For me that would be about the third or fourth knife I ground this year using... a bubble jig.
Using a bubble jig is not "cheating". YOU are holding the blade, not a jig. YOU apply the blade to the belt not a mechanical arm. The ONLY thing the bubble jig does is tell you if you're holding the blade at a particular, and adjustable, angle.
If a bubble jig is absolutely out of the question I would suggest using a grinding guide that sticks out 6" - 8". This is just my personal silly theory that it is difficult to hold blades at consistent angles because they are rather narrow and it is tough to see when you are holding it at 7 degrees or 8 degrees. Having a grinding guide/handle sticking out 8" makes it easier to see and feel what angle you're holding the blade at.
Certainly there are people who can hold a blade in their hands and walk the grind up the side of the blade, and I stand in AWE of them. They have trained their hands and muscles to feel and know angles. Some of it is genetic but probably most of it is a learned skill. I wasn't willing to continue making crappy grinds for the five or ten years it would take me to be able to do that.
It would also help to have a speed controlled grinder rather than a Sears 2x42 running at the speed of light.
