Sharpening Jigs for Dummies - The Freelance Files MMCXV

one guy's blade sharpening jig

If the work by wannabe citizen journalists we tap for our awards isn't out-and-out bull, it usually falls into one of two broad categories: overly-specific answers to generic questions, or overly-generic answers to specific questions. We consider either one to be off-topic and fair game for a DotD nomination. Today's awardee pretty much falls into the first of the two. It's by a newbie who appears to have adopted a time-honored ehow.com contributor trick: Chris Baylor "answered" every question that contained the word "jig." That includes the GardenGuides.com post, "DIY Lawnmower Blade Sharpener Jig."

We don't normally do this, but we think it's on-point for Baylor's "efforts," Here's a rudimentary dictionary definition of "jig" (in the sense of a tool rather than a dance):

"[A] device that holds a piece of work and guides the tools operating on it."

On the specific topic of a jig for sharpening lawnmower blades, we just happen to have one of those in the ANHQ shop; an attachment for a Dremel® tool. The guide holds the Dremel at the correct angle to sharpen a blade; and lets you slide the tool, with a grinding stone in the chuck, along the blade. To fashion such a jig, whether for Dremel, grinder, or other tool, you'd need to know the correct angle and the proper clearance for the blade.

That is not, however, what Baylor seemed to think to be the purpose of blade-sharpening jig. No, Chris merrily ordered his readers to,

"Place one edge of the lawnmower blade against the grinding wheel of a bench grinder... hold the blade flat on the tool rest, grinding the cutting edge at the correct angle."

Uh, Chris? We don't see mention of a blade sharpener jig there. It isn't until Chris is about one with his post that he exhorts his followers to,

"Place a piece of angle iron on a work table, with one edge facing upward to serve as a sharpener balancing jig."

In the first place, that's about as far from a sharpening jig as you can get. In the second place, it's not a "sharpener balancing jig," it's a blade balancing device. In fact, it's a crude device, since it only balances the blade along its length instead of in all 360 degrees. On the other hand, it's probably good enough for government work...

Baylor not only didn't know how to balance a lawnmower blade, he also blew right past the meat of the question, how to fashion a sharpening jig, presumably because the OQ didn't happen to own a bench grinder. You can bet this self-appointed "woodworking expert" knew what a jig is, but didn't know how to make what someone wanted. Like many an eHow.com Dumbass of the Day, he answered the question he knew how to answer.

Even if Baylor fooled an eHow content editor (a very low bar), he didn't fool us: that's not a blade sharpening jig!

DDIY - POWER TOOLS