife over and over again, you bet I would be using one in a heart beat...especially if it saves you from being cut up and destroying your rubber wheel. Cheers and it was nice to see a video from you.

@SLAVIKTELY

7 жыл бұрын

Almost forgot...is using a water jet or CNC cheating too? I don't think so, all you are doing is saving time and saving your fingers and hands from arthritis. I know mine hurt after running a jackhammer and then coming home and using a file. I absolutely love where Aaron Gough took his knife making...all done with CNC...keeps him away from all the hard work and focused on how to create a better product.

@bugevolution7027

7 жыл бұрын

SLAVIK TELY two of the better knife makers on KZread in the same place ! ;-)

@HKnives

7 жыл бұрын

Great answer

@SLAVIKTELY

7 жыл бұрын

@Savage That makes sense. I guess that is why Aaron Gough's blades only cost $350 a piece.

@johnklein4558

6 жыл бұрын

Savage it IS still handmade. Just because he uses jigs etc to shortcut the process doesn’t mean it’s still not craftsmanship. I’m struggling with freehand grinding on a small 1x42 grinder just because I don’t have the$ for the nicer tools. I’m going to be making my own version of a jig for grinding. Does that mean I’m “cheating”? If you don’t mine the ore, smelt it down, forge the blade on an anvil is that cheating?

Way to get it out in the open and talk about it! Excellent video my friend! Cheers👍

Oh, come on. This has been in the open since 1998, when Will Smith released what has become known as the seminal Custom Knifemaking song, "Gettin' jiggy wit it". (In all seriousness, thanks for the video, and I'm not judging anybody for using a jig, or not. Results are more important than process, and I don't care what brand of wand you use, so long as you work magic.)

@mghumphrey

7 жыл бұрын

I'll take a knife ground with a nice consistent grind, done with a jig, over some craptastic Benchmade "can't believe this made it through QC" grind any day of the week. Someone send Benchmade some jigs!

@JAMESTHEGREATNESS

7 жыл бұрын

Nick Shabazz You actually made me spit out my water

@EkimKnives

7 жыл бұрын

lol I agree 100% Thanks for stopping by Nick....98 was a great year!

@mikecleveland2927

7 жыл бұрын

Thanks for another great video Mike, always fun to address the white elephant in the room. With that being said, I agree that jigs might be helpful in certain situations....But I haven't personally ever used one. They always looked to restrictive with the grinds I do, Ill continue to grind freehand. I don't think it's cheating, as long as customers know thats what they are getting. Just not for me, but I appreciate your throwing it out there...

@DrFrankLondon

7 жыл бұрын

Nick Shabazz honesty is great and especially in the "mid tech " grey zone.... let's be real, if a jig makes your life easier, why the heck not use it with pride.. it will benefit us as collectors/ knife heads...

I think a jig should be used. I dont care about hand ground blades. I would rather have the bevels exactly the same.

@richardjoseph8532

2 жыл бұрын

I concur. This is engineering after all, right?

I don't buy a knife unless the maker grinds it on a 42 ft water wheel and hones it on the hide of a honey badger.

@Loan--Wolf

6 жыл бұрын

why would any one buy a knife made any other way makes no sence

@londiniumarmoury7037

6 жыл бұрын

Chris Clark that's some niche corner of the market right there, I use elephant testicles to grind my bevel, will that do?

@kailacumings

6 жыл бұрын

Chris Clark ahahahahahaha

@papabones6307

6 жыл бұрын

And the final polish has to be done by hand with bavarian beeswax polish infused with natural fine clays applied by hand with cloth made from Pashmina Himalayan Goat wool. LOL

@ronniemurphy2124

6 жыл бұрын

Where can I order one? I want a skinner to skin a woolly mammoth.

I'm just starting out and this video got you another subscriber. Honesty and being straight forward are undervalued these days.

Jigs don't bother me in the slightest, but I love the insight on jig vs freehand for knife making. Excellent vid!

I don't think its cheating. I don't really care one way or the other. if the knife is good then whatever. who cares

Great video sir! Watched almost all of your videos and this is one off your best. Thank you for the honesty! Cheers and happy grinding.

Quality materials, functionality, and presentation are all that matters to me! Rock on!

