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Matt Putnam
02-08-2017, 10:24 AM
As part of my shop upfit, I want to build a sharpening station. I've added a sink to the shop and plan to locate my sharpening station right beside it. I'm a water stone and grinder user so the station needs to accommodate those two primary items. At a high level, I envision the stones living in a drawer in a container of water (when not in use) and the grinder staying on top of the table.

I came across an image of a popular woodworking project that looked intriguing. The grinder appears to be on rails and can be slid/locked towards the back of the surface when using the stones and vice versa when stones are not on the surface.

Does anyone have something similar to this for their sharpening station? Pros and cons? I'm not opposed to buying the plan (I think that's the popular woodworking model) but would like to get a feel for how good the design is overall first.

Here's the image:
353458

Also, I'm not totally committed to using it, but I just got a 2" thick maple table top (like a butcher block but not end grain) that I have in mind to use for my surface. I know a laminate surface of some type would be better for the water but I have this one and like the idea of reusing it.

Wes Ramsey
02-08-2017, 10:54 AM
I don't have anything to add, but I'm interested in seeing y'all's setups. Mine is very rudimentary setup - just a few granite slabs I put sandpaper on to use with my Veritas sharpening jig and my grinder is taking up valuable real estate on a bench by my lathe. But I'm getting ready to upfit my own shop this year for some different kind of work. I'm gonna need something a little more formal and accessible for sharpening.

Malcolm Schweizer
02-08-2017, 9:34 PM
I'm really liking the design you posted. I have tons of t-track and I'm seeing a lot of possibilities with a t-track top and accessories like a granite surface, waterstone trough, Tormek bar attachment or similar grinder jig- all with t-bolts to mount to a t-track top.

Lon Crosby
02-08-2017, 10:29 PM
Do a google search for Ultimate-Sharpening-Station_5F00 for other versions of what originated (at least recently) in ShopNotes ~2009.

Reinis Kanders
02-08-2017, 11:54 PM
Grinder does make a mess though. I keep mine separate. I do sharpen as I need to and do not have a dedicated sharpening moments. If I was batching it then that station would be nice.

Derek Cohen
02-09-2017, 12:58 AM
As part of my shop upfit, I want to build a sharpening station. I've added a sink to the shop and plan to locate my sharpening station right beside it. I'm a water stone and grinder user so the station needs to accommodate those two primary items. At a high level, I envision the stones living in a drawer in a container of water (when not in use) and the grinder staying on top of the table.

I came across an image of a popular woodworking project that looked intriguing. The grinder appears to be on rails and can be slid/locked towards the back of the surface when using the stones and vice versa when stones are not on the surface.

Does anyone have something similar to this for their sharpening station? Pros and cons? I'm not opposed to buying the plan (I think that's the popular woodworking model) but would like to get a feel for how good the design is overall first.

Here's the image:
353458

Also, I'm not totally committed to using it, but I just got a 2" thick maple table top (like a butcher block but not end grain) that I have in mind to use for my surface. I know a laminate surface of some type would be better for the water but I have this one and like the idea of reusing it.

Hi Matt

Reinis is correct when he says that a grinder makes a mess. You do not want the grinder on top of your stones.

I also do not consider that it is practical to attach/re-attach the grinder. A sharpening station is best when set ups are minimal, and you can just get on with it, and then back to using the tool.

Thirdly, I would not leave stones in water. I think that is asking for contamination and self-destruction.

My own system has two, separate areas alongside one another: where I hone and where I grind.

This is an old photo, but it serves the purpose of illustration ...

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a262/Derek50/Workbench%20and%20Workshop/SharpeningCentre6.jpg

There are drawers for sharpening supplies and jigs behind the wooden doors.

The dry grinder is used 95% of the time, and you will notice that it is on the far side of the Tormek. The Tormek is relatively dust free. The grinder now sports CBN wheel. They do not shed sharpening grit but hey do shed metal dust. It is heavy and does not hang in the air. Still, I keep it far away from the stones.

http