What are your go-to sharpening stones?

[Daniel Rode]

I know, this is sharpening thread number 1000...

Hopefully this one won't be controversial. Today, I use diamond plates and a Shapton 15k finishing stone. My normal process is medium diamond, XX-fine diamond, then the 15k. If I'm just refreshing the edge, I may skip the medium. I use an 8" grinder to create a hollow and then add a secondary bevel for the working edge.

I'm considering moving to water stones completely. Some folks go from the 1k (or there about) directly to the finishing stone, others have at least 1 intermediate step. If I do buy water stones, I really like the the Shapton pro stones. the 15k is my only experience but it works well and I do not want to have to soak stones. Splash and go means I can sharpen any time with no setup and this is crucial for me.

I'm really interested in what stones and grits others use in their typical chisel and plane sharpening and honing. I'm also curious why you do or do not use a middle stone or why you use particular grits.

[Zach Dillinger]

I use a vintage combination India stone and an old translucent Arkansas, along with a piece of leather glued to a block of quarter sawn white oak. Both the leather and the oak have polishing compound and I use both sides depending on the situation. This setup is used for all my planes and chisels, although I tend to skip the trans ark for the LN chisels I sometimes use because it cuts too slow and I don't have all day. The fine India and then polishing compound / strop does good enough for those.

[Christian Thompson]

I have Norton waterstones - 1/4K combo and an 8K. If I need to go back to 1K, I progress up through 4K to 8K. Lately I've been also stropping on a piece of pine with diamond paste on it to finish. To touch up an edge I may just use the strop or the 8K.

[Prashun Patel]

I have Shapton 1000 and 8000. I like the Shaptons because they can be spritzed, and don't require immersion.

I have an EZElap coarse plate for flattening that works well.

I was counselled that an intermediate stone (2000-5000) is not a requirement. I have found that to be true. I find it easier to get a mirror polish if I use an intermediate stone, but I don't find it really affects the quality of my edge, especially if I'm willing (and I'm increasingly willing) to sharpen often.

(And if you want to cheat sometimes, get a used Worksharp with some diamond lapidary plates off 'Bay for quick flattening and regrinding)

[Daniel Rode]

Thanks Prashun. You are already doing what I'm now contemplating. I'd be making the jump from 1000 to 15k which is a wider gap but I've watched Rob Cosman (among others) make that same jump many times. I prefer the simplicity of a 2 stone routine.


I have Shapton 1000 and 8000. I like the Shaptons because they can be spritzed, and don't require immersion.

I have an EZElap coarse plate for flattening that works well.

I was counselled that an intermediate stone (2000-5000) is not a requirement. I have found that to be true. I find it easier to get a mirror polish if I use an intermediate stone, but I don't find it really affects the quality of my edge, especially if I'm willing (and I'm increasingly willing) to sharpen often.

(And if you want to cheat sometimes, get a used Worksharp with some diamond lapidary plates off 'Bay for quick flattening and regrinding)

[Daniel Rode]

I have a 800/4k Norton stone. I've pulled it out this weekend just for the heck of it. It's what got me thinking about this in the first place.

I have Norton waterstones - 1/4K combo and an 8K. If I need to go back to 1K, I progress up through 4K to 8K. Lately I've been also stropping on a piece of pine with diamond paste on it to finish. To touch up an edge I may just use the strop or the 8K.

[David B. Morris]

I use a set of Sigma Power ceramic stones I got from Stu at Tools from Japan: 1K, 6K, and 13K. The last can be used splash and go, but the first two benefit from soaking for a few minutes. I flatten them with a Diaflat lapping plate. For touch-up while doing joinery or planing I will just use the 13K to hone the secondary bevel freehand. I don't strop.
I don't use a bench grinder, just stones. I use diamond stones only to re-establish primary bevels or for other heavy work, which I'll usually do with a jig like the LV MKII (or the new LN once I get it!).

[Daniel Rode]

I have no experience with India or Arkansas stones. The ark is slow on LN chisels because the metal is harder?