Bah! Using a belt grinder is cheating. REAL knife makers just remove metal with their teeth. (Good to have you back)

@RHammer9

6 жыл бұрын

Matt Walston some of these guys that call themself "makers" even buy their steel. Everyone knows your not making unless you start with ore.

@chaos.corner

6 жыл бұрын

I hear that some guys that dig their own ore buy their shovels off-the-shelf. Terrible.

@mattw7949

6 жыл бұрын

Shelves? Ha! We had to buy our shovels from the floor! (Ok, how long can we keep this tangent going?)

@MichaelJohnson-by1tv

6 жыл бұрын

All of this talk of shovels and such - ridiculous. I learned how to time travel with old Doc Brown back into the days of yore and it is there that I learned that the best steel begins life as being fine ore dug from the earth with your own bare hands and with the sweat of the mans brow. There were no shovels to use because we had not yet made them ourselves. After we went through about a ton of hand dug ore we finally made our first crude shovel. It was then that the very harsh and cruel Doc decreed that we must make 100 more of this shovel and that he better see improvements in each and every one before we would be allowed to use the even the crude first one we had made - just to dig the ore with at all. Having been there over 35 years, the doc exclaimed about how I made him late for something but wouldn't say as to what it was. We then time traveled back to 1985 and I began working with the steel with a whole new respect for technological advancement. And later I met an inside loop at Apple computers where I learned of this new Mac computer. I BECAME RICH BITCHES!! I quickly got the hell out of having a job with steel and ore or shovels and all that crap. And the cruelest of the cruel Doc Brown - well he met some punk ass kid named Mark or Marco, maybe it was Martin - whatever the little turds name is, screw him, its not relevant here. He started hanging out with that goofy little turd but that old bastard was a lot nicer to that kid than he was to me I hear. Moral to the story? I ain't got one. And I don't mind if you use a jig son. I totally understand.

@Astaldoath

6 жыл бұрын

floors? we had we had to break down saplings with a bear hands (yes bear) and smash em together in to planks to make the floors!

In the Infantry we had a saying, "If it's stupid but it works, it ain't stupid." Thank you for the honesty. I'm subscribing.

As a knifemaker, I don't understand why people have to get snooty about how you are making your knife... you're putting the same love and attention into it whether you forge, grind, freehand, or jigging! I say this as a knifemake who forges and freehands - in no way do I think any "less" of anyone who doesn't do the same. In the end, we all love knives and knifemaking! :)

I applaud you and your work ethic. As an experienced knife make I watched your work and I learnt things, especially about layout. I do all my roughing free hand and my fit and finish on a jig and I never thought it was an issue but I totally agree with the precept of the concept and my knives represent me and rough enough is never good enough. Even when a client tells me they want a "work" knife and nothing fancy. I can make them a work knife and it may not be fancy but it's the best work knife they'll ever use and their children will use it as the standard to judge every knife they ever use. Well done my friend and may you live long and prosper.

Jigs are in no way cheating...i find those who think it is, are at least laughable and at worst annoying..."freehand vs jigs" is marketing nothing more

@chrishouston3566

7 жыл бұрын

relax goth boy, people are entitled to have opinions that differ from yours

@patriciamaxwell5635

6 жыл бұрын

Duke Sliver - Of course people are entitled to have different opinions, even if those opinions are wrong. People who believe using a jig = cheating because the knife isn't made "from scratch" are pretentious, pompous and usually have an inflated notion of their own worth. A jig assists the maker, nothing else. Just as buying a certain type of steel assists the maker because he doesn't have to make the steel himself, thus saving time. So unless you mine your own ore and smelt it into steel or grow your own exotic wood for the scales, your knife isn't "from scratch" either. "If you wish to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first invent the universe". - Carl Sagan

WOW! I just subbed because you sir, are an HONEST man and I trust the advice of an honest man!

Total respect for this video and every point you made here. I taught myself just about everything in this industry through research and practice. Not once have I picked up a jig and can honestly say I respect myself and my craft more for it. Those who do use jigs really should be honest about it... BUT it doesn't make their blades any less than anyone else's. Quality comes from the fine details and not how they are put there.

