Grinding water stones or diamond stones versus Grinding wheel

[Tony Wilkins]

I'm trying to get my sharpening routine somewhat understood and inline when I (finally) get back to trying to learn woodworking. I watched Chris Schwarz' sharpening video on the Popular Woodworking site. He talked about the three categories of sharpening (grinding, honing, and polishing). However, the only grinding he really talking about where hand cranked and machine turned wheels. Call me silly but I'd rather avoid the wheels.

What are the pros and cons of the grinding stones in water stone and diamond stone form?

TIA,
Tony

BTW Currently have Hida 1,000 grit and King S3 6,000 grit water stones.

[David Weaver]

If you can use a grinder (with wheels), it trumps coarse diamond stones and coarse waterstones hands down. By a factor of 3 at least.

If you absolutely want to use stones, there are plenty of decent coarse stones (Get something reasonably hard, and if not hard, thick). Diamond stones work fine, too, but you have a better chance of using a coarse hard waterstone for a long period of time than you do of using a coarse diamond stone if you're going to do heavy grinding.

What's better than both is a 2 foot or 3 foot run of 60 grit psa stick down sandpaper and a cheap honing guide to abuse on it.

[Andrae Covington]

If you can use a grinder (with wheels), it trumps coarse diamond stones and coarse waterstones hands down. By a factor of 3 at least.

If you absolutely want to use stones, there are plenty of decent coarse stones (Get something reasonably hard, and if not hard, thick). Diamond stones work fine, too, but you have a better chance of using a coarse hard waterstone for a long period of time than you do of using a coarse diamond stone if you're going to do heavy grinding.

What's better than both is a 2 foot or 3 foot run of 60 grit psa stick down sandpaper and a cheap honing guide to abuse on it.

Ditto to everything David said. The coarsest diamond stone is about 120 microns, which is roughly equivalent to P120 or CAMI 100 sandpaper. 60 grit sandpaper or grinding wheel is around 260 microns. For heavy material removal, that's going to get you there a lot faster. Also, I ended up wearing a lot of the diamonds out of the matrix on my DMT extra-extra coarse diamond stone due to heavy lapping.

I have a handcranked grinder made by Pike. I put a new gray wheel on it and fashioned a tool rest (original was missing) from a small shelf bracket. Runout in the shaft is not too bad, and after an initial good cleaning and oiling, it spins right up. But here is the gotcha: because of the part of the casting that sticks out to attach the tool rest, I can't grind anything wider than about 1-1/2". Ok for my chisels, but not my bench plane blades.

[bridger berdel]

a tool I have been finding a useful addition to my sharpening arsenal is an air powered 1/4" angle die grinder fitted with an approximately 1-1/2" sanding disk. it's great for subtle hollowing of the backs of blades and for hurrying up stock removal at stubborn high points in flattening. It's also very quick at easing sharp corners where you don't want them and removing coarse grinding marks in areas where flat doesn't matter.

[Matthew N. Masail]

I use a 6" grinder and love it! not matter how good you get with a flat medium your still not getting a hollow grind, and a hollow grind is a great thing.