Butting in here...  When I grind a screwdriver blade  (the tapered end of the
blade), here is how I do it. I set the tool rest on the grinder to  produce a
slight hollow grind which is pretty much centered on the stock. I press down on
the flat with one finger to keep the stock correctly aligned with the wheel and
flat on the rest as I move the blade back and forth. It goes without mentioning
that the wheel must have a flat face. I cool the piece often because my finger
gets hot. I grind the sides to match the existing taper.

I grind one edge of the flat blade to match the taper of the original blade.
Then flip it over and grind the other edge. When I have 4 matching sides there
is a small square blunt ended point remaining. I sharpen that on an oil stone.
Then I sharpen all four "flats" on oilstones until all 4 corners are sharp. If
you have blued the blade while grinding it, you will need to retemper it.

The end result is a long fine tapered point. I use one of these tools to mark
the centers of my stock before putting said stock int the lathe.

It's easy to make one of these awls, and there is a great sense of self-
satisfaction every time you use it. And they make nice gifts.


> On Nov 24, 2014, at 7:05 AM, John Holladay  wrote:
> 
> I'm interested in hearing about the process of grinding the point on these
> tools.   Are you simply working from eye,  or are you using some sort of
> jig in order to get the taper uniform on all four sides?  Also,  are you
> attempting to get any sort of a hollow ground effect on the flats?
> 
> Doc
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