Machining a Honing Jig

I had an itch to machine something, this was the result. I consider myself an experienced amateur when it comes to the use and care of hand tools. Maybe this will lead to more well-maintained tools that I use more. If you have sharpening tips, share them below!

[@Malphazar]

"I know you can buy these prity cheep, but then I cant machine anything" Why does no one ever understand this!!!!

[@qoph1988]

Only real heads get it

[@somebodyelse6673]

I like your choice of knob design, especially for aluminum. Knurling wears down surprisingly fast on aluminum. It most often looks like crap because it's a forming operation that's difficult to control to the points (even when its not a forming-hostile alloy like 6061).

[@greerbriggs8421]

(I've just been binging a few of your videos) You have access to such amazing tools but still do things with genious simplicity and mechanical skill. Not a single effort shown is a waste. well done

[@Phoen1x883]

Holy crap, those end results shots at the end! Never done much in the way of woodworking, but this is making me want to give it a shot

[@jcims]

Fantastic outcome! Thanks for documenting it along the way, great job!

[@DavidLindes]

Very cool! I've always kinda been wary of anything that needed sharpening, because getting the angles right seemed both critical and difficult... But with this, you make it look easy!!! When I eventually get a machining setup (hopefully), I'll definitely have to keep in mind the possibility of doing something like this. Thanks for sharing!

[@GuiltyMalice]

This was an awesome build, it is such a pleasure to plane and chisel when the tools are that sharp. Very nice set up, Thanks for sharing.

[@AmyMakesStuff]

Thanks for watching!!

[@eminatorstudios]

i knew this was going to be a good one when I saw the mill

[@Keechization]

for fast roughing you don't need to be too scared of overcooking your chisel blades on a bench grinder as long as you're being careful and dipping in water every pass if you're going heavy. bringing your tools to a usable sharp edge on a grinder and then finishing by hand from a 1000 to 4000 and up (if you have the stones) is really fast.

[@davewilliams7445]

I always get such a surge of excitement when a notification pops up for this channel! A great video as always Amy. I know making a video is a lot of work (and can slow the job right down), but your efforts, creativity, and insights are very much appreciated! Oh also, I can hear the heavy noise reduction in the last shot where you are talking to camera, is that something you do yourself in the edit? (It's not super obvious or jarring, but I'm a sound recordist / editor so I'm attuned to these things).

[@AmyMakesStuff]

oh man, in that case I deeply apologize to your well-tuned ears in general!! Yes, I do all my (very amateur) editing in iMovie, and in the last clip I cranked up the "reduce background noise" setting. Honestly, I love the making stuff part, but am still learning to love the video making part. There is a ton to learn. I appreciate everyone putting up with the somewhat clunky editing!

[@davewilliams7445]

@@AmyMakesStuff No need to apologise at all! You're doing a fine job and it will only get better :) I noticed that Rode released a new version of their mini transmitter (the Rode Wireless Go II), or even the original Go, could be a good option if you were wanting to level-up the audio side of things. Thanks again for your efforts, we really do appreciate it!

[@Shreyam_io]

"an itch to machine something" Pun intended or not?? LOL

[@joepie221]

Nice jig. The rollers were a good idea.

[@criznach]

It's awesome to see you making more videos!

[@CafeenMan]

I've made a couple small low-angle planes and had the exact same problem with the wood not being able to support the blade at the mouth due to the thinness of the wood there. I really need a small, lightweight jointer plane to work on balsa models. Something about 8-10" long and 1-1/2" wide and about 1-1/4" tall. But lightness is the key so I"m not dinging up the soft balsa when I put the plane on it. At this point I'm considering using 1/8" brass for the base and dovetailing into wood sides. I'm concerned it will be too heavy but I can't think of another answer to keep the plane intact under the blade if I want a low-angle plane. By the way, "cheap" honing guides are terrible. So even if you didn't want to machine anything, you wouldn't be doing yourself any favors with those things. If anyone does want to buy a honing guide then it's worth the extra money for a quality version.

