It seems like a good jig. The only thing I could add is to make sure you use some blue loctite on all the bolts. You don't want it to slowly move once you have it fully adjusted for that particular axe run. Adjustable jigs are great only if they stay exactly where they were adjusted to.
If you make a stand for a slag bucket under the grinder, you can just rotate the ax/hatchet head around and dip it into the bucket. That way you don’t have to pull the jig off the rod! Great design!
For cooling the axe down in water, could you do a bucket under the 2 pivot posts, and then when the axe is on the left pivot you could rotate it counter clockwise and dip it in, and then swing it back up clockwise. taking it off might just be faster 🤷♂️
This is what I was thinking as well. Tim could fab a trough so he could dunk the axe head on either side. Add a tab so the axe would only dunk to a certain depth and could just sit there to cool hands free while changing belts.
Always improving the shop! Never too fancy or expensive but always better and more efficient than before. If you stop getting better you stop being good! That's why your channel is unique and that is why I watch! Keep it up Tim
I really appreciate the substantial time and effort that you put into making not only this awesome metal working content, but the production values as well. The lighting is great! Really love the light creation vids too. Okay. Carry on.
Thanks for the video Tim.... I had an idea for cooling the axe while sharpening. If the axe can swing all the way down, you could make a "long" water container so you don't even need to take the axe nor the contrapment off. You can just swing it around up or down. I'm not sure I describe my idea I see in my head correctly. 🙂
I would add set pins to the joints on the swivel/adjustment arm joints, to ensure that if the screw comes loose you don't lose your set position. I.E. after perfecting the adjustment, drill a small hole next to the pivot screw to insert another screw or pin to lock it in place.
Hey Tim, you may want to add something to deflect the sparks and grinding dust away from the pins and bushings. After a while of running your jig over it you will end up sanding down the pins and bushings and you'll lose the stability you were talking about. Thanks for the video! :)
Brilliant. I think it might be a good idea to put a cover or deflector above the two shafts that the bushes slide on. Otherwise over the long term the pitting of the shaft could damage the bushes or size on there
Great job Tim , will enable you to do repeatable work ie every time will be the same . Your sharpening skills are amazing anyway but this will be even better . Thanks for sharing this with us .
I think adding some scales and adjustment screws might make this more usefull. If you know anything about fusion you should be able to put togeter an ax geometry calculator so you can get the settings and a model of the ax. If you’d like help with that let me know.
Nice! Maybe use a drill to taper the outside edges of the hole in the bushings so it is easier to slide on to the pins? Might make things easier for cooling and you don't have to worry about losing index like you would with puling the axe head off the jig.
I think to help with keeping the blade cool, adding a set screw system to allow for the bottom hinge point to articulate between the point needed for grinding and a run of water hung off the side of the axe grinding arm?
Probably some sort of spark deflector would be good so it's not blowing all that abrasive grinding dust onto the shaft and those bushings. I could see the whole thing getting floppy over time otherwise.
Rotation stops on either side so you can stop grinding precisely. By over-rotating your ax head past the sides of the belt, you are rounding the points at the top and bottom of the cutting edge....
Removing the axe head from the jig to cool it may result in some error as you may not get it back to the exact spot each time, I'd assume diff axe heads might fit slightly differently onto that arbor? Maybe an adjustable stop to make sure you're engaging it at the exact same depth on the arbor each time? (mill a slot and use a bolt/nut that floats in it as a stop?)
Awesome clever contraption 👍 I think you could possibly remove one segment of the articulated thingy (and possibly make one of the remain ones a touch lomger) and still keep the same level of adjustability with one bolt less to manage. Anyway, you probably won't fully retune this everydayn so might no be worth the time invested to change this 😅
I'd be willing to bet money that Tim played with Lego blocks, as a kid. Not the confused furries and drag queens on parade Lego blocks, but the astronaut and race car driver type of Lego blocks.
Just a thought Tim. Would it be better to have a small flat plate behind the belt where the axe contacts it? This would prevent a slightly curved edge if you pushed in a bit too hard, but I don't know axe making and perhaps a slightly curved edge is what you are after. Have enjoyed your views for a long time.
Timothy, great work as always. Hey! Do you know if any 'Alone' participants have ever used one of your hatchets or axes for their time on the show? Btw: I like this format of video you're doing now.
The vise that you used in this video seems to need quite a bit of revamping in order to not let things slip so easily. I mean, it’s been that way for years. How come you don’t fix the jaws?
What you need is a precision wet grinder and dry grinder. You don't have a buddy to help you out so you need all the help you can get. As a newish Tool and Die Maker, you need help brother.
