Hey Reader,

Back in June when I attended the IDRS Conference, I got to learn about a new innovation in reed knife sharpening which my friend Graham Mackenzie designed. Graham designed a jig to help us sharpen our reed knives more consistently. He's not in production yet, but I understand that he's working towards being able to produce and sell his jig. Today's newsletter is a guest article written by Graham!

Getting your reed knife really, really sharp is one of the most important, and most challenging, aspects of reed making. For many years, I went very deep down the knife sharpening rabbit hole, trying endless combinations of knives, stones, tools, and techniques. Once in a while, I would happen upon just the right combination, and would briefly enjoy the glorious reeds that would result. However, consistency continued to be elusive, and I eventually decided that the best way to address what I perceived as shortcomings of existing tools and techniques would be to create something new. Something designed by, and for, double reed players’ specific needs. This article is about what I felt was lacking in currently available tools and techniques, and how this led to the development of the Mackenzie Jig for double hollow ground knives.

Note: for the rest of this article, “Double Hollow Ground” will be abbreviated to “DHG.”

The Challenge

The central challenge being addressed with this jig is lift angle consistency.

The reason that this is so important is that to create a burr, we need to have two flat surfaces (called “bevels”) meeting at a point at the scraping edge of the knife. A bevel is formed when the knife is held at a consistent lift angle to the sharpening stone. If the lift angle changes, even slightly, you are then simply forming a new bevel, at a new angle. This lack of consistency is responsible for a lot of recurring knife sharpening problems! Freehand sharpening, i.e. using a knife and stone without any jigs/guides for setting the angles, is particularly susceptible to this inconsistency.

How to address this?

Tool-makers have, for years, come up with many well-conceived tools to address the challenges of double hollow ground knife sharpening, with varying degrees of success. I want to make clear that I am not in any way degrading these efforts here - I used many of these tools for years, and am deeply grateful. That being said, after working in depth with what was currently available, there were 10 main issues that I felt needed addressing.

In my opinion, the ideal knife sharpening tool should:

1. Accommodate any DHG knife, even without a flat/straight spine
   • Different knives are used for different stages, and I wanted reed makers to be able to use whatever knives they owned.
2. Quickly and accurately clamp to the knife
   • Many commonly used knives do not have a flat/straight spine, and almost all currently available clamping systems consist of two flat surfaces coming together against the spine of the knife. Because of this, getting the clamp consistently aligned, with a firm grip, is typically very time-consuming and inconsistent with current systems.
3. Work with any sharpening stone
   • There are lots of great sharpening stones out there, and most reed makers already own several. I wanted reed makers to be able to use any combination of existing stones, rather than having to purchase new/proprietary ones.
4. Hold consistent angles in both directions
   • Whatever angle you choose for the forward and backward strokes, it needs to be the same each time you stroke in that direction.
5. Switch rapidly and accurately between specific angles in both directions
   • If you have one knife that needs a higher angle than another, you should be able to switch between a lower and higher angle, but it needs to be easy to keep those angles the same when you do. For example, if you sharpen at 15° on one knife, and 20° on another, you need to be able to switch between those two angles quickly and accurately.
6. Achieve minutely adjustable angles within the possible angle range
   • I wanted reed makers to be able to adjust between, say, 14.25° and 14.75° if they so choose. Oboe players, in particular, are picky!
7. Achieve angles as low as the knife being flat on the stone, in both directions
   • Because current clamping methods involve a piece of metal holding on to each side of the spine, you can’t put a knife flat on a stone when you use a jig (since the metal would get in between the knife and the stone). It is also difficult to achieve very low angles, since the metal of the clamp has to be thick enough to have sufficient strength to hold the knife.

8. Switch rapidly between forward, backward stroke directions

9. A lot of sharpening is alternation between forward and backward stroke directions, so this needs to be easy to do quickly.

10. Allow for easy lift angle measurement in both directions

11. If you find an angle that gives you a great edge, you want to be able to measure and replicate it!

12. Work equally well for a left- or right-handed reed maker

The Solution

I created a jig that rolls along the table surface beside the stone, clamping to the knife, with the ability to set angles in either forward or backward directions. It looks like this:

To solve the problem of clamping, the clamp encases ⅜” of the blade, at the heel (closest to the handle). The clamp applies force from the front edge of the knife, where the scraping edge of the blade fits into a small slot. The spine of the knife is pushed up against a slot, automatically centering the knife. This ensures that the knife will always be at exactly the same angle in relation to the jig.

To set the lift angle, there are two legs that point in opposite directions (one each for the forward and backward strokes). The more the leg protrudes from the jig, the higher the knife will be lifted off the stone. Each leg has many holes, into which a cotter pin is inserted, which sets the height of the leg (and, hence, the lift angle) in relation to the jig.

In order to be able to measure the lift angle in each direction, one can put an angle cube (or phone with clinometer app) on the jig body, which is parallel with the knife.

To ensure that any stone can be used, without changing the angle, the stone is held on a holder that makes any stone end up at the same height relative to the table:

A video so you can see the Mackenzie jig in action is coming soon to my website!

Results

I have been using the jig as my only knife sharpening tool for several years, and for me it has been a game-changer. My knives are significantly more sharp, and it is much easier to get them that way! As a bonus, because the jig makes setting the angle so precise, I can spend less time sharpening and remove less metal to get my desired edge.

Going forward

Following overwhelmingly positive feedback at the 2025 International Double Reed Society conference, I have decided that at some point in the future I will make these available for purchase. Making high-quality tools in small quantities is never an easy proposition, and I don’t expect to make much money doing it. However, if I can help reed makers at any level achieve great results quickly and more easily, I would be thrilled!

If you have any questions, or you think you might be interested in purchasing a jig when they become available, please send me an e-mail at gmackenzie.oboe@gmail.com.

Dr. Graham Mackenzie is principal oboist of the London Symphonia, Niagara Symphony, and Windsor Symphony. He has also performed with orchestras in Chicago, Indianapolis, Kitchener-Waterloo, Montreal, Toronto, and Winnipeg, and is a frequent concerto soloist. He has served as oboe instructor at Stephen F. Austin State University and Wilfrid Laurier University, and maintains a studio of private students. He holds a Doctor of Music from Indiana University, a Master of Music from DePaul University, and a Bachelor of Music from Wilfrid Laurier University. Outside of music, he enjoys raising his son Jasper, running, table tennis, and board games.

I hope you agree with me that the Mackenzie jig will be a very cool tool for oboists in the future! I look forward to more consistent angles when I sharpen my knives.

Until next time,

Alli

Hey, Reader, Do you have any burning questions about playing oboe? Reply to this email and ask, and you might see the answer in the next newsletter!

​​​