[@AmyMakesStuff]

oh hmm, what an interesting challenge. Maybe if you have access to a mill, you can hollow out the brass where you need less structure? I definitely want to make a better version of the low angle plane sometime.

[@CafeenMan]

@@AmyMakesStuff I have a mill and will probably give it a shot. I'm not a machinist but my machinist friend retired and I bought his entire machine shop from him so I'm anxious to start turning perfectly good metal into scrap.

[@AmyMakesStuff]

Wow, excellent investment in your life!!!

[@ldopa123]

Love the straight-forward style and ingenuity. Sub'd!

[@frollard]

just found the channel...comment on all the things! Excellent project. I've been meaning to make very similar since the commercial options suck.

[@KelikakuCoutin]

Very satisfying. Thanks for the content. Keep up the good work. בס״ד

[@AmyMakesStuff]

Thank you! Will do!

[@NoTengoIdeaGuey]

Just scrolling through my KZbin recs and clicking the thumbnail I thought I was going into a This Old Tony video. 😎 Always gotta respect somone dedicated to making something that can be bought for less than $10 solely for the experience of making it. No doubt your result was much higher quality than the cheap Amazon crap we all bought. That HDPE stone holder is a great idea too. Mine is made out of scrap pine and it's soaked up so much oil, dust, steel filing and honing compound it's getting difficult to remove the stones at times. I bet plastic is so much cleaner. As far as sharpening tips I would definitely recommend watching Rob Cosmans videos about sharpening. He puts a lot of emphasis on the importance of the quality of tools and he uses a whole-ass $1250 set-up (which no, sorry, miss me with that) but his overall approach and technique is what really enabled me to move beyond "kinda sharp" to "slicing pine end grain like butter" sharp. Also

[@nirfz]

Very Impressive! Technically, with this jig the angle you set at the start will not be the same angle you achieve on the thing you sharpen when you are done. The more material removed, the more the angle will differ. (unless your bearings wouldn't work and you'd remove the same amount of material from them and the jig as you do from the workpiece ;-) ) That said, i don't expect you to remove emough material that it actually matters... I certainly couldn't give you any sharpening tips, i mostly sharpen knifes, and i like doing that free hand. Although, having had to sharpen former plaining cutter blades into steak knifes: if your diamond stones take you too long, maybe go for a 200 or 300 grit diamond to speed the initial part of regaining an edge up.

[@padsdisilvio5509]

Oh to be in America on a high income with cheap tools! I'll probably be in my 60's by the time I can afford this kind of set up but maybe that'll give me enough time to absorb all your great tips. Thanks Amy for sharing your ideas so clearly and humbly :-)

[@derekvaughn2038]

Amy - I didn’t see any recommendations on sharpening stones so I’ll throw my two cents in. I use a 1000 grit and 8000 grit water stones and that takes care of just about any sharpening chore I have. If I’m nursing a really messed up edge I’ll hit it with a grinder if necessary and then I’ll spray glue 120 grit sandpaper to a flat granite slab. The problem with diamond stones is that there isn’t nearly enough abrasive on them… That’s why it takes longer on a diamond stone then it would take on the same grit water stone or oil stone.

[@ClericChris]

8:45 very audibly and visually satisfying. I know it smells nice with a deep therapeutic feel as the blade cuts perfect chips. At this point I have to assume it tastes good.

[@Fred-tp1nn]

The chisel through maple is superb.

[@qoph1988]

Yeah that bit felt goooood

[@handmadeisbetter]

This is a really nice piece that you've created! Awesome!!

[@AmyMakesStuff]

thank you!!

[@4n2earth22]

Well, the way I heard it, all's ya gotta do is take all the dull stuff off'n it, and the rest is pretty sharp.....

[@stacysimon8864]

Very impressive work! Outstanding mill work, excellent practices used. Keep up the great work!

[@AmyMakesStuff]

Thank you!!

