Looking to get sharpening stone on a beer budget

[maximillian arango]

I have been looking everywhere for stones but haven't found anything in my range. I would like oil stones but would settle for anything that isn't better used as a paper weight so I can start learning since I now have chisels and a plane. I have 50 dollars to spend since I am impatient but if I wait another month or so I can maybe afford more but at that time I will also have to pay for textbooks which will delay me longer.

Just saw these but I don't know if this will be a waste because the grit isn't high enough.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0037MCLLO/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pd_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=2EKSYV2PM1T18&coliid=I2UEYMNMY5IHP5


Not against buying used but I am just worried about over looking something and still open to SS but haven't found any place that will sell it off a role(I've posted an ad on CL).

~max

[Noah Wagener]

Murray Carter who teaches classes on sharpening in addition to forging knives uses Kings and i think he finishes at 6,000 (when he is not using deer antlers). I am a neophyte but i like the 6,000 grit side of that stone. If there is a Woodcraft near you they probably have that stone in store.

[David Weaver]

That stone would be fine, but you probably want one a little wider if you're just getting started. It might cost you a little more than $50, but you want something you can flatten with sandpaper if budget is tight. That means generally norton or king.

Watch out with king - there are a lot of stones that are smaller than regular bench stones. You want something 2.5" wide or more and 8" long, as you'll probably be using a guide to sharpen (we can help you find a good cheap guide if you find a stone you like).

[maximillian arango]

Would 2.5 inches be large enough for a number 7 I don't think I will need anything longer than 8 inches I was going to use a small block of wood for a guide.


All the stones I see are 2 inches :(

[David Weaver]

2.5 inches would be fine, but most of those stones of that width are an inch short.

You will want to spend the $10 or whatever it turns out to be and get an eclipse style sharpening guide.

[maximillian arango]

I've been seeing a lot of indian stones that are cheap from norton but have not found information on them being used in a wood working application. Is there any reason for this.

[David Weaver]

India. If you get an india stone, you need to have a way to refresh it. If you have a piece of flat glass or a piece of stone, a fine india with a conditioning routine of loose silicon carbide would be fine.

If you are willing to limit yourself to mostly simple steels (older tools and O1 in newer tools), the cheapest system you will find by far is a single 8x3 fine india stone and a piece of MDF or a board with autosol paste or yellow honing compound (sold to carvers). OR, a slab of biggs jasper (but the biggs jasper would be a bit advanced for a first finish stone).

[maximillian arango]

I will look into that I have mdf laying around since I build boxes for subs. By refreshing it do you mean a lapping stone? Forgive me if it is a silly question.

As far as the steel I am using is; the cheapest set of narex chisels (http://www.highlandwoodworking.com/narex-chisel-set-4.aspx) I could find, I'm not sure of the metal, and I also picked up a stanley number 5 (http://www.ebay.com/itm/STANLEY-5-1921-type-12-/321255894725?_trksid=p2047675.l2557&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEWNX%3AIT&nma=true&si=J31kffnreUNTxN9dwcCnB3uF%252Fac%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc) I think it is a type 11 but I'm not 100% sure since I still don't see the differences in some of the parts(I don't want to flood the forum with noob threads left and right).

[David Weaver]

Yes, lapping. Refreshing is just a term when you'd do a lightweight job of it for a stone that has slowed down and needs to have fresh abrasive exposed, but doesn't necessarily need to be flattened.

The narex stuff is high chromium steel. In my opinion, it works a lot better with modern abrasives (I would count india in that, but pretty much anything natural is out).

[Steve Voigt]

India. If you get an india stone, you need to have a way to refresh it. If you have a piece of flat glass or a piece of stone, a fine india with a conditioning routine of loose silicon carbide would be fine.

If you are willing to limit yourself to mostly simple steels (older tools and O1 in newer tools), the cheapest system you will find by far is a single 8x3 fine india stone and a piece of MDF or a board with autosol paste or yellow honing compound (sold to carvers). OR, a slab of biggs jasper (but the biggs jasper would be a bit advanced for a first finish stone).

+1 on the india stone, and you can probably go quite a while before refreshing it if you are really strapped for cash.
David, I'm not familiar with the yellow compound, can you elaborate? I use the green, but of course I have an intermediate step between the fine India and the green.

-Steve

[Derek Cohen]

Hi Max

If you want a cheap, but serious sharpening system - costs about 10 cents - try this: http://www.inthewoodshop.com/WoodworkTechniques/The%2010%20Cent%20Sharpening%20System.html

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Graham Haydon]

Another vote for an India Combination stone. 8 x 2 with "Coarse and Fine" sides will work very well for most woodworking applications. You do not need the stone to be the same width as your wide blades, 2" is ample although go wider if you wish. For honing, baby oil if effective and cheap. On refreshing, do what you what works for you but I don't need to refresh very often. I might get slammed for this but you might find a fine india and a strop all you ever need.