@smcockrell

7 жыл бұрын

i agree with you, sir! i think its a matter of personal preference. personally, i would rather do it myself. i am a hobbyist and i dont make money from it. everything i make either gets given as a birthday/xmas gift or i keep to put in my collection. for me personally, im not aiming for perfection with every single knife. i would much rather give someone something that came 100% from my hands and my mind and has imperfections in it just like i do. if i ever decide to get a little more serious about it and start selling stuff, then maybe i might would consider it. but more likely is that i won't ever start selling stuff until i become proficient freehanding. but thats just how i feel about it and i would never put down anyone else for using a jig or think that they are any less skilled or a cheat.

@GARFIELD191972

7 жыл бұрын

Steve Sarmiento YES

Appreciate your down to earth attitude And your willingness to share your knowledge. Jigs are also a great way to learn.

Thank you for the insight. I had a local maker build out 3 blanks and he raved on his ability to put a 30 degree hand grind. Built out the first of 3 and skinned a deer with it. When I cut through the chest cartilage I rolled the edge. After asking that he fix the edge he got really upset that I was indicating there was a flaw in his edge. After further review he hand ground in about a 15 degree edge. It was far to thin and caused it to roll. I hand grind and jig grind but I prefer jig because I know what I am getting.

Mike, I worked in a knife making shop for over three years, and we used a jig for grinding bevels. When you are making dozens of knives in one particular pattern, they have to all be pretty much the same, and time is money. Our jig gave us more consistent results and was faster than trying to equalize everything up by hand. It's not a tool for mass production, so I don't see an issue. Our jig did everything we needed it to, but was much less expensive to make and easier to use then all of the fancy jigs I see people trying to sell. Instead of tilting the jig to get your angle, you just tilt your work rest to whatever angle you want. The jig itself was made mostly of aluminum; a flat bar and a length of aluminum angle. You cut the flat bar and the angles stock to equal lengths, mark a center line down one face of the flat bar, screw one angle (with the corner's edge toward the center line, but about 1/8" shy of it), and leave the remaining angle free. When you are ready to grind, you put your blade blank, edge up, into the jig, with the part you will grind hanging over the edge. Then lay the other angle along your jig, trapping the knife's handle. A couple of small Kant-Twist across the angles squeezes the knife handle in tightly. Then you just place the whole thing on your too rest, and slide the jig back and forth to grind, switching side on the tool rest as necessary. I long aluminum flat bar with a notch to go around your belt makes the jig easier to use. Also, if you glue some teflon or HDPE to the bottom of the flat bar, it will slide more easily. I know that description sounds a bit long winded, and a photo would clear it right up, but I don't think I can add a image or a hyper link here.

Just subscribed because of your honesty, and you have some good video's. Thanks.

A jig is no different then any other tool like a clamp or vise when building a knife in my opinion.

This is all new to me. Fascinating.

ive asked everyone that i have bought a knife from thus far.. not because i cared or that it mattered it wouldnt be a deal breaker.. i asked more because i am hoping to build quality knives someday and just wanted to know what people did with the products i like and buy! great video as usual mike keep em coming!!

Just found your channel. Really like it dude! Great videos and excellent info.

I agree, integrity is really the most important aspect of a person. Selling knives or doing life. Thanks E.

As a New Knife maker I didn’t even know these things were taboo lol I’ll subscribe to your integrity!!

Great video. Thanks for putting the truth out there

Another great video thanks. I use a jig and it isn't that easy but I've started free handing and really like it. I'll be using your kitchen knife tutorial soon for my first attempt 👍🏻

Great as well as entertaining video Mike! Can you do another shop tour?

Good post. I use both freehand and jig, I also forge so there's many variations you can use with/out freehand and jig. Personally, I think using all the tricks of the trade you have at your disposal will help you overall as a knife maker and not diminish your quality is a great thing. As we said in the military, work smarter, not harder.

I want to start and say thank you for making this video. I’m and brand new to this in my opinion a jig is not cheating. Jigs are made to make your life easier and your work more precise But on the other I do believe that you should learn how to do it by hand. Have the understanding of the mechanics of the process will make you a overall better at what you do. Great work you got a new fan 💪🏼🤜🏼

Thanks for the video. You just got another subscriber. :) It was alluded to/mentioned in earlier comments but as someone with a disability who is looking to get into knife making, I see a jig as a fantastic piece of adaptive equipment for those who would have difficulties otherwise. Thanks!