What the general grit of the India stone?


I use a vintage combination India stone and an old translucent Arkansas, along with a piece of leather glued to a block of quarter sawn white oak. Both the leather and the oak have polishing compound and I use both sides depending on the situation. This setup is used for all my planes and chisels, although I tend to skip the trans ark for the LN chisels I sometimes use because it cuts too slow and I don't have all day. The fine India and then polishing compound / strop does good enough for those.

[Robert Engel]

DMT diamond plates: 4 grits from coarse to extra fine.
Water stones: Norton 4000/8000.

I've never seen the need to go over 8K.

Is something breaks I'll probably to to a Shapton.

[Jim Koepke]

My water stones are 1k, 4k and 8k. For a quick touch up, just the 4k and the 8k are needed.

If the 1k is used, the 4k usually follows. It does remove the burr from the 1k quickly and doesn't take but a few strokes to raise a burr. There is a tub of water for the stones to sit in when not in use. They are usually ready to go without delay.

My experience is time spent being careful and deliberate is usually better spent than time spent being in a hurry. There are usually more trips back to the sharpening station when a step was jumped.

My oilstones have been getting more use of late. They are easier than water stones when sharpening molding plane blades. The regimen sometimes starts with an India stone. If the blade isn't in too bad of shape, it starts with a Washita stone and then to the fine Arkansas. Again depending on the blade it either gets stropped after the Ark or it may get a bit of polishing on a piece of jasper given to me by my wife.

Currently my favorite slip stone is from Dan's. It is a translucent Arkansas stone and works quite well. For rougher work I have a coarse and a couple of fine India slip stones. There is also a number of water slip stones in my shop.

jtk

[John Kananis]

My water stones (Norton, 1k, 4k and 8k) have been collecting dust for a while (at least the last year or so). I've been using the Gramercy diamond paste kit (45 micron, 15 micron and 1/2 micron) on some mdf with outstanding results. The paste cuts very quickly and a quick honing on the 1/2 micron once the bevel is already established is all you need to do for a long time before going down to the coarser grits.

I've noticed a lot of folks going over to the diamond stones (from water) the last few years, I wonder why the paste isn't much more popular: its inexpensive and a little goes a very long way.

[Prashun Patel]

I'd double check whether your ultimate stone should be 8000 or 15k. I lusted for a 15k, but was counselled that 8000 was more appropriate. You may find getting all the scratches from 1000 out harder with the 15k; and the difference in the polish may not give you a practical difference in performance. I have never used a 15k, so I can't corroborate that statement, but have found 8000 to be enough cowbell for me.

[Derek Cohen]

I've been using a Spyderco Ultra Fine for my polishing stone. I do not know what it is in terms of grit. Somewhere between 6000 and 10000. It gets sharp enough. Before this is a Spyderco Medium which I think is around 3000-5000. Not sure. The only stone I am sure of is the Shapton 1000, the best 1000 I have used.

This system requires little maintenance: the stones stay flat and they do not need much water.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Jeffrey Martel]

I've got a granite tile and sandpaper. Not the greatest, but it works for now. I do want to pick up some nice stones though.

[paul cottingham]

I grind and sharpen on a viel 1" belt grinder. I polish the edge on a 10000 japanese water stone from LV. Strop on leather charged with green goo. I get good edges this way. Much easier on the hands, too.

[Christopher Charles]

8" hollow grind, 1000, ~5000, ~12000 shapton pros (and 400 Atoma for flattening) from Stu. upgraded from Norton primarily to get to spray and go. Works great, haven't thought about changing the set up since i got it. Im not sure about skipping the middle grit, could probably get away with.

Good luck,
C

[Reinis Kanders]

I like spydercos medium and uf or oilstones washita to translucent.

Spydercos are great because they work well dry so I can just grab them and be done in literally two minutes for a plane iron without any cleanup, chisels are faster. PMV steel if it is too dull sometimes takes too long on spyderco, if I think that will be the case I use washita that I keep scuffed up.