[@borriboi]

Nice video! Keep up the good work, you deserve more subscribers :)

[@AmyMakesStuff]

:D thank you!

[@3bikesfly]

Great video Amy. What a fun project, it looks like a pleasure to use. I have a 120 grit diamond plate that does most of my heavy work before I move to my 1000 and 6000 stone. It leaves a rough finish but if I lighten up the pressure before I move on to the 1000 grit stone I'm not chasing deep scratches. I do want a 1000 or so diamond plate so I don't have to flatten my stone so often. If you see this what brand diamond plates do you have currently?

[@AmyMakesStuff]

I am using a Diamond Machining Technology (DMT) D8C (8" coarse) and D8F (fine). I like the idea of your 120 grit diamond stone. My coarse one is much finer than that, and I find I spend a lot of time on it.

[@freedtmg16]

Marry me. Hahaha! I don't know what else to say to the most attractive woman on earth.

[@nbidnm]

And the creators award in the female categories goes to Amy.

[@3167]

Your results look pretty good! You could save some time on setting the angle by following something similar to what Tamar from 3x3 Custom did. kzbin.info/www/bejne/p4q0hWZmfNyFoMk

[@AmyMakesStuff]

yes! I just watched her video, the angle setting tip is excellent!

[@MRarvai]

someone tweet this to Adam Savage :DDD great job btw!

[@maxwelllucas896]

Diamond lapping film is great for final honing of planes and chisels with a guide like yours. Removes material very quickly considering the ultra fine grit. Lee valley sells a good set, and a pretty good book on sharpening.

[@AmyMakesStuff]

Thanks for the suggestion!

[@1495978707]

2:15 is there a reason you’re climb milling?

[@peterjensen1229]

As always, beautiful job! Did I miss a video on that tapping tool?

[@AmyMakesStuff]

haha, you did not, I made that years ago! I get so much use out of it though. Maybe I should make a video showing that and a few other things I've made before that have been really useful in the shop? Would people watch that?

[@Paul-qu4kl]

@@AmyMakesStuff Yeeeeees we would 😁 Thanks for sharing and creating the videos, awesome channel!

[@peterjensen1229]

Amy Makes Stuff oh yes . More videos are always better!!

[@Phoen1x883]

@@AmyMakesStuff Gonna second (third?) that request for a shop tools video. The tapping tool in particular would be nice, since the typical approach seems to go "Buy a drill press, then unhook any parts that don't look like a tapping tool"

[@blackdaan]

off camera?? i think the lathe was 2 much work for ya huh

[@kezyka6775]

Very nice video, I only have some minor notes though. 1. It would be nice to see some of the plans (if there are any) before hand so we can have a visual in our head while you machine the parts. 2. The strobing light during the slow motion plastic milling could potentially be dangerous to some viewers but I'm no expert in that area. As I said the video was nice and gave me another way to solve a problem I might run into in the future.

[@AmyMakesStuff]

thanks for the comments!

[@VinnieNiZero]

holy shyte that is so fucking awesome

[@Strothy2]

just discovered your channel, looking foward to see more of this kind, the design with the bearings is acutally something I might even copy in a way to build a jig for some plainer blades :D

[@vonrollveeg]

My father was a journeyman cabinet maker in his youth. He made amazing things. As a youth I was in awe Unfortunately, he never taught me anything about this craft. Likely good judgement on his part because I basically have ten thumbs - I don't think this was his fault as I have other difficulties as well.

[@CafeenMan]

You asked for sharpening tips. Here are mine. First I got some expensive full size diamond stones. Along with that I bought the Veritas honing guide. Already several hundred dollars in. Then I bought some Shapton stones - several hundred dollars more. I can get razor edges on my blades but it still takes me a long time. It's nothing like the "30 seconds to sharp" I see all the time on KZbin. Granted, I don't make my living using tools that need constant sharpening. I'm not doing this on a daily basis so will probably never become an expert. I finally put all that crap in a drawer and bought a Tormek. Way faster and more consistent. Plus I have a pretty good collection of pocket knives which it also sharpens faster than I ever could. So tip #1 is just skip the nonsense and get a Tormek (or a clone if they're any good... I don't know). Tip #2 - make a strop. They're a ten minute project, extremely cheap and make a huge difference in the sharpness of your steel.

