I need some ad(vise)!

K

KB1SYV

Guest
Hi guy's,

I think I have my bench picked out, but I'd like to get some suggestions on what kind of vise would work the best for a lot of manual filing and grinding. I need something that will protect the blade from flexing and vibrating when grinding and such. Any advice and suggestions welcome.

Thanks everyone,

Jeff
 
i have used every imaginable vise there is in last 30 years. I don't see much difference between vises. I got mine at HF. I didn't pay much over 50.00 for it.
 
When I couldn't find a specific vise that suited me, I built my own knife vise. I'll try to get some pics posted later, but I used a 3" square piece of heavy wall tubing, cut a portion of two side out, then built a top "jaw" from a piece of 3/8" plate. I lined the jaws with rubber stamping pad from Tandy, and have been using it ever since for hand sanding, filing, or just about any other chore that requires the blade to be held tightly and steady.

The cheap way/easy way out is to mount a length of 2x4 to the bench, with about 12"-18" sticking out past the edge of the bench. Then use another chunk of 2x4 at the end that is sticking out as a support. (that part sits on the floor). Some guys mount a toggle clamp, and others use a common "C" clamp to secure blades.

Even when I use my "knife vise" (the one in the first paragraph), I have several different lengths of 1/4" thick 1080, with leather glued to one side, which I place under the blade to support that portion sticking out of the vise jaws.
 
EdCaffreyMS said:
Even when I use my "knife vise" (the one in the first paragraph), I have several different lengths of 1/4" thick 1080, with leather glued to one side, which I place under the blade to support that portion sticking out of the vise jaws.
Click to expand...

Hi Ed,

I can't quite visualize what your using to support the blade, but does that negate all the flexing and vibrations that happen when manually grinding and filing? I will most likely be doing everything manually and I've read where the pressures on the blade and the vibrations caused by the filing could irreparably ruin the blade. How can I avoid this?

Thanks,

Jeff
 
I simply took different lengths and widths of 1/4" thick 1080 barstock and glued and covered on side in the same leather I use for sheaths. The vise that I'm talking about has "jaws" that move vertically, so I have the stationary jaw on the bottom, and the movable jaw on top.

I place whatever bar of leather covered steel suits the blade I'm working on in the vise, then lay the blade on top of it.. (the bar of steel with the portion of the blade I'm working one stick out of the vise jaws.)then tighten down the top jaw. The leather covered bar of steel is just a support mechanism that keeps the blade from chattering or flexing while I'm working on it.

Once I get some pics posted it will make more sense.
 
Thanks Ed, that might help. It's an important item in my eyes because the blade is going to be under more stress than a normal blade because everything will be done manually, one draw after another. If there is any way to prevent the blade from flexing and torqueing over the length of time that I would be filing, I would like to implement it. The other question is when using the vise to grind, do you have a best practice on how to ensure an accurate bevel on each side?

Thanks Again Ed,

Jeff
 
I'll make sure I get some pics up tomorrow morning...right now it's "March Madness" and since I originally hail from Indiana..... nothing takes precedence over the NCAA tournament! :)


On the grinding issue...as with any time you grind a blade, it's all about time and practice. You just have to become accustom to your tools, and work on your technique.
 
I use a knife vice that I got from Poor Boy's Blacksmithing on Ebay. He's an upstanding supplier whom I've done business with a few times. All he asks is prompt payment, in return he give prompt service. This vice is made form about 6" of 3" inside diameter pipe with wing nuts set in it to hold a split 3" round piece of wood tight on the knife. I replaced the lower part of the wood "jaws" with a knife board. The knife board is just a 1.5" wide piece of 1" hard wood cut to a rounded point on one end. I clamp the blade onto the top surface of the knife board to prevent me from coming in contact with the edge of the blade or running the point of the blade into my hand or just walking into the point. A knife clamped down with the point unguarded is a very dangerous thing. I imagine Ed's rig is not a whole lot different.

Doug Lester
 
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