Overall, that is awesome. Personally, I think you have too much going on with the multi-link adjustment piece and that cold be simplified a little. I mean, don't get me wrong, it works. I just think you could simplify it some.
I would say that the belt caving in as you push the axe's edge to it can introduce a lot of variability. There are two approaches that come to mind: 1. You're fine with a constant bevel profile and thus you create a specific platen behind the belt (flat or concave). 2. You want the belt flex for a flexible method of edge grinding but want finely controlled "feed", so you add an adjuster to the sliding rods (probably a nut or something) to limit how much the axe mount feeds into the belt.
It seems like a good jig. The only thing I could add is to make sure you use some blue loctite on all the bolts. You don't want it to slowly move once you have it fully adjusted for that particular axe run. Adjustable jigs are great only if they stay exactly where they were adjusted to.
The jigs for uniformity & in terms of numbers with production, can't be beat!!!
If you make a stand for a slag bucket under the grinder, you can just rotate the ax/hatchet head around and dip it into the bucket. That way you don’t have to pull the jig off the rod! Great design!
For cooling the axe down in water, could you do a bucket under the 2 pivot posts, and then when the axe is on the left pivot you could rotate it counter clockwise and dip it in, and then swing it back up clockwise. taking it off might just be faster 🤷♂️
That’s such a good idea! I will definitely look into this idea. Thank you!
This is what I was thinking as well. Tim could fab a trough so he could dunk the axe head on either side. Add a tab so the axe would only dunk to a certain depth and could just sit there to cool hands free while changing belts.
Or maybe just use a wet cloth/sponge - might be easier than trying to dip it.
Thinking the same thing! Awesome jig Tim.
Always improving the shop!
Never too fancy or expensive but always better and more efficient than before.
If you stop getting better you stop being good!
That's why your channel is unique and that is why I watch! Keep it up Tim
The quality of your videos have increased 10 fold over the last 12 months. Well done.
I really appreciate the substantial time and effort that you put into making not only this awesome metal working content, but the production values as well. The lighting is great! Really love the light creation vids too. Okay. Carry on.
Thanks for the video Tim.... I had an idea for cooling the axe while sharpening. If the axe can swing all the way down, you could make a "long" water container so you don't even need to take the axe nor the contrapment off. You can just swing it around up or down. I'm not sure I describe my idea I see in my head correctly. 🙂
I would add set pins to the joints on the swivel/adjustment arm joints, to ensure that if the screw comes loose you don't lose your set position. I.E. after perfecting the adjustment, drill a small hole next to the pivot screw to insert another screw or pin to lock it in place.
Hey Tim, you may want to add something to deflect the sparks and grinding dust away from the pins and bushings. After a while of running your jig over it you will end up sanding down the pins and bushings and you'll lose the stability you were talking about. Thanks for the video! :)
Awesome. When you make the bushings, you have the reins of the tolerances.
Brilliant. I think it might be a good idea to put a cover or deflector above the two shafts that the bushes slide on. Otherwise over the long term the pitting of the shaft could damage the bushes or size on there
Great job Tim , will enable you to do repeatable work ie every time will be the same . Your sharpening skills are amazing anyway but this will be even better . Thanks for sharing this with us .
Great work on the tool and the video. We shared this video on our homemade tool forum last week 😎
You should make a spark diverter so those sparks aren't landing on your guide rods. Those fine filings will chew through the bushing.
That’s a good idea, as I really don’t want to make more bushings!
I think adding some scales and adjustment screws might make this more usefull. If you know anything about fusion you should be able to put togeter an ax geometry calculator so you can get the settings and a model of the ax. If you’d like help with that let me know.
Nice! Maybe use a drill to taper the outside edges of the hole in the bushings so it is easier to slide on to the pins? Might make things easier for cooling and you don't have to worry about losing index like you would with puling the axe head off the jig.
Yes, and maybe round over the pins even more
Had me worried with the lathe for a minute. Glad you said "turn it manually".
I think to help with keeping the blade cool, adding a set screw system to allow for the bottom hinge point to articulate between the point needed for grinding and a run of water hung off the side of the axe grinding arm?
Probably some sort of spark deflector would be good so it's not blowing all that abrasive grinding dust onto the shaft and those bushings. I could see the whole thing getting floppy over time otherwise.
you should weld the nuts to the arm that holds the axe billet, so you can tighten the joint with hex key alone
I was thinking some kind of wingnut system so you don't always have to go searching for the hex key
That will really make your grinds consistent from axe to axe.
That's a wild setup! Well made!
I've never even been close to forging anything in my life but I love your videos. Immaculate vibes with great pacing and beautiful results.
Anything that saves time and increases repeatability is always good. Always like the jigs and fixtures vids 👍
I loved the fabrication process. We get to see your thought process as you go.