I have also been experimenting with big ass 10x3 black arkansas charged with 1 micron diamond.

In general I try to not use more then two stones and strop, anything more just makes it more likely that something will get messed up.

[Dave Cullen]

I have a soft (grey) Arkansas and a hard (white) that have served me well for 30 years. My tools are carbon steel though.

[les winter]

I use the india and translucent arkansas for my A2 LN irons and chisels. I gave the trans a treatment with a coarse diamond stone. It cuts fast so long as the micro bevel is micro. I use simple green and water on the india and the trans. Seems to work fine with no oil residue on me or my tools.

[Brian Holcombe]

I use all of my stones, depending on the material

For A2/01 - Chosera 1k, 3k then sigma 13k

For Japanese white or blue steel Chosera 1k, 3k, Snow white (8k) then Shinden suita.

For diamond plates I currently have 400 DMT, it's being relegated to rough work and replaced with Atoma 400 (for stones 1-8k) and Atoma 1200 for my finish stones. Also atoma 140x for roughing work.

I also expect to receive a Nakayama Asagi for very fine work such as finish planing and fine paring. This is the equivalent of 30,000 grit.

I'll add that I've been very surprised by how much I enjoy natural stones. Unlike synthetics they do not get a soak before use, so I dont need to keep a tray of water on hand for them, they stay flat so I need to lap every 2 seconds and they offer excellent feedback to the sharpener. My major complaint with finishing on a stone like the snow white was the slurry, and finishing on the sigma 13k is that it's soft and catches the edge more than I would prefer when freehanding.

I'm actually looking to replace my middle stones eventually with one natural stone, and that should relegate my use of stones that require soaking to new-grinds and re-grinds but completely out of the regular maintenance program.

[John Schtrumpf]

I free hand sharpen full single bevel.

DMT X-coarse for flattening my water stones.

400 Imanishi to remove metal quickly when the edge is worn.

3k Sigma Power Select II, quickly gets a fine scratch pattern, where I start for a touchup sharpening.

8k Imanishi to hone / polish.

Strop with LV green compound edge polish.

Plain strop.

I also have coarser stones and diamond plate for fixing / establishing a bevel with the Veritas MK II honing guide.

[Evan Ryan]

Slow speed grinder, 1k shapton pro, 5k ceramic shapton, 8k shapton pro, strop
i also have a dia flat lapping plate and a dmt extra coarse plate.

i bought the shaptons after reading threads here on the creek, and so far they've given me my best edges.

I did a lot of rust hunting to build my basic hand tool collection, and during that time I used the sandpaper scary sharp method. My edges were very nice with scary sharp.
At an amazing estate sale I picked up an almost new set of diamond stones, but the set was stolen before I got to do a lot of sharpening done with that set up.
Once the diamond stones were gone I tried using old norton oil stones and other various oil stones that I picked up rust hunting. This method was not easy. The stones were not very large and I never identified their hardness, so I broke down and bought the brand new shaptons.

[Tony Shea]

I've tried so many damn methods it scares me to think about the money I've spent. I started off using something similar to scary sharp basically using wet/dry sandpaper. This method worked fine but I just got sick of changing out my paper and also lusted for something nicer, we all do. I decided to try out the Naniwa Super Stones because I could afford them at the time. This really got me loving the water stone method and did great for me. I ended up moving and decided to buy some oil stones because it was not easy for me to have a place for water in my make ship unheated shop. I thought oil stones were the answer in the unheated shop and happily honed away with this method for a small period of time. But after gradually building up my collection of LN and LV chisels, planes, etc., I really struggled getting a sufficient edge in a reasonable amount of time. But I made due until I ended up moving to where I am now and have been for the last 5 years or so. I now have a sink near by and decided to upgrade my water stone collection to something other than my soft Super Stones. I picked up 1000, 5000 shaptons and a 10000 Sigma. I loved this setup and used it for 2 years or so. I began to dislike my Sigma the more and more I used it and finally decided it was too soft for a fine finishing stone. I finally broke down and bought the Shapton 12000 to replace it and have never looked back. This is my final sharpening stone setup for all my flat blades and I am happy as hell with them. So to anyone looking at some water stones just save your money on all that other stuff and try out the Shapton Pro's, I will guarantee you that you'll love them.

