I know that you made this 9 years ago, but I just want to say how incredibly helpful this entire video is for every part of knife making and bevels. Incredible video. Thank you.

It's been 10 years and this video is still one of the most useful. Thank you very much for this content.

I spent about 30 minutes tonight making this filing jig. All I can say is ... AWESOME! Very easy, and inexpensive to build, and once I got my angle adjusted where I want it I was able to file some beautiful bevels. Thanks so much for sharing this, and for all your other videos.

added to my favorites list so i can go back and watch it some more. i love the way the bevel looks using the file and jig system

I built one and used it. It does a Great job. I did however use a 1/4" bronze sleeve and slid it onto the "Stop" screw. This helps the file slide easier without wear on both the guide screw and file. Thank you for such a great video!

That's great! Congratulations! It's a good feeling isn't it! The anti-scale compound that I use is called ATP-641. It's available from Brownells in the US. In Europe the most commonly available compound is called 'Turco'. Glad the videos have been helpful!

No worries! Glad you found it useful!

You have no idea how much this video has helped me. I have been into knives and knife making for years but have never made anything significant because i was afraid of messing up the bevels. Thank you soooo much.

This was incredibly helpful! I’ve seen jigs like this in a lot of knifemaking videos and this really clarifies how it works. Plus you went the extra step to explain how to use it and some helpful tips. Thanks so much for this video!

This was most useful tutorial I've seen in months, thank you!

Absolutely! This jig works very well for partial flat grinds like you're describing.

I built the jig and made my first knife with it. The bevels are beautiful and perfectly symmetrical. Worlds better than I was accomplishing freehand. I prepared the file like you said and got awesome (perfectly symmetrical, very clean) plunges. Thanks again!

The best jig for making knives, made mine last week and it takes all the guess work out of the angle. Thanks for the how to vid, this should be watched by anyone who want to get into making there own blades. I even used this jig to make a 15in sword blade!!!

I love how descriptive this is! I love the patience and care taken in the making of this video. Thanks for the information. Honestly, been doing this for months and I'm really glad I came across this.

It's a Grobet brand file. 12 " Double-cut bastart file. I bought it from Reid Supply in the US.

I made this jig last night and used it to make the bevel on my first file knife. It turned out great! Thank you for the great how to!!!

Great jig!! Loved the comment about the "cheap 40 dollar belt grinder" being no good for grinding bevels. That certainly is the truth. I have tried multiple times and got nothing but junk...then I found this video (via Sugarcreek Forge) and built your jig. I "fixed" one of the belt ground blades and look forward to doing a complete blade with it, when I get more steel. Thanks for posting this!

Dearest Gough, this is a wonderful channel. you are very kind and knowledgeable. Thank you for sharing your invaluable information , you truly are a kind person.

Your videos are a great inspiration. I've CNC milled a knifeblank, and made a filing fixture similar to yours. I've surfaceground the blank to near final dimension, and are now excited to file the bevel. So many great tips! I really appreciate it.

Thank you for showing us how to not only build the jig, but all the pointers on how to use it. Extremely helpful!

Incase you are like me and like to see it in the video but find written steps helpful as well, here is a transcript of the construction of the jig (Any edits for mistakes are welcome): 1. Take the 11 and inch piece of wood and mark the center long ways (5 inches) 2. Mark the center of the 10-inch piece of wood the short ways (1.75 inches) 3. Once center lines are marked, put glue on the 14-inch piece of plywood 4. Stack the 11-inch piece of wood on the 14-inch-long ways and the 10-inch piece of wood perpendicular lining up the center lines we just made. 5. Once the the boards are lined up, drill 4 1/8 inch holes 6. Screw the #8 1-inch screws into the piloted holes 7. Once everything is screwed together mark center lines in the 11-inch board running lengthwise (2-inches top and bottom) and draw and line connected them down the center of the board. 8. Make 1-inch tick marks down the 11-inch board 9. Repeat steps 7 & 8 for the 10-inch board 10. After you have marked the 1-inch tick marks for the holes, center punch them to ensure each hole goes exactly where it’s supposed to 11. Drill each hole with 7/32-inch drill bit 12. Now create threads by drilling a 1/4-20 Stove bolt, 1-1/2" long in and out of each hole 13. Put the eyebolt in to the farthest thread 14. Cut the steel rod to length by putting the steel rod into the eye bolt and laying the bastard file down so the top of the file is flush with the bottom of the jig and place the steel rod at the top of the handle. ( 15. The rod should be the length of the file + the length of the jig, roughly 26 inches (mine was more like 30 inches) for a 12-inch file. Mark the proper length 16. After the rod is cut you should deburr the end so that it doesn’t cut you with a file 17. Round corners of your file on sander, grinder or dremel 18. Wrap tape around the places where the claps will fit on the steel rod this will help them from slipping 19. Attach the clamps connecting the file and rod at the top of the file handle and the top of the file 20. You’re now ready to start using your jig. Set your screws, one for a plunge line and the other more deeply set to stop the blade from moving back as you file