I really respect the fact that you have spoken about this use of jigs as it needed to be said.I do know that some grounds are easier than others depending on the shape and the type of Grind done.

First video I have watched of his i can definitely say I am now subscribed

Love the honesty and the facts.

You should be commended for offering helpful information to the knife community. Thank you.

Thanks. A very interesting thing to talk about.

straightforward guy. I subscribed

where did you get that jig....?

I'm only 3 minutes I to the video and I can already tell you. Great vid Mike!

Great topic. I make the Multi Guide Pro bevel jig so I have heard first hand lots of the "cheating" talk directed to me. What I find is that makers were reluctant to speak about it in open forums but each time I raise the topic I get many PM responses of people that are interested in the method I use.

Good video very honest , respect to you mate

Hi, just watched your vid, very enjoyable. I'm not a knife maker, but have watched lots and lots of videos, especially with lockdown taking over. I agree 100% with what you say tho. I am a professional photographer in Ireland and when I run a photography class, the first thing that I tell my students is to gain a good knowledge of the old art of analog b/w photography before assuming that anyone can go out an take a good photo with a digital camera. To be a good knife maker I think that it is important to be able to free hand with confidence before ever turning to a jig.. Anyway I enjoyed the video, so keep rolling them out.. Regards, Joak from Ireland

You had me at integrity. Good man .

Don't matter to me. If it comes from a smaller owner operator shop, no matter. Good steel, great design, end result, that's it for me. No worries mate. Jig on.

I worked in aircraft for 10+ years and any shop aid that makes your job more efficient and consistent is a great thing.

Not easy making Knives. Grinding is an art in itself. Good video

This is my first vid I watched of your channel. And I'm just getting into knife making and I never heard of a jig. Thanks for telling the truth. A man's word is all he ever really has. Fact!

Without jigs technology would not advance almost every trade from welding , machining to wood working uses jigs so why not knife makers .

This popped up in my feed today. I'm learning knife making but I have experience in other crafting areas. You said it right, putting together a jig for a one off isn't worth it. If it's for a piece you'll be repeating, it saves you time and money, and improves the quality then it's just smart buisness. That's not cheating and except for a few people generally the customer doesn't care. They pay for a quality product at a fair price. Oh and you just gained a subscriber.

I love you honesty and being open about this. People use lies to compensate for lack of skill. The world is full of shit but it doesn't have to be.

You right costumers don't care about what tools you use to make your knives. This is more between us the knife makers who may not want to look less professional or not have same level of skills. But at the end is about you, your product and the costumer. Keep learning and trying different ways improving will make you win always

Great video, thanks for sharing, you have a excellent channel!

I think the reason why so many knifemakers hide jigs is because they think they give up the "skill part" of knifemaking. You could say that knifemaking does not require any skill when you use a jig because it is just grinding or filing a shape. But I think freehand grinding is not the skill part in knifemaking. Being patient and accurate and learning from your mistakes even if it takes a long time is the skill part in knifemaking. So in my opinion you need to be skilled to make knives no matter if you use a jig or not.

@bearsbugs

6 жыл бұрын

Plus you need quite a bit of skill to properly set up the jigs as well, they don't come out of the box ready to use.

@Hunter-oq9ht

5 жыл бұрын

love this comment that was the exact same thing I was thinking about. xD

Awesome video. Been making knives for about a year. So yeah I'm a beginner. I've went from a file to a 1" belt grinder to a 2"×72" homemade belt grinder. Made about 8 knives now and each one looks better than the last one. I believe it's because of my tools. I just recently started using a jig and I really see no difference in my grind between free hand and jig. It does make my grinding easier though. My jig is homemade also from a piece of angle iron, a 1/4 screw and nut. Might have to look into getting a "pro" jig. Thanks again for the video.👍

dude im a craftsman that dosent even make knives and everything you said was spot on for alot of handmade items,great video thank you!

Great topic, great insight. I say use what you need to use, to get the result you want to get. Same with sharpening, freehand, guided system, hand power, motor, flat, convex, etc.

I think that it deesn't matter if its made with jig or freehand. As a knifemaker myself - I think that freehand gives you more freedom once you master it. When you use a jig you limit yourself with designs that are easier to set up. Also if you grind freehand and you are good at it you can be proud with yourself but thats it.

