The Flat Stick

This is a simple tool that I have found useful for grinding and glazing razors. Most of my razors so far have been ground freehand, and if you have tried this you know that sometimes it's pretty awkward; holding onto mostly just the tang with a few fingers on the opposite side of the blade. Plenty of burnt fingers too! A flat stick is an old Sheffield grinders tool, in its simple form, a stick of wood, shaped to the article to be ground, with a few nails or cleats to hold the blade at various points. The following video gives a good overview of this tool:

https://vimeo.com/268813413

I made a few flat sticks from some old pallet wood I had laying about. Another advantage I've found is I have much more control of the grind due to using more muscles in the arms and not articulating from the weaker muscles in the hands. Work is much more consistent. Try for yourself.