Knife Grinding

One day while bouncing some ideas around the shop, Rich and I came up with this jig for holding drawknives while grinding. I have learned to grind freehand, a good skill to have but a difficult one to teach. It is also daunting for beginners, so this simple jig fits the bill.
The problem with grinding a drawknife is that it doesn't have a flat reference to ride on the tool rest. This jig, made up of two boards and a few rare earth magnets solve this problem by holding the knife by the only dependably flat face, the back. It allows the blade to float while the truly flat reference of the board rides on the tool rest. I use the jig with a pillow block setup that allows me better access to the grinding wheel than a standard grinder. There really isn't much to say about it, except that it works beautifully. If you aren't able to freehand a perfect 8" hollowgrind into your knife, it is well worth the ten minute investment to make.