It's no big deal to use a jig, especially when a lot of the "custom" made folders out there are CNC made.

I'm not a knife maker. I'm a qualified millwright but I'm and airbrush artist. Jig or no jig. I use airbrush stecils when doing huge projects. What is important is ro keep the customer happy and to get it done for the customer and get it out and ready for the next job. If my customer must be upset because I use a simple stencil then I will say" do it yourself or get yourself a sticker". The same with a jig. Consistency is important. Great vid and buddy and great topic.

Great video!

I'm still doing everything free hand with various results just to learn. I don't feel superior and i kill a lot of blanks, but it's part of a proces. Good video.

very nice to open about something like this

Funny vid mike. I've never had any issues with makers who use jigs. Personally I use both always have. I like to set the initial bevel with a jig as I find my eyes aren't as fresh as they used to be and have a hard time with keeping bothe sides consistent but after heat treatment I freehand grind. Its easier then to find the angles because there already set and I can feel the heat exchange a whole lot better. But I have to say there are nights when I just want to use tne jig to make it way more consistent. Either way every blade I've made has a part of me in it. Some times on it. ouch!!!. Keep up the great work brother.

I truly appreciate your honesty

@TheCrazycatfisher

6 жыл бұрын

I also think a jig is a tool as you have said it still takes skill to produce a quality product

I never Knew there was a bugaboo about jigs at all. I should use them because Months may pass between projects and my freehand skills suffer'. Great video. : )

Thumbs up just for admitting to click bait. LOL. Love it.

I couldn't get through half your video with out nodding and talking back to you! Mike, you hit each and every point I could think of. I learned free-hand and I still do free-hand. When my son (who was 12 at the time) wanted to make his first solo knife I fabricated him a jig from some L mild steel and a couple screws. It worked great for him. He didn't have the strength, confidence and dexterity to free-hand. In due time he will. Will I free-hand all my life? I may not. As we get older, we can't do the things we can when younger. I also do not do large scale production knives and I don't have a CNC and such. That's just not my forte'. And like you, we don't forge... which is a WHOLE other purist argument. Anyhow, great video Mike! And my wife and kids are always peeking in while I run video. She says I need a door hanger so when I'm recording I flip a sign on the door. Ha!

Mike love your videos and your honesty. I have a question not really related to this video. I was wondering what speeds you are running your belt grinder at for the different grinding operations you do? Thanks.

Jig or no jig I’ve done both, I think consumers don’t give a rip, It seems that only knife makers seem to have this pissing contest going! I like your attitude, subbed!

so true integrity matters. good video.

When we were kids The Jiggy Jiggy Man used to charge us a "browsing fee" to look at the nudie mags in his store

i dont have a problem with jigs... i have made several, some worked some not so.. what kind of jig is the one at the beginning of this video ?? did you make it, if yes can you do a video on making it ?? thanks

Subbed......free hand skills on a mastery level that bevel was perfect. I like your attitude honesty & integrity is hard currency for a business, many fail when they lose those basic but high value ideals. I don't regard using a jig as cheating you still need skills to get the best results...but skills are one thing Mastery is something on a whole new level and so the price should reflect that.Great video, knives looked nice too.

a jig is as cheating as using a belt sander with a motor. so if you use one of those, you might as well use a jig. what's 'pure'? mining your own ore, refining it, and only use muscle power? :-P

@londiniumarmoury7037

6 жыл бұрын

MockingBirdthewizard they used pedal powered grinding wheels back in the day, apart from creating some nice leg muscles I don't see how pedal power is more authentic than electricity, but there is a difference between a pure CNC made item and one shaped by hands, I like the minor flaws and imperfections.

Very good point on ethics. I build knives and I use several different methods. And I'm always open as to how I did the particular knife. Some I have ordered raw steel and hammered out the shape. And did a bunch of the stuff with a 4" side grinder and 2' X 72 belt grinder. I have also ordered precut knife shape, drop point hunter style. I heated and tapered the tang and put a belly on the cutting edge. Yes flat grind is much easier with a jig and I use one often. But for the most part I do a slack belt grind and my customers love that. I tried to explain your points to a younger knife maker. He advertised as forged knives as apposed to stock removal method. After looking at a group of knives he made, they were CNC cut outs and stock removal. Which is fine, as you say "If you're upfront about it."