For all my curved blades I use diamond stones and oil stones. Do gross metal removal with the diamond stones and finish with oil stones. This is where oil stones really shine because of their hardness.

Oh and I always hollow grind with my 6" full speed grinder, none of this slow speed stuff that is all the rage these days. I want to get the grinding done as fast as possible and with the right wheel there is no need for a slow speed grinder. The coarser the wheel you can get the better and dress it often.

I used to keep my water stones flat with a DMT dia sharp XC/C until I wore it out. Now I use and love my Atom 140.

[Daniel Rode]

FWIW, I use an 8" white Norton wheel. I like the flatter shape of an 8" wheel, but I doubt it matters much. My grinder can run as slow as 2000 RPM. So the edge is moving approximately as fast as a normal speed 6" wheel (feet per second rather than RPM). The hollow grind was a game changer for me. It's so fast and it makes maintaining the secondary bevel dead simple.

Chisels and flat plane irons are easy. I still struggle to create a smooth curve on cambered irons. Mostly I grind them flat and work the edges on the stone by applying pressure to the corners.

[Charles Bjorgen]

Like so many here I've spent a small fortune on sharpening stones. If rejuvenating a vintage chisel or plane iron I will create a hollow grind on my old Tormek. Depending on my mood I will then finish on the Tools from Japan three-stone Sigma set. I might also go to my oil stones. However, if just doing a quick touch up, I find myself going to the Spyderco medium and ultra-fine stones. The Spydercos are so quick and easy to use they are becoming my favorites.

I keep a set of oil stones in the kitchen for knives. Those are a two-sided Arkansas soft and hard plus a blue translucent for finishing.

[Robert Engel]

I still struggle to create a smooth curve on cambered irons. Mostly I grind them flat and work the edges on the stone by applying pressure to the corners.Glad I'm not the only one!!

One of my hold backs is I'm scared I'll ruin the blade.
Just picked up a #4 Wood River and I've got a couple blades to experiment with.
You would think somebody has come up with a jig for grinding a camber on a plane iron.......

[Archie England]

I've tried so many damn methods it scares me to think about the money I've spent. ...

Can I ever relate!

I prefer Choseras for the 1000, 3000 levels but am amazed at how well the Bestor 1200 and Sigma 1200 perform, as well. If I'm doing kitchen knives, the Bestor 1200 is the only stone to use (imo). The Sigmas 6000, 10k, and 13k are my go to polishing stones. For endgrain or swirly grain or burl, I use the 10k (softer) or 13k (super hard); for everything else, the Cho 3k or the Sigma 6k is the final stone.

For establishing or regrinding bevels, I have grinders or low grit water stones--and use whatever fits the mood or the need.

I tried sandpaper on a heavy substrate but never liked it (though I'm not knocking it). Just like I love/hate a Suehiro Rika 5k, which is way too soft, dishes way to quickly, and uses up at an incredible speed; but, it will work a blade from the 2k to 5k range and produces a beautiful edge. I really like my oil stones, too; but they are significantly slower and don't handler A2 nearly as well.

And, finally, add the weird factor--I enjoy sharpening, probably too much. But I'm having fun.

[Daniel Rode]

And, finally, add the weird factor--I enjoy sharpening, probably too much. But I'm having fun.

I can't say I enjoy sharpening but I do like the results. I've become proficient enough that I no longer dread sharpening, so that's an improvement ;)

[David B. Morris]

You would think somebody has come up with a jig for grinding a camber on a plane iron.......

LV makes a cambered roller for their MKII jig.