Wow, a not to complicated but very detailed tutorial! I love it! Greetings from the Netherlands btw

Awesome! Thx for the reply bro. Went with your size to start. Finished the build a minute ago. Can't wait to grind!

thank you so much for the tutorial! I made this jig yesterday and made my first beveled blade, it worked awesome and turned out flawless!

Nice jig! I woukf add, after you flip the blank over it may be helpful to support the underside to reduce flex.

This little jig is crazy good , takes a bit longer but the results are great , been grinding some mild steel with it and there's not much it cant do if you play with the config a bit , would you consider commercializing its design and making it available for sale online at a reasonable price for starter knife makers ? im sure tons of people would benefit from such a tool in their workshops.

Absolutely! It's actually not too hard to get nice straight bevels, I've even done a double-edge dagger on a similar jig in the past.

I've been using O1 mainly in the past, but I'm currently evaluating a range of different steels and will soon decide which steel I'll be using from now onward.

i have just taken my first steps into knife making and you are going to be my new best friend :). the files is the part that scares me at the moment haha. im checking out your videos :)

Interesting setup, question though; how would you file using that if you didn't want a bevel going from cutting edge to the spine?

No stupid jokes or entree's, no music I'm not in the mood to hear, no verbose sentences and words. STRAIGHT TO THE POINT APPROPRIATE DETAIL. Excellent!

No worries, glad you liked it! The blue stuff is called 'layout dye'.

@Fireworxs2012 That's not very helpful for the people that want to get their feet wet with knifemaking and don't want to spend $2k on a belt grinder. I have a belt grinder, use it every day, it's not something I would recommend for a person that's new to tools or knifemaking. It took me 12+ blades to nail my grinding technique. Most people want to make 1 or 2 knives for personal use, not point buying a grinder for that.

That's filing jig looks like Lansky system :D

I also wanted to say how special it is to come across skilled artisans like yourself who are so generous with their time and information - I can't thank you enough

Just completed the first stages of construction here this evening. I’ve been wanting to take on this project for a coon’s age! Excellent video, beautiful bevels.

Thanx for the video .... just had to subscribe .... my name is Gough also .... if I get good at knife making, I won't use that name ... LOL!

By the way, is your first name "Van" ?

No worries mate! I definitely think that starting with the coarse file is the right idea. I always cut my bevels with a 12" double-cut bastard file. Multi-kut files could also be an option, I hear they cut very aggressively but can also leave a very fine finish when using less pressure!

Absolutely top rate video, thank you. I've been using a Lansky for years (for sharpening), and have wanted to "upscale" the concept for filing. Thanks to your video, I now know how:)

Yep your right I figured out I didn't have enough room on my bench so I just finished mine I'm testing it out now in my vise thanks again I was ready to give up because I couldn't achieve accurate grinds with my 1x30 but this little jig has given me the breath of fresh air I needed to continue making knives.Greetings from Pennsylvania.

I bought a Damascus blade blank to put my own handle on,and will be getting a raindrop billet in a few days. I have no tools and had no idea how I would grind bevels and an edge,so happy I found this vid. Thanks heaps mate 👊🏻

Glad it was helpful mate! Don't be afraid of messing up, making mistakes is the only way to improve!

