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I've been thinking about adding some water stones into the equation with my Scary Sharp setup. Only problem is, I know NADA about water stones! Anyone here using Scary Sharp also using water stones? If so, in what order do you do things? More importantly.... which stones(hardness) do I buy? I'd like to stay in budget mode and get one of those combo stones if at all possible. Thanks.
-John

John...what do you find lacking about scary sharp alone? Why the need for stones?

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JJ
Napa, CA
http://www.DonohueGuitars.com

John, I don't know why you want to have bits and pieces of both systems, but a good waterstone combo is 1000/8000. The numbers relate to grit size of the abrasive particles in the stone. If you do get waterstones, you also need some way of keeping them flat. They are very soft and wear unevenly. I use a fine diamond steel plate to flatten mine. I like waterstones because they cut fast and don't require oil as a lubricant, but neither does a lot of sharpening systems.

I would ask the same question as JJ, but regardless if you want to ad a watersone to the process the on place it would do any thing for you is in polishing so a 4000 or 8000 grit is the only stone I would see usefull in incorperating the SS sytem.

I use scary sharp with 1000 grit and a 8000 King japanese stone. I will probably buy a 1000/1200 stone soon. I have a bathroom near my shop, and I use the waterstone under ...running water in the sink....works best under water, and there's no dust. The glass sharpening plate takes space, It is crowded here, and I hate making more dust with the sandpaper. That is why i am slowly moving towards stones.

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Build log

Either method is excellent and if you just pick one and sit down, get relaxed, put on some Alman Bros and work at it a bit you will start to see how it all works for you.

I use stones but have done scary sharp with good results too. What I like about stones better is that if I forget to keep the proper papers in stock I am still able to sharpen my stuff. But again either method is great - just pick one and get through the learning curve and you will be having to answer questions like "how come one of your arms looks like an ape's arm and the other one is hairless..... "

Which is precisely why I use the waterstone method...

Buy a cheap tupperware style box with a lid and keep your water stones immersed in it all the time - mine have been that way for almost 20 years now - same 1000/4000 combo stone I bought from Lee Valley. They also have a heavy flattening stone for them now as well, its a breeze to use. I honestly think in the long run the stone is cheaper, and takes up less space. I use the LV mark2 jig, and can pull out the stones and resharpen a chisel in about two minutes ....

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Tony Karol
www.karol-guitars.com
"let my passion .. fulfill yours"

That is an excellent idea Coach Tony!

Thanks all. To answer the one big question...... Nothing is lacking in my Scary Sharp. I got the idea when I was watching a bunch of sharpening videos. I saw a some where a guy was using both. The real reasoning behind it though is mainly like Hesh said.... I know there will come a time when I'll need to sharpen a tool and I'll probably be out of at least one of the grits! Just thinking of a back up plan is all. Wondering which ones you guys have found useful. I'm also thinking about a grinder too. Scary Sharp is a pretty ingenious system, but for me it's not the end all and be all.
-John

Tony,
Is the 1000/4000 stone the only one you own? Another question about stones.... What stones are good if you're looking to rehab plane irons or chisels? I assume the 1000/4000 is good for newer tools that are already fairly sharp? Or can you bring an old plane back to life with it as well?
-John

Well water stones start at like 400 grit or less and go up so I guess it would depend on the rehab to be done. Personally due to the softness of water stones i would not use one to rehab a dinged, chipped or damaged edge. I take them to the wet grinder then go through what ever sharpening system you chose to use.

Excellent suggestion, but one caution: Do not ever let your stones freeze. They will shatter! So will your water stones.

Yes - 1000/4000 is the only one I own .. does just fine in my books. I have been tempted by the 8000, but I honestly dont feel the need to get any sharper - I use the 1000 to get the edge straight and remove any small nicks, then add one degree on the MkII and sharpen only about a half mm at the chisels tip ... I do also have some green compound and a hard felt wheel though, and the odd time I will hit an edge on that after I chuck it in the drill press.

I also have an inner and outer cone set of water stones (again LV) for a sweet 7/20 bent gouge I bought a year ago - I only use it sparingly for carving a bit around a neck volute, so I actually havent even sharpened yet since I bought it (it was fully honed up from the carving place I bought it from)

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Tony Karol
www.karol-guitars.com
"let my passion .. fulfill yours"

Here is my 2 cents on sharpening (now worth about .001 cents after the market crash!). I have oil stones, water stones, ceramic stones and diamond stones. I never sat down and sharpened all of my chisels, because it was just too much work. One day, I was in Woodcraft and just walking around, and another customer points out the new Worksharp system to me, and starts telling me about how it won the new tool of the year award, etc., etc., etc. Of course, they were sold out, except for the floor model, so I went online and found a great deal and bought it. When it came, I put it on the workbench, and in one afternoon, I sharpened every chisel and plane blade I had up to 6000 grit, and without breaking a sweat. They are fantastically sharp (including removing some big chips from a Japanese chisel I dropped on a concrete floor). Now, when a chisel gets dull, instead of throwing it in the drawer and trying to find a sharp one, I take out the Worksharp and sharpen the dull one that I really need. So, now I am a huge fan. I still have all the other stones (in fact, I bought the 30,000 Shapton, but that was just for polishing straight razors!), but they never get used.

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