It seemed like such a good idea... (file guide question)

Yes, the guide does tend to want to go out of square on steeply tapered sections, so some kind of shimming is necessary. I've found that the set screws I added to the guide do serve this function quite well, and they're infinitely adjustable, which is nice. But even when the guide is squared up in that axis, it will still want to slide in other directions. I think you really need an additional clamp in front of the guide to act as a stop.
 
IMHO/experience, anything that's squishy will allow it to move. I don't like anything like leather, rubber, etc. in there.

Post It notes are a Tim Hancock trick (shared with many such as Bing and myself) that works really well if you need to shim. I haven't ever shimmed a guide since I built my heavier one with "shimming bolts."

I'm curious how you're applying enough pressure to it while cutting in the shoulders, to move it.
 
NickWheeler said:
Post It notes are a Tim Hancock trick (shared with many such as Bing and myself) that works really well if you need to shim. I haven't ever shimmed a guide since I built my heavier one with "shimming bolts."

I'm curious how you're applying enough pressure to it while cutting in the shoulders, to move it.
Click to expand...

and James Rodebaugh passed that onto me :)

T Tenebr0s Alex I can envision your dramatic taper from the shoulder.
Some of my kitchen knives has such a taper but not perhaps dramatic.
I use the same file guide as you, mine clamps exceptionally tight.
I've never had a problem with movement.

Nick has brought up a good point, you must be applying alot of pressure...?

Of course another option is to grind in a slight parallel flat at the base of the taper.
Give yourself a "ricasso" for the file guide to clamp onto.

regards
 
So, I definitely do make things harder than they need to be (story of my life..). I like the steep taper just in front of my tang shoulders, and I want to leave the forge finish on the blades. The combination of the taper and uneven surface both combine to make it hard to get the file guide to stay put. In addition, most of my knives are sanmai with a mild steel cladding, which makes it much easier for the file guide to marr the finish. Without any padding, the guide stays on better, but it usually bites into the mild steel. Thin leather pads fix this, but make the guide more slippery.

I'm not applying a massive amount of force when grinding the shoulders (at least as far as I can tell), but it's just enough to get the guide to shift ever so slightly. And that's really all it takes for the shoulders to look like crap when I take the guide off.

I could eliminate this problem easily by making the knives differently, of course. But where's the fun in that? :rolleyes:

Edit: I even wonder if the vibration from the grinder doesn't play a role in this, since something clamped with pressure on an incline is going to naturally want to walk down the ramp towards the thinner cross-section.
 
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Yesterday I tried out my bubble jig clamp butted up against the back of my carbide file guide. It worked perfectly.
 
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