I know that you made this 3 years ago, but I just want to say how incredibly helpful this entire video is for every part of knife making and bevels. Incredible video. Thank you.

Making the plunge line using that screw as a stop and reducing the corners on the file, just brilliant. Thanks, so innovative.

Very nice. Thank you very much. I'm on my second knife and learned much of what I do from your videos. I needed a jig, as I've just been resorting to full draw filing the entire bevel (takes forever), which leaves thick areas near the plunge and tip (near the plunge it's almost impossible to fix it). I'll be out shopping for these supplies tomorrow!

No worries! Glad it was helpful!

Great! I hope the filing jig works out well for you!

Just finished heat treating my first knife using this jig. Turned out AWESOME! Thanks for posting these videos.

Congratulations! I'm glad the jig worked well for you!

Thanks for the tip. I just made one for myself and finished beveling a blade on it. Works great. Thanks

This thing works very well. I helped a buddy put a grind on a chopper he's making. Its quarter inch stock so it took awhile but its very clean. Also the grind is about 2 inches deep . Definitely works. I'll be making my own jig soon since I can only use his on the weekend lol!!

Thanks mate! Glad it's working for you!

Really excellent instructions, I'm going to make one of these this weekend. Thank you!

Thanks for this Aaron, your videos have been a big help so far on my first knife using an old 14" Saw Blade. Got the bevels down beautifully, working on the satin finish now (shouldn't have hardened and tempered first but it still works) and I have some nice Red Gum for the handle. Watching this video was the thing that kicked me over the edge into making it...

I made your file jigs yesterday, it's an excellent design. very functional. your videos have been a lot of help to me. thanks man

Thank you Aaron, I made the Jig and have been blown away at the results. Thank you so much for all the tutorials

The front to back adjustments really do just the same thing as the up or down. The further forward you come the steeper the angle. This steeper angles are useful if you're not doing a full-flat grind. If you want to do a partial flat grind or a scandi grind then you would move the eye-bolts forward. Hope that helps!

Sounds like you've set yourself a challenge! Hope it goes well! Keep on looking for those eye-bolts, the jig makes it much easier to get pretty results.

That particular part at the end where you can see the bevel form showing through the paint was very very helpful. Really great quality video!

I leave about 0.020" 0.025" on my edges when filing. So for a 1/8" blade blank the edge side of the blade would be 0.052" thick or just a little more.

I used this jig to create my first bevels today they came out great thank you for sharing this info!

Made this jig Today, And was able to perfectly file the bevels of the knife I had just forged. Thank you so much. This is a gamechanger

Thank you for making this video. It's a HUGE help to total novice knife makers like myself.

Thank you for making this video. Last weekend i started on my first knife with no jig and i struggled. I watched your video and went to the hardware store and bought the parts to make this. Cant wait to get out there and get it working

Thank you for this post. Using your design, I made my own version of this file jig, and it works great! Thanks for sharing!

By a long shot the most helpful video I've found on filing jigs. I'm mostly doing scandi grinds but some day will try a flat grind. Thanks

The number of times ive searched for simple knife making videos, only to just have this show up on my feed is disgraceful. This has to be one of the best explanations, if not the best, of this technique on youtube. Absolutely perfect for those beginning or wanting to make a one off knife for themselves. Clear, well filmed instruction, build, use, technique and advice. Mate thankyou, well done and very much appreciated. As for youtubes reccommedation algorithm......best left unsaid.

I use a double cut bastard file for cutting the initial bevels, then I use a double cut smooth file for draw-filing. Both are 12" long.

I am going to make this in my wood shop. This will be very helpful

Hey mate! The modification to the file is basically to remove the teeth from the side of the file, and also to round off the corner of the file a little. This will help get you a nice rounded plunge line. Ask around your friends/family that have a garages, maybe one of them has a bench grinder. You only need to prepare the file once, and it will probably last you for about 6 knives or more. This would work better than a dremel for sure!

I built this jig and made probably 20 or so knives on it before I had saved up enough to buy a belt grinder. It performed extremely well and I was very pleased with the outcome. Thanks for making this video; it really helped me on my jouney as a knifemaker

This is a great idea for my tool i will use for sharpening my knifes at home. Thanks for posting the vid.