[Malcolm Schweizer]

Choseras are my go-to stones now, but I want to be clear that I am a chronic sharpaholic who needs therapy, and this is not what everyone needs in order to get their tools "sharp enough." (that was hard to say, by the way) When asked for advice, I tell people to evaluate how much they are into woodworking. If they are dead serious, then I say go for something higher end- Shapton Glass are a great lower-dollar but higher-end stone. I have a full set and love them. I kind of swap back and forth between those and the Choseras because the Shaptons are more splash and go. (I used to think the Choseras were splash and go, but they do prefer being soaked briefly.) If they are not real serious, or not sure, then I say get some Nortons. They do just fine, except I very much dislike the 220- very slow cutting, and leaves a very inconsistent scratch pattern. If really serious then I say get Shapton Pro's or Choseras. **Not the only good stones, but those are what I have the most experience with.

I have a full set of DMT diamond stones, thanks mostly to an eBay find. I primarily use them to set bevels and reapair really bad edges. I use a Dia-Flat to flatten my waterstones, and I also use a 1500 diamond stone to dress the finer stones like the Chosera 10k and Shapton 15k.

I use a Tormek primarily for sharpening gouges, scissors, and planer (the electronic kind) blades. I do also use it to sharpen knives when friends bring me a lot of them to sharpen, and depending on how good of a friend they are, I will finish on a Chosera 5k and if they are really good friends a 10k. For my own knives I mostly use the Choseras because I enjoy shaprening knives on waterstones.

I want to make a comment about "skipping grits," but this is not for the sake of argument; rather it is for the sake of clarification. Yes, as I believe Prashun said, you can skip grits, like going from 1k to 5k, but there is a small consequence, and that is time spent and wear on the stones. You will be wearing your expensive stone faster, and spending a lot more time to properly remove the scratches from a 1k. I have so many times seen where people go from a 1k to a 5k or 8k and say it works just fine, but when I look at the edge, there are clearly scratches left over from the 1k. Sure, it is a mirror polish, but they did not get all the scratches out. THIS IS NOT A BIG DEAL!!! I want to be clear with that. However, even leaving some of the scratches, I can tell you they took longer overall and used more of their expensive finer stone than if they had gone, for instance, 1k, 3k, 5k, 8k, which is a good progression.

I'm going to say it again- this isn't a huge deal, and if strapped for cash you can do this, but it is not ideal- that's all I'm saying. It is more ideal to progress through the grits.

I have actually been intending to do some videos because I own all the Chosera grits, most of the Shapton Pro, and all the Norton. I want to be clear again here- this is only because I enjoy sharpening and nobody should ever buy all the grits unless they have a problem like me! I don't expect folks to understand it, but like with the Chosera 600 and 800 I wanted to see for myself what the difference was, and I found an insane deal on both, so I bought both. It is a weird fascination that started as a child when my grandfather taught us to sharpen our pocket knives. I just like to sharpen things, and I like to experiment with different methods. Actually the main reason I have not shot a video is I did not want people to think I was gloating over the stones I own. The internet can be like that. I actually would do the video so people can AVOID buying the wrong stone and better choose the grit they need.

If interested, comment and I will get off my butt and do the video, but it will take time because what I want to do is flatten some iron backs with each stone so you can more clearly see the scratch pattern on the metal, and compare each one side by side.

[john zulu]

Shapton Pro 2k,5k and 8k
Those are my general stones.

[Daniel Rode]

LV makes a cambered roller for their MKII jig.

The cambered roller does the same thing I described doing by hand. What I struggle with is setting a smooth camber on the grinder. The tighter curve, like that on a roughing plane, takes a lot of work to establish on the stones. Ideally, I'd the curve on the grinder and then hone on the stones.

[Daniel Rode]

John,

I often see 1k as the coarse stone. What made you choose 2k?

Shapton Pro 2k,5k and 8k
Those are my general stones.

[David B. Morris]

The cambered roller does the same thing I described doing by hand. What I struggle with is setting a smooth camber on the grinder. The tighter curve, like that on a roughing plane, takes a lot of work to establish on the stones. Ideally, I'd the curve on the grinder and then hone on the stones.
I recently ground a 9" radius camber on a Hock blade for use in an old Stanley #5 as a scrub plane, then finished on my Sigmas. I had never done this before and otherwise have practically no experience using a bench grinder, but it turned out perfectly. Chris Schwarz has an article on this somewhere in the ether which I found very helpful.