Thank you for making and sharing another enjoyable video of your work Tim!
Nice Setup!! Should save a LOT of Time!!
Great to see you thinking outside the box and creating a new jig for the purpose 😁🥳
You should add a cooling line constantly dripping
An Awesome Build Sir !
Your need another one of those home made TIM lights over that grinder!!!
That actually would look sooo good!
Use a paint pen and mark the 3 joints. you can see if they slowlyl move over time. Use different colors as a quick guide if you have different setups.
Rotation stops on either side so you can stop grinding precisely. By over-rotating your ax head past the sides of the belt, you are rounding the points at the top and bottom of the cutting edge....
That’s an interesting idea I didn’t think about. I’ll keep that in mind as I run the first couple axes through on it. Thank you!
Removing the axe head from the jig to cool it may result in some error as you may not get it back to the exact spot each time, I'd assume diff axe heads might fit slightly differently onto that arbor? Maybe an adjustable stop to make sure you're engaging it at the exact same depth on the arbor each time? (mill a slot and use a bolt/nut that floats in it as a stop?)
Never seen someone so disappointed they don’t have an axe to grind 😂
Just thinking that some kind of screw stop to control the depth of grind will help keep the grind centered
A very neat jig Tim!
Rad build timmer! No suggestions per se as thats a new thing to see.
Love your channel would love to meet you wish you could come to nz and do an axe forging tourer would love to make an axe with you
Awesome clever contraption 👍
I think you could possibly remove one segment of the articulated thingy (and possibly make one of the remain ones a touch lomger) and still keep the same level of adjustability with one bolt less to manage. Anyway, you probably won't fully retune this everydayn so might no be worth the time invested to change this 😅
I was thinking the same thing, two links instead of three.
Very interesting. Nice work
Nice fixture!
Brilliant!
I'd be willing to bet money that Tim played with Lego blocks, as a kid. Not the confused furries and drag queens on parade Lego blocks, but the astronaut and race car driver type of Lego blocks.
It's a rare fellow that does not have an axe to grind.
Just a thought Tim. Would it be better to have a small flat plate behind the belt where the axe contacts it? This would prevent a slightly curved edge if you pushed in a bit too hard, but I don't know axe making and perhaps a slightly curved edge is what you are after. Have enjoyed your views for a long time.
You did not miss anything.
Pretty cool only thing that would freak me out is having the blade pointing into the direction of cut incase it dug into the belt 😅 cool tho 👍🏻
Why aren't you using a CoolMist with that??
No need to take it off for cooling, won't damage the temper.
Great video and learn a lot. But can you add some light so we all can see better
Timothy, great work as always. Hey! Do you know if any 'Alone' participants have ever used one of your hatchets or axes for their time on the show? Btw: I like this format of video you're doing now.
Why not use the die grinder to to cut your slots? You used it to cut your arced slots on the lathe.
The vise that you used in this video seems to need quite a bit of revamping in order to not let things slip so easily. I mean, it’s been that way for years. How come you don’t fix the jaws?
Was the bushings getting hit by the sparks? Looks like it and that can't be good. Awesome setup man.
How about a mister for cooling?
What you need is a precision wet grinder and dry grinder. You don't have a buddy to help you out so you need all the help you can get. As a newish Tool and Die Maker, you need help brother.
That axe head doesn't look like scrap.
Tim, have you ever seen a pin jig used by axe grinders to grind racing axes? Hit me up if you want to know more.
What happened to your mill? You had a Bridgeport at the old shop
Just a quick question: Where the blade contacts the belt, would a backing platen improve repeatability of grind?
You should add a handel to that arm so you can grabb it better
👍👍👍
Overall, that is awesome. Personally, I think you have too much going on with the multi-link adjustment piece and that cold be simplified a little. I mean, don't get me wrong, it works. I just think you could simplify it some.
Legend
i was hoping to find an easy way to set up a website for my small business... can anyone think of something i could use to do that?
hey tim. got a question. Why dont you have any windows in your workshop?
👍
I would say that the belt caving in as you push the axe's edge to it can introduce a lot of variability. There are two approaches that come to mind:
1. You're fine with a constant bevel profile and thus you create a specific platen behind the belt (flat or concave).
2. You want the belt flex for a flexible method of edge grinding but want finely controlled "feed", so you add an adjuster to the sliding rods (probably a nut or something) to limit how much the axe mount feeds into the belt.
😮😊
Yo this setup is sexy.
For anyone wanting to build this.. just get a used treadmill for twenty or thirty dollen and fab up some wheel holders.
An axe… ? Or am i wrong ?
👋🏼
an axe
👍👍👍