[maximillian arango]

I was reading that a fine Indian stone is similar to a 1000 grit water stone. Wouldn't that come short in making the blade sharp.

I would like to thank Chris Griggs for giving me a sharpening stone and will be put to good use.

Thanks Chris

[David Weaver]

For anything other than a theoretical discussion about what you can do with what sharpness, I think that the fine india is a bit short.

There are a lot of very cheap things that can take a geometrically good edge off of a fine india and make it very sharp without spending much money, though.

[Chris Griggs]

Thanks Chris

You're more than welcome. I'm glad it will see some good use again. I'm looking at you're stone sitting on my desk at work right now. I was going to send it today, but I lapped it this morning, and I want to make sure its totally dry before I ship it so I'll send it tomorrow. Packages hit freezing temperature this time of year and it would be a real bummer to get cracked/frozen stone, so just to be safe I'm letting it dry overnight.

Anyway, glad it will be useful to you. Its a good stone, but its been sitting unused in box for a couple years now and it's high time it goes to someone who will appreciate it again. I hate having good tools go unused, so I really am glad it will be used again.

[george wilson]

Great of you to share your stones,Chris!! I was thinking of doing the same thing,but have gotten rid of all my extras but what I need to help my apprentices.

[Graham Haydon]

I was reading that a fine Indian stone is similar to a 1000 grit water stone. Wouldn't that come short in making the blade sharp.

I would like to thank Chris Griggs for giving me a sharpening stone and will be put to good use.

Thanks Chris

Depends on your tools and species but broadly no it will not come short.

Nice one Chris, passing on unused tool is great. I passed on a #5 recently that was gathering dust, a much better feeling than flogging it.

Derek, I love that link! It is the best budget sharpening set up I have seen.

[Chris Vandiver]

You're more than welcome. I'm glad it will see some good use again. I'm looking at you're stone sitting on my desk at work right now. I was going to send it today, but I lapped it this morning, and I want to make sure its totally dry before I ship it so I'll send it tomorrow. Packages hit freezing temperature this time of year and it would be a real bummer to get cracked/frozen stone, so just to be safe I'm letting it dry overnight.

Anyway, glad it will be useful to you. Its a good stone, but its been sitting unused in box for a couple years now and it's high time it goes to someone who will appreciate it again. I hate having good tools go unused, so I really am glad it will be used again.


That's the Christmas spirit! What grit did you send? Oil or water?

[Chris Griggs]

That's the Christmas spirit! What grit did you send? Oil or water?

He's getting a Norton 1k/8k combo waterstone.

I've been given so many things by fellow Creekers (you know who you are). Off the top of my head I can think of 3 handsaws (one of which was fully restored by a Creeker who now does it semi professionally), 3 vintage bench planes, a Stanley No. 18 block plane, 2 Japanese Bench chisels, 2 vintage paring chisels, a 1 1/2" Stanley 750 which is an all time favorite of mine, a Shapton 120, a Naniwa Snow White 8k, some beautiful Pacific Yew for my bowsaw build, lumber for workbenches, and probably other stuff that I'm forgetting, all of which I was outright given to me usually from people who barely knew me and who didn't ask for anything in return other than that I use it.

I've had lots of good fortune and generosity extended to me in my woodworking pursuit, and have been given far more than I have given away. A lot of this stuff really helped me out especially when I was first setting up shop, so on the rare occasion I am able to pay those other fella's generosity forward its nice to be able to do so.

I'd much rather someone like Maximillian have that stone and use it, than to have it just sit in a box unused in my basement.

[Steve Voigt]

Right on, Chris.

[Derek Cohen]

Good for you Chris! Not only a nice gift, but they are decent stones and provide stirling service.

Now I do expect that you will be delivering the gift in person to Maximillian in traditional red garb and sleigh!

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Harold Burrell]

Chris...you are da man! It's guys like you that make the Creek such an awesome community.

[maximillian arango]

I have been part of many forums(total post count is more than 25k) and none of them been as great as this forum. I don't know if it is something lacking from my generation or if it is just because wood workers are just great people(both true) but I am just very happy to be part of this forum. While my goals right now are quite small like keeping corners squared and making sure things are leveled it has just been a blast learning so much in these past few months and I am just scratching the surface. I am glad that I join this forum and I was lead here because almost every question I put in Google lead me here. After joining this forum it makes me realize two things I wished I payed attention to my wood working teacher in high school, and I wished I had more time to look around the forum but my time is very limited till Thursday(finals :().

I am so excited to get this that it is distracting me from studying tonight.