Awesome,love it You are right 100%

Mike please More knife making videos you teach so well.

Been saying the same thing. Spot on. Pretty much everyone who say using a jig is cheating are the same people using other modern tools that increase their precision. I use jigs for production stuff for consistency. One offs usually get freehand grinds. I have no issue with someone charging extra for the freehand work, and everyone should be able to freehand grind.

I’m just tunning in to your ch. great 1st vid for me to watch. I think I have a good idea of how my custom makers get to their final product and just another reason why my custom makers are on a short list. (Referring to my fixed blades) If they leave out they are working with a jig,not important or a honest issue. Diff does lye in forge or stock removal and if CNC is used.

I don't think it's 100% cheating, but I think it should be somewhat disclosed like you said. If a lone maker/single-employee knife company can pump out more knives quicker using a jig to keep the lights on, and put food on the table, then I personally don't have a problem with it. That being said, I completely understand the aversion to jigs that an established freehand-only maker would have to newer companies and even individuals that are jig-only. Like any art or craft, it's understood that you should have to "earn your spurs" to deserve certain levels of respect...

@NickShabazz

7 жыл бұрын

I think that although there are hints, knifemaking has yet to fully embrace "Method as art". In watchmaking, there's the RW Smith idea of "I'm going to hand make every component down to the second markers, not because it makes better work, but because that's kind of neat and that's the reason you're going to pay so damned much money for this", and people support it, buying $300,000+ wristwatches. There may be a similar market for makers who don't jig, don't CNC, and do everything by some purist aesthetic of methodology, and still hit perfection. These knives will be ungodly expensive if done honestly, and only worthwhile to a rare few. But the people who do it will absolutely deserve the respect they've earned. But people also need to realize that you can't get that cheap. Unless you want it poorly made.

@anarkiddy2984

7 жыл бұрын

Lee Beezy From what I've seen and experienced is that many makers, including myself, can freehand. With freehand, you can mess one little part up and spend countless hours fixing it. With a jig, it simplifies the process and saves us time. In short, we can freehand but it saves us time and you money. Cheers. 😊

i completely agree with this. as a former knifemaker, I've never had a customer as if i used a jig. i dont, but it's not because im so amazing that i can do machine precision, its because of my style and the way i like to keep things as primitive as possible. i just prefer the practice and seeing my mistakes that freehand offers. the point of "hand made" is the imperfections and the uniqueness of something done by hand. i have a knife made with no power tools, i literally made my own crucible steel, forged and filed to shape, used bone and natural sinew for the handle and hand carved a scabbard, i also have lots of knives that i took a bar of steel and hogged it on a grinder to shape, quenched with a torch and wrapped with parachord. which knife performs better? they both work the same. if you enjoy freehand and oldschool stuff, do that and appeal to those customers, and if you just want function and no frills...thats fine too, there are places for both, but i'd never put a 150 dollar tag on one of the quicky's and claim i forged it to shape and spent a week smelting the steel. its about the experience and the learning, enjoying the craft and finding someone who wants what you made for the reasons you made it, but sadly for many its just about bullshit and profit. there is no sin in using modern tools to make knives unless you lie about it. 100 percent agree. the whole point of the ancient methods and using those old techniques is the journey, the history and the story that make it special...so if you make up half the story to hype your sales...you just a snake-oil salesman and a fraud. thats why some of my more crude knives arent for sale. i spent so much time and effort learning and experimenting and using ancient techniques that i'm attached to them and value the memory and the practice more than the knife sale. then again, some days you just wanna throw together a functional piece in a few hours and the journey isnt important. both legitimate ways as long as you're honest.

As an old tool maker I applaud your use of tooling. :)

Been trying to learn to make slipjoints, so I have been practice grinding a few pretty small blades. After biting my fingertips several times on the belts trying to hold on to the small suckers, and having a few taken away and tossed around by the grinder, I decided I better use a jig. I think its a dumb argument anyway, it's just another tool. Is using a disc sander cheating? Or a 2x72 grinder cheating? Or a mill? Dumb.

@EkimKnives

7 жыл бұрын

agreed! The goal is to make the best knife possible..If that means I have to send it to the space station to get a zero gravity heat treat, you better believe that's what i'm going to do!