[Archie England]

Choseras are my go-to stones now, but I want to be clear that I am a chronic sharpaholic who needs therapy, and this is not what everyone needs in order to get their tools "sharp enough." (that was hard to say, by the way) When asked for advice, I tell people to evaluate how much they are into woodworking. If they are dead serious, then I say go for something higher end- Shapton Glass are a great lower-dollar but higher-end stone. I have a full set and love them. I kind of swap back and forth between those and the Choseras because the Shaptons are more splash and go. (I used to think the Choseras were splash and go, but they do prefer being soaked briefly.) If they are not real serious, or not sure, then I say get some Nortons. They do just fine, except I very much dislike the 220- very slow cutting, and leaves a very inconsistent scratch pattern. If really serious then I say get Shapton Pro's or Choseras. **Not the only good stones, but those are what I have the most experience with.

I have a full set of DMT diamond stones, thanks mostly to an eBay find. I primarily use them to set bevels and reapair really bad edges. I use a Dia-Flat to flatten my waterstones, and I also use a 1500 diamond stone to dress the finer stones like the Chosera 10k and Shapton 15k.

I use a Tormek primarily for sharpening gouges, scissors, and planer (the electronic kind) blades. I do also use it to sharpen knives when friends bring me a lot of them to sharpen, and depending on how good of a friend they are, I will finish on a Chosera 5k and if they are really good friends a 10k. For my own knives I mostly use the Choseras because I enjoy shaprening knives on waterstones.

I want to make a comment about "skipping grits," but this is not for the sake of argument; rather it is for the sake of clarification. Yes, as I believe Prashun said, you can skip grits, like going from 1k to 5k, but there is a small consequence, and that is time spent and wear on the stones. You will be wearing your expensive stone faster, and spending a lot more time to properly remove the scratches from a 1k. I have so many times seen where people go from a 1k to a 5k or 8k and say it works just fine, but when I look at the edge, there are clearly scratches left over from the 1k. Sure, it is a mirror polish, but they did not get all the scratches out. THIS IS NOT A BIG DEAL!!! I want to be clear with that. However, even leaving some of the scratches, I can tell you they took longer overall and used more of their expensive finer stone than if they had gone, for instance, 1k, 3k, 5k, 8k, which is a good progression.

I'm going to say it again- this isn't a huge deal, and if strapped for cash you can do this, but it is not ideal- that's all I'm saying. It is more ideal to progress through the grits.

I have actually been intending to do some videos because I own all the Chosera grits, most of the Shapton Pro, and all the Norton. I want to be clear again here- this is only because I enjoy sharpening and nobody should ever buy all the grits unless they have a problem like me! I don't expect folks to understand it, but like with the Chosera 600 and 800 I wanted to see for myself what the difference was, and I found an insane deal on both, so I bought both. It is a weird fascination that started as a child when my grandfather taught us to sharpen our pocket knives. I just like to sharpen things, and I like to experiment with different methods. Actually the main reason I have not shot a video is I did not want people to think I was gloating over the stones I own. The internet can be like that. I actually would do the video so people can AVOID buying the wrong stone and better choose the grit they need.

If interested, comment and I will get off my butt and do the video, but it will take time because what I want to do is flatten some iron backs with each stone so you can more clearly see the scratch pattern on the metal, and compare each one side by side.

Okay, support group with therapy is what you and I need to get started here.... :)

[Malcolm Schweizer]

Okay, support group with therapy is what you and I need to get started here.... :)

If by "support group" you mean someone else to support my habbit, I am all-in.

[Don Dorn]

I grind at 25 with the Ian Kirby method on an 8" grinder, which nearly doesn't have to be done anymore. As to sharpening, I adopted the Paul Sellers method with a 220, 600 & 1000 diamond stone, then a short but aggressive stropping. At least for me, I've never spent so little time sharpening, and have not ever had irons/chisels as sharp as now. Less than 5 minutes including taking the iron out of the plane.

