Thread: My Blade Holding Tool......

Well, I'm sure many have had good luck with polishing on a buffer & also using greaseless compounds but after having 2 Wade & Butcher blades slip from my hands & get the edges chipped or cracked, I went to Home Depot & bought a piece of aluminum 1/8" thick X 1" wide & 36" long.
I got home & measured 3 pieces 7" long each & proceeded to make myself a blade holder instead of just holding it by the tang & the blade. I also bought some 8-32 x 1/2" countersunk brass screws. I drilled 4 small holes in them at first, then later drilled them out to the right size but I used my tap & die set to thread the holes in one piece of aluminum. I took the opposite side along with the middle piece & drilled the holes larger for the screws to fit through & used my countersinking tool in my drill to countersink them on the outside piece so they would be nice & flush. I took the center piece & drew out a tang section which I cut & filed out. I then made a small hole where the pivot would be to hold the blade in place & to keep it from falling out while grinding or polishing. I have a screw & nut to hold the blade in at the tang. I also had to file some ares on the insides of the outer pieces since some tangs are more than 1'8" thick & I wanted it to al fit together nicely. I also had to cut the 8-32 screws a little so the remaining part wouldn't stick out. They didn't have any 3/8" long. I haven't finished it yet but I thought I would show what I have so far. This will be my prototype since it could be maybe 1/2" longer or maybe an inch but what I have will do the job for now. I want to make some finger & thumb areas on it to make it more ergonomically fit to my hands. I also want to sand it down in progressions & polish it like a nice tool. I'm sure I will have to make another center piece for different shaped tangs. I'm sure some may not find they need such a tool but I think it would help me & maybe a few others.
This is what I got so far.

Sweet, nice set up steve. [emoji106]

Great set-up Steve (as Outback said)....that will be something I will try

Originally Posted by outback

Sweet, nice set up steve. [emoji106]

Thanks Mike
I think it will help me to hold it more steady. I sometimes shake which is why I use my tripod when taking pics but I don't always need it. It's a big help though. I'll set it for macro shots & then set it for timed delay, focus & click. I think this homemade tool will help me a lot.

Originally Posted by bongo

Great set-up Steve (as Outback said)....that will be something I will try

Thank you too Bongo, I'm glad you like it. Like I said, I may have to make different center sections for different tang shapes or even a whole new holder. The hardest part was filing out the inside parts of the outer pieces because all I had were the files but if I had access to a milling machine, I would do it all on a mill with an endmill.

Home made instruments for cpecific tasks are precious and very usefull i like it =

Originally Posted by RusenBG

Home made instruments for cpecific tasks are precious and very usefull i like it =

Thanks my friend!

Nice work Steve. A confident grip is a safer, more controlled grip.
I've been told, many times actually, that I need to 'get a grip'.
Think in a different context though..

Sheer genius! Clean, sturdy and I like the fact you used the tap and die set to make it more secure.

Very clever idea. Necessity is the mother of invention!

Very nicely made tool, Steve.

So this is the prototype before mass production?

I can see where it would be very useful......