@DudeNumberOnePlus

6 жыл бұрын

Hey, for grinding i used to put impromptu handle made of flatened pipe and a broomstick on folder blades when i dabbled in knifemaking, worked great.

@hob0tron227

6 жыл бұрын

Agreed! I use recycled steel in my knives and prefer the look of using a hand file to set my bevels. I don't think it is cheating to use my bench vice to hold the blade in place.

Great Videos , thanks

People are going to debate and argue over everything. It don't matter the subject. I just went through the old automatic vs manual for drag racing the other day. Great video

Good metal, good temper, good anealing, good Rockwell hardness and uniformity. No bulges or jagged edges and definatly a constant degree of the knife edge.

As an enthusiast, I love a blade that is 100 percent freehand. You will never find two feehands that are exactly alike. They are imperfectly perfect and are the ones that get put into my knife case along with the makers name for display. The utilitarian in me does not care if you use a jig, freehand or machine press, all I care about is whether the knife will fulfill my needs and hold up over time with regular maintenance. I don't see why jigs would be a controversial issue. As you said, if the maker is forthcoming with the particulars of the knife there should be no problem. I buy Walmart knives to keep in my tool box, specialty survival knives for my outdoor adventure kit, and artisan hand crafted for my case at home. All knives serve a function and so as long as the artisan maker is straight forward about his process who cares if he uses a jig, I know I don't. Thank you for your video.

BRAVO!!!!! WELL SAID!!!! I APPRECIATE This conversation, and, I think that it's VERY IMPORTANT to realize, that Most "Handmade Knife" makers eventually MUST try to utilize more, and more sophisticated tooling, in order to handle the tremendous production demands, in order to capitalize on the available market demand, once they've developed real skills, and experience, and can actually MAKE their "prototype" designs, in order to experiment, and innovate, and improve their efficiency, and, until they find a marketable design niche, and,... then they can free up more of their time, to move on to further advancements! In this same way,... that a skilled musician must strive to use modern technical improvements, and recording equipment, in order to find a way to get their work out to the massive market that awaits them, eagerly! If they keep their skills bottled up inside, and only perform on an extremely limited schedule, they will never be truly "successful", nor appreciated, even though they may be Very skilled. Their talents will be lost to the World at large! Go forth, and Prosper!

I still need to learn how to use a jig .... Thanks for the input. ThumbZ UP !!!

@londiniumarmoury7037

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DMKUSA personally I've never used one, I think I'd invest in a CNC machine before using a jig, I learned freehand so I don't see the point of going backwards.

Ekim Knives, I was straight up inclined to the hand ground knife from the get go... maybe the blue crap put me off, though I think the obvious yet kinda subtle appearance differences between the knives is that the nice one has the bigger blade surface and it looks good. Knice work, without doubt.

Hi Mike every business has its hidden secrets, thanks for your honesty I haven't seen any new videos are you still making?

Support to you, mate!!

Thanks for the honesty, btw can you give us some info on that jig you were showing off?

Mate ever time I watch your videos it's like you are reading my mind. I use a jig on every knife I make 👍.

Hmm very interesting..I'm new to the interest of forging ,metal working, knife making etc..it never would have occurred to me that using a jig in making knives would seem like cheating or lessening the work process in some way. I have been using jigs in wood working forever and it never seemed like it was considered taboo in that industry or hobby (hobby in my case). Thank you for the information! Great video! :)

I have to use a jig because of issues with my hands. Also I have that jig as well. Don Dentz makes a Great jig, great maker. Yes you are correct it is not automatically perfect. It still takes time and patience. Don put a couple of custom holes on my jig so I can install handles. It helps tremendously. My hands shake and and I don't have 100% control so I was afraid it would be more like a 50 gallon drum of ruined blades before I got the hand grind down. I also do this mostly on the weekends so time was a bit more of an issue. Thanks for the video, very informational. Most makers that really put out a bunch of blades make permanent jigs for the blade they are grinding. This way the settings are there every time. Snody made a video about jigs as well. You can see the welded jigs he uses. He says just about what you do about makers using jigs.

Thanks for this I did not know you could use a jig for hollow grind, do you still need to make the edge before the grind

I like that philosophy do it the hard way first remind me of my automotive repair instructor in college who always said "first I will teach you the need to know way. once you got it, then ill teach you the nice to know time saving ways"