[Shawn Pixley]

Sigma power stones 1K, 6K, & 13k. I flat grind (no hollow grind) with micro bevel. If I take something from the shop I bring a 4K / 8K Norton combo stone.

[Jeffrey Martel]

So what would be a good general set? Don't want to spend a ton, but I'd like to cover what I need for sharpening plane blades and chisels. Getting sick of sandpaper, and that's the only thing I have now. I go up to 2000 grit followed by a strop with green compound, use the LV MkII jig.

[Jim Koepke]

So what would be a good general set? Don't want to spend a ton, but I'd like to cover what I need for sharpening plane blades and chisels.

Though all of us love to spend other people's money, it is difficult to determine a good answer to this question without knowing a few things about you and your shop.

There may even be a difference depending on whether you will be maintaining tools you already have or if you will be rehabilitating a lot of tools you hope to find in the coming years.

Have you used anything other than sandpaper in the past?

Do you have a preferred media; diamond stone, paste, oilstones or water stones?

For some of my blades water stones are preferred. Other blades do best on oilstones. For touch up on the kitchen knives there is a small diamond stone in the kitchen.

This hodgepodge not only works for me it works for my shop. In the winter months it gets too cold to use water stones in my unheated shop.

jtk

[Christopher Charles]

Jeffrey,

If you're willing to make an investment (~$250-300) the sigma power set + atoma or similar with shapton pros from Stu will set you up for a long time. Both are similar, i went with the shaptons b/c my understanding was they do a wee bit better without soaking than the sigmas and i work in shop that freezes. But there are other less expensive options--I had norton combos in 220/1000 and 4000/8000 that did just fine (but the 220 was near worthless and they did require soaking).

Good luck,
C

[Jeffrey Martel]

Have used a water stone a long time ago to sharpen the knives in the kitchen when growing up. Other than that, just been sticking with sandpaper.

Most of my tools are older, non-A2 steel. I have 2 plane irons that are PM-VII. Mostly maintaining, but I will be acquiring a few new tools as I fill out the number of hand tools I have. My shop never freezes, but it will get down into the 40's in the winter.

[Alan Lightstone]

Shapton 1K, 4K, 8K and 16K. Use a Dia-Flat as a flattening stone.

Still have issues with blades slipping in the MK-II jig, so the sharpening can be uneven. But when it holds right, the blades are unbelievably sharp and mirrors. Just takes forever.

I saw Rob Cosman go from 1K to 8K repeatedly in seconds. Just doesn't work well for me.

[Matthew N. Masail]

My 2 cents after trying Shaptons, sigmas, beaters, cerax, chosera, diamonds and more: the Shapton 1k and chosera 800 are the best I have used, both work as splash and go and both seem to have a short breakin period. After that I prefer a medium grit to remove scratches completely and quickly, it seems many stones are a little slow with this, but the chosera 3k is fast and leaves a very sharp edge too, it also work with a heavy splash no soaking needed. After that pick your final stone, I'm still looking for mine. It's also great to have an oil stone setup for curved tools or when your just in the mood, a fine India, hard ark and strop is all that's needed really. And you could skip the hard ark and just have another India stone which you never refresh, the other should be lapped with diamonds once in a while to keep it cutting fast.

Diamonds are great too (I use eze lap plates), if you use the paul sellers method, but they get finer in use so eventually you'll need a new coarse stone.

[Kees Heiden]

I used to sharpen on waterstones. First setup was a Naniwa superstone 800 and 8000. They are very soft stones. The 800 was gone in no time, it dished so quickly that I had to flatten it very often. Within a year or so just a nubbin was left. The 8000 is still in use. It polishes very nice, I think it is somewhat finer then the 8000 number would suggest. To replace the 800 I got a 400 Bester, a 1000 Sigma and a 4000 Bester. The 400 is fast, very usefull at times, but also dissapears quickly through the drain. The 1000 Sigma is a great stone. And I don't use the 4000 very much. It is a bit sticky and quickly fills up with black smudge.