[@AmyMakesStuff]

Not gonna lie, Tormeks look pretty nice!!!

[@drstrip100]

@@AmyMakesStuff Among the woodworking pros I know, CBN wheels on a 1HP grinder are preferred over the Tormek

[@yeshid900]

This taping stand is awesome!

[@MichaelBogucki]

Great... yet another project to add to my endless-project-list. ^_^ Awesome job!!!

[@AmyMakesStuff]

woo!!! those lists never get shorter.

[@QUARTERSAWN]

Very nice, except now I wish I had a mill. ☺️

[@AmyMakesStuff]

get one!!! You will make cool stuff!

[@tadpole868]

I have a quick question; Are there any problems or design changes you might make to a V.2 of this device when it comes to the holder itself having contact with the sharpening stones while sharpening? I have no thoughts about improvements other than I was curious if the sharpening stones might wear down the holder over time? Thank you again for posting this, it really gives a lot of food for thought. Much appreciated!

[@tadpole868]

I just saw how the roller bearings and the blade itself would be the only contact points! Question Answered!

[@AmyMakesStuff]

😊 there are changes I would make though. The sides of some of my chisels are beveled in such a way that the jig would have held them better if the jaws were just 90 degrees rather than slightly angled. There’s enough material though that I could just machine the jaw back to 90 degrees. Also, this jig doesn’t work for chisels that are wider at the cutting edge than they are towards the handle. Or for skew chisels. So I could definitely see a different design working better for those. Thanks for watching!

[@aaron5311]

Great video, impressive as always Amy!

[@dustinmasters9239]

Excellent work!!

[@SameerKhan-xn9gn]

You're amazing

[@SkyOctopus1]

Beautiful job!

[@BryanHoward]

Cool! found this from hackaday

[@AmyMakesStuff]

Oh cool!! Thanks for watching!

[@robotskirts]

👍👍

[@AdityaMehendale]

At 7:36, is there no risk of the grit and water damaging the bearings?

[@AmyMakesStuff]

I think there is a risk. But the ones I have are partially shielded and were really cheap. So if they go, I'll replace them!

[@pepekrozinek]

Sweet! Did you make a 3d design? I'd go 3d print this jig right now!

[@AmyMakesStuff]

I do have a 3D design, but perhaps I will make some tweaks to it so it is more 3D printer friendly before I post it?

[@MrDistill]

Extraordinary.

[@jtreg]

really nice!!!

[@TheNormalUniverse]

Awesome work as always Amy!

[@AmyMakesStuff]

Thank you! 😊

[@Keelsman]

Looooveliiiiiiiiieeeee! Those chisel cuts... Just a joy to see!

[@AmyMakesStuff]

😁

[@JKTCGMV13]

Nice

[@dennyskerb4992]

Awesome !

[@butterbaybiscuits8694]

You're very capable and talented!

[@AmyMakesStuff]

thank you!

[@CesarHarada]

So soothing

[@1337fraggzb00N]

Das ist gut.

[@r.h.b.4980]

You did an amazing job

[@AmyMakesStuff]

thank you!

[@vaderdudenator1]

awesome work!

[@AmyMakesStuff]

Thank you!

[@nefariousyawn]

Excellent!

[@AmyMakesStuff]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@jimkirk360]

Love the video. Keep making

[@r.h.b.4980]

What name mill do you have?

[@davewilliams7445]

I think it's a Bridgeport Mill, I remember it was featured in an earlier video.

[@AmyMakesStuff]

yes, Bridgeport!

[@AnotherPointOfView944]

Nice work Amy, but I think your hands are taking the toll. Need hand moisterizer perhaps.

[@AmyMakesStuff]

LOL yes