FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
THE SORRELLS BRICK
How do I know what angle to use for my knife?
The good news is that there’s no “perfect” angle for any particular knife. And if you start on one angle and realize that it’s not right, switching to a different angle is as easy as flipping the Brick to a different side. There’s no harm in switching to a different angle in the middle of grinding your knife. That said, we have a downloadable PDF with recommended angles for various thicknesses and sizes of knives that will help you find the best angle setting for the knife you’re making. You can find it here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1A0sKrTbyESSFeSHQJC3FmsQ-1_JkoHnr/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=103060944472505028428&rtpof=true&sd=true
Will the Sorrells Brick work with all grinders?
The Sorrells Brick has a footprint of roughly 1.25 X 6. It works best on grinders with worktables that are at least 2 X 5 inches. But the bigger, the better. If your worktable is smaller than this, you may need to modify your worktable. We’ve tested the Brick on grinders as small as the Harbor Freight 1 X 30, and we have yet to find one it doesn’t work on. We can’t guarantee it will work on yours though!
What’s the difference between the ProSet and the Sorrells Brick?
The designs are totally different. The Sorrells Brick has four fixed angles, whereas the ProSet can be set to a wide variety of angles. The Sorrells Brick is more compact and less expensive, whereas the ProSet is more versatile.
What’s the Sorrells Brick made out of?
The tool is machined from a solid billet of carbon steel, then coated with a Cerakote firearms finish, generally considered to be the finest firearms coating available. Carbon steel will rust, and abrasives will eventually degrade any kind of finish, so if you use it a lot, over time your Sorrells Brick will get pretty bunged up. The Sorrells Brick will survive the zombie apocalypse. But it won’t look pretty getting there.
What kind of knives can the Sorrells Brick be used for?
The Sorrells brick is optimized for mid-sized fixed blade knives. It works great for hunters, tactical knives, outdoor knives, EDCs, skinners, bird-and-trout knives, etc. Very thin chef’s knives, machetes, choppers, hatchets, Scandis…not so much.
What angles does the Brick have?
The Sorrells Brick has four faces machined to 3, 4, 5 and 7 degrees. The degree number is engraved (or in some cases laser-etched) into each face.
What is the little tapped holes in the 7 degree face for?
It’s just so we can hang it up when we’re Cerakoting it. No other function whatsoever!
Can You Hollow Grind With the Sorrells Brick?
Yes. Hollow grinding with a jig requires a little more set-up than flat grinding because you have to get the height of the work table adjusted correctly. But the jig will work fine for hollow grinding.
The ProSet Grinding Jig
How do I know what angle to use for my knife?
The good news is that there’s no “perfect” angle for any particular knife. And if you start on one angle and realize that it’s not right, switching to a different angle is easy. There’s no harm in switching to a different angle in the middle of grinding your knife. That said, we have a downloadable PDF with recommended angles for various thicknesses and sizes of knives that will help you find the best angle setting for the knife you’re making. You can find it here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1A0sKrTbyESSFeSHQJC3FmsQ1_JkoHnr/editusp=sharing&ouid=103060944472505028428&rtpof=true&sd=true
Will the ProSet work with all grinders?
The ProSet has a footprint of roughly 3.25 X 8. This means that it works best on grinders with worktables that are at least 3.5 X 10 inches. 4 X 12 inches is better. If your worktable is smaller than this, you may need to modify your worktable. You might also consider buying a Sorrells Brick, which has a much smaller footprint.
What’s the difference between the ProSet and the Sorrells Brick?
The designs are totally different. The ProSet can be set to a wide variety of angles, whereas the Sorrells Brick has four fixed angles. The ProSet is more versatile, whereas the Sorrells Brick is more compact and less expensive.
What kind of knives can the ProSet be used for?
Basically any knife. It will comfortably fit large, thick knives like choppers; wide, thin knives like chef’s knives; small knives like bird and trout knives; and pretty much anything in between.
What angles can the ProSet be set for?
The ProSet can be set to a variety of angles from 1 degree to 18 degrees. It goes in 1 degree increments from 1 to 10, then 2 degree increments after that. These will accommodate almost any knife as well as allowing for the grinding of swedges/false edges.
What are the tapped holes in the base for?
The ProSet is made with two tapped 3/8-16 holes in the base. These are for optional handles (available from Sorrells Tool). If you like handles on a jig, they will fit a variety of handles according to your taste including “beer tap” type handles, “gear shift knob” handles and other styles of machine handles. Sorrells Tools sells the “beer tap” type as an option here: https://www.sorrellstool.com/product-page/handles-for-proset
Does the ProSet come with bolts?
No. It’s drilled and tapped for ¼-20 bolts, but you’ll know better than we would what kind of knives you’ll be making. So you’ll need to supply the type of bolts that best suit your needs. If you’re uncertain, 1 inch socket cap head screws are a good place to start! You can find them at almost any hardware store.
Does the ProSet come with The Equalizer?
The ProSet was designed to mate seamlessly with the Equalizer plunge line guide, but the Equalizer is a separate tool. Equalizer plunge line guides are sold separately. They are available from Sorrells Tool at: https://www.sorrellstool.com/product-page/equalizer
Can I get replacement pins?
Yes, replacement pins for the ProSet are available from Sorrells Tool. (They’re also handy locator pins for handle drilling and other purposes!) Here’s the link: https://www.sorrellstool.com/product-page/locator-pins
Can You Hollow Grind With the ProSet?
Yes. Hollow grinding with a jig requires a little more set-up than flat grinding because you have to get the height of the work table adjusted correctly. Once that's done, Hollow grinding with the ProSet works great.