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I have sort of a hodgepodge of sharpening stones. I have lately been using a granite surface plate and sand paper to pull off the scary sharp method. Although it works I just don't feel like I'm quite there. I'm sure it is technique. I have been reading some books and watching some videos so I may have better luck when I jump back in.

I have a woodcraft gift card that I was thinking of using to round out my sharpening stone collection for the move to from scary sharp to stones.

Right now I have:
Blue DMT Diamond Stone - this is one of the plastic base stones that comes in the wooden box
EZLAP 600 grit diamond stone - I think this is their Fine stone
I have a black Arkansas Oil stone - This is a smaller stone, but is in the collection

I have been thinking of getting a Norton 8000 grit stone with the gift card. I'm not sure if it would be better to get a combination stone that has both the 8000 grit and another grit or to just go with the 8000.

Any thought on what I am missing, or better yet what I should add to round out my collection. What am I missing?

I'm by no means an expert however I get pretty good results with my 1000/6000 combination stone and a 8000 grit finishing stone. There are some great tutorials on here and on Youtube which helped me when picking what to buy.

There is nothing inherently better about a stone than there is about using sandpaper on a surface plate. If you aren't keeping the bevel constant, use a sharpening guide.

I go from 1500 grit on a granite surface plate (the cheap ones from China are just fine for this) to green chromium compound or white rouge on an MDF wheel. I have trouble getting them to shave hair easily with sandpaper alone, but the wheel really does it. I could care less if traditionalists would approve. My craft is guitar making. Sharpening is just something I need in order to practice my craft.

_________________
Howard Klepper
http://www.klepperguitars.com

When all else fails, clean the shop.

I'm like coke_zero. I use a Norton 1000/6000 combination stone, and then final honing is on an 8000 waterstone (some japanese stone, don't remember the brand).

I also have an Ezlap diamond stone, but I never use it on steel. I know that diamonds are supposed to be harder than steel, but sharpening on one of these only works for a couple of chisels and then the diamond stone goes dull. I use mine for the sole purpose of flattening my waterstones. It's a great reference surface for that and the waterstones are flat in only a couple of swipes.

Sharpening is more technique than what you are using. I used to be a meat cutter in the 70's and learned how to sharpen a knife using a file. As Howard points out , keeping things flat and even is the hard part. I use a number of stones for sharpening different things. I use water and oil stones.
Find what works for you.

_________________
John Hall
blues creek guitars
Authorized CF Martin Repair
Co President of ASIA
You Don't know what you don't know until you know it

+1 except I use plate glass and one of those cardboard wheels from Grizzly. Been working good for years.

_________________
Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

Just wondered if anyone used the Shapton Glass Stone?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rvop_JCfZGI

Howard-
Is that MDF wheel turning in an ordinary grinder, or 'flat' on a low-speed machine, or...??

I'm interested- I use a leather strop (&green compound) but it does sdeem to turn the edge a bit if I use it for many 'touch-ups'....

I have a 12x40" tempered glass door from my old stereo cabinet and a sharpening guide. I use wet/dry paper to 1500 grit then a stone at 8000. I think the glass is good because it doesn't wear. I think I am getting an uneven surface on the stone.

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Greg
http://garibaldiinstruments.com/

Ordinary grinder, 8" wheel. Grizzly's "cardboard" wheels are MDF. Actually, the grinder I have them on is one that Grizzly sells as a buffer, so it comes without wheel guards and the shafts are a little longer, but an ordinary grinder is fine. Turn it around (the guards will mount the other way, or take them off) so the wheels are turning away from you (at their top). That way you can keep the edge pointing up like you do when grinding and see what you are doing without the wheel grabbing the tool. A 1725 rpm might be better, but you don't press hard (that will round the edge) and I haven't had problems burning the edge at 3450.

_________________
Howard Klepper
http://www.klepperguitars.com

When all else fails, clean the shop.

Thanks, Howard.
I'll keep my eye on craigslist here for a cheap grinder.

I don't know what Woodcraft stocks these days, but here are some
good, long lasting stones:

-Coarse: Bester 1200, or 1000 as second choice
-Medium: Shapton 2000 m15, or 'Nonpareil' Aoto
-Finish: Naniwa 8000 Jyunpaku "snow white"

and useful accessories:
-Eclipse honing guide or copy, if you use one
-an inexpensive magnifier ($10-12), Radio Shack or such
-Leonard Lee's book on sharpening

a flat surface and 3m finishing film can get you close; after that
it's removing the unwanted dubbing and (carefully) the burr that'll get
you to consistently sharp.

I had a bunch of trouble sharpening until I jigged up...

My 1st "jig" was just a piece of angle aluminum cutoff -- The blade/iron gets clamped at the proper angle... and you get a very consistent grind.

I have since moved on up to a Veritas jig which I like very much...

I am with Howard.... Sharpening is a necessary evil -- and any road you choose that leads to "Sharp Enough" is good for me...

I started off on stones, moved to a modified scary sharp, then moved back to Diamond stones + a strop.... I really like the strop.

Thanks

John

We are fortunate that there are so many sharpening systems available to us today. I can remember starting out in woodworking with two types of Arkansas stones readily available (my fingers still are sore from honing my first set of chisels). Each method or system has its positives and negatives which each person will have to compare to decide which is right for him or her. We are bombarded with products and methods for sharpening which in my opinion can be somewhat detrimental to someone that is relatively new to woodworking. I believe a person should choose a method of sharpening and stick with it for a while. I’ve had students that will switch sharpening methods pretty much every month after reading the latest and greatest sharpening article published in one of the many magazines. This can cause a person to never really become proficient at a specific method. I have been fortunate enough to travel to other parts of the world to visit craftsman that work wood and have seen some very crude sharpening methods used which resulted in good results (anyone tried sharpening on the sidewalk?) More or less what I’m rambling on about is that pick a method and get really good at it consistently. Then if you are not satisfied for one reason or another try a new technique. Just my 2 cents.

My current sharpening set up is a 1000, 1200, and 8000 King water stones.

Thanks for the tips guys. I'm using a veritas MK1 jig (I think). I think I have enough info to put a stake in the ground.

Really I know that my technique needs some improvement and hopefully I have a better understanding after the last couple of months of researching. I think what I am missing out in is the honing stage and of course the sharpening technique and the using a plane techniques are probably not helping each other out.


Thanks again.

John

I would not say that.

_________________
Howard Klepper
http://www.klepperguitars.com

When all else fails, clean the shop.

If you test your blade by shaving hair, you turn your sharp blade into a dull one. Anyway, skinners always try to keep the blade away from the hair.