Good question! Full-flat is a little easier as it will look fine even if it's not perfectly straight. The main reason I used full-flat grinds is because the have the best overall cutting performance. The only grind that is possibly better is the full convex grind, but many people find them difficult to sharpen, and I don't think they look as nice.

By far the best tutorial on file jigs I have seen. Thank you for this video going to try this out on my first knife.

Still the best jig video I’ve seen! Thank you!

I built your jig today and for a first time knife maker it works beautifully. Thank you

I've been very please with it, especially given how compact it is!

Thank you, made the filing jig, and the 2 brick forge and my first knife. Thanks for the instruction and inspiration

This video is pure gold. I watch it again and again. Thanks for shearing Aaron...!!!

Thank you so much for this video! I've made my first knife and this jig worked perfectly! It was going to be a daunting task until I watched your video a saw how easy it was to make great bevels with your jig. Guess I'm rambling, just wanted to say thank you!

That makes sense. As you mentioned, I have also found that straight plunge lines are impossible to finish nicely, so this should be much better. Thanks!

Great work mate! Very glad it worked well for you!

This was, by far, the best Information for beginners (myself) that I have found. I've been watching a lot of videos on this topic, and this one is by far the best for what I needed to know to get started. Thank you for the details you provided! Can't wait to get started and make my first knife! This video took away a lot of the intimidation.

I'm learning A LOT everyday from this channel. I'd like to start making my own knives, but it seems to me an expensive hobby; now I'm reconsidering it. Another great and informative video, thanks for your work!

Really enjoy your videos GC. They're not only very educational, but entertaining as well. You've inspired me to have a go at making my own knife Thank you and keep 'em coming.

Wow!! How wonderful of you to share this! I'm going to go and build one. Knifemaking has always interested me, but I've always worried about messing it up. This'll be a great adjunct to my Blacksmithing.

I've seen a couple of videos about filing jigs now but yours was the best. Lot's of attention to details! Good job!👍

Hi Aaron, I made a version of this jig today and it's already made a huge improvement on my otherwise bodgy filing technique. Good job mate and thanks for sharing.

This thing certainly separates the men from the boys. I built this jig to make a kitchen knife. I adjusted the hole patterns a bit for the larger blank but it works perfectly. I feel like i'm getting my cardio in as i shape it. Your added advice at the end is spot on. Thanks for the awesome tutorial!

true, i like a challenge though. the only eye bolts ive found so far are massive and i dont have a bit big enough to drill out that size hole. hopefully i will get lucky enough to get out and look for some more supplies soon. if i can figure out how, ill send you some pics when im finished. i wouldnt be this far without your videos and guidance, always much appreciated for them

I generally lower the bolt in the same hole, but this requires a bit of experimentation to make sure you start with the bolt in the right hole. For my knives using the rear-most hole works well. Also, make sure to leave a little bit of meat at the edge before HT. You don't want to file it until it's a sharp edge, as that sharp edge will warp and decarburize (lose it's important carbon) during the heat-treat process. -Aaron

Than you so much for sharing the design of your bevel jig. I built this jig and started my first knife yesterday. Can't wait to see the finished product. I have viewed all of your videos for learning tips. Please keep posting information that helps amateurs like me. You are one hell of a knife maker!!! Keep up the good work.

Just finished making mine...added a 2and row of threaded holes to accept 1 1/2" wide blades....works magnificently....thankyou

I am glad I found this channel, you make it look so easy the way you explained everything and it was very enjoyable to watch.. Thank you very much!!

What an amazing file guide and video, great job and instructions that you gave board lengths, drill sizes, screw sizes everything. I am going to make one for myself I know it will work well thanks for sharing this build, I'm sure there are many people you helped like myself with your clear instructions.

Glad the videos have been helpful mate! Best of luck!

Made one of these today and it works a treat. Thank you for thank you for sharing this video!!!

Thanks for the detailed explenation! What I like to do is take progressivly finer sandpaper, and wrap it around my file. This way all of your finishing work and polishing will be spot-on in the exact same angel as your file work. Also, you can aply a lot more presure while sanding with a file jig.

Thank you for your clear explenation.