Now I use oilstones more often. I have a noname India like stone, used very occasionally when I want things to go fast. It really drinks oil in huge quantities, and then likes to dump it all over the place again. Next up is a vintage Washita and a translucent Arkansas. These are teriffic. The natural stones aren't very thirsty at all, so just a little bit of babyoil is neccessary. A strop with some Autosol finishes the process. The oil stones are great for round tools, like molding planes and gouges. Doing these on soft waterstones is a lesson in frustration. Just when I think I'm ready I tend to dig deeply into the stone which kind of messes with the edge and the stone's surface.

The grinder with a Norton blue 46 grit wheel is the basis for all my sharpening. Sharpening is not really my hobby, and this speeds things up considerably.

I've tried diamond plates too, but just can't get enthousiastic about them.

[Mike Holbrook]

I have/had a couple old Shapton Pros, bought 30 years ago. I had two a 2000 and 8000. One of my dogs knocked the 8000 off the counter, in the plastic container, and it broke. I would have bought a 1000 Shapton but at that time they were not available. Then I bought a set of Sigma Power Select II stones (3000, 6000, 10,000) from Stu, filling in around the remaining Shapton. I was never happy with the coarse stone in terms of speed. At Stu's suggestion I finally bought a big Sigma Power, 3F Carbon 700. Still not happy on the fast end I bought a Sigma Power 120. I never was happy when I needed to remove larger amounts of steel to repair a bevel/edge...My latest investment has been CBN wheels, which I love. Now I can grind away some steel.

I got interested in working green wood, which requires the use of some harder to sharpen curved blades. I was also planing to take several classes and wanted reliable portable sharpening that did not require water. I bought a couple Eze Lap diamond plates 2x6", double sided 400/1200 and a 600. I had been using Spyderco medium & fine stones for 35 or so years in my kitchen and liked them. George made his post about using Spyderco medium & UF stones about then. My big Sigma stones are too big & heavy & fragile to fit into my moving sharpening system so I bought the two very hard, smaller Spydercos 2x8", Medium & UF. Now my Diamond plates and Spydercos fit into my Festool Sortainer on a Festool Sys-Roll which can hold just about anything I need to travel and work. I also put a 2x6" piece of MDF & diamond paste in the Sortainer, just in case I need something super sharp. Now I have a mobile station I can move between the two buildings I work at, home & work, on 12 acres. If I want to go to a class I have most of what I need ready to go. The Sys-Roll can move around my shop and basement as needed too. I bought two round EZ-Lap rods coated in diamonds for sharpening the curved blades. I have a medium and UF ceramic rod too. These can go in a Systainer if I travel along with my rasps, chisels... that I have in roll up nylon holders.

I found in my first big green wood class that it is hard to work with dull green tools, especially with as much wood as gets worked to make a chair. I did not want to rely on the instructors good graces to keep my tools sharp. Instructors in those classes are very busy. Now that I have a mobile sharpening system that can handle practically any tool, except for grinding, I do not typically use water stones. It is just faster to use my mobile/dry sharpening system. The small EZ-Lap plates are very reasonable on Amazon as are the Spydercos. After 35 years using Spyderco stones I doubt I will ever have to replace a Spyderco stone, they just about can't be worn out. I doubt I will even need to flatten the Spydercos. If I have to flatten a Spyderco I have the diamond plates, which I suspect are the only thing that will cut them. There is a very long post discussing Spyderco stones that our own George started which covers just about any & everything about these stones and how they work well with a diamond plate system.

[john zulu]

John,

I often see 1k as the coarse stone. What made you choose 2k?

I bought it as I have a King 800 waterstone. After using 2k I would say that it is good enough for sharpening a dull knife with a slight burr. But with ding the blade using 1k as it would be faster. Looking back go for the 1k stone as you will not go wrong with it. The 5k or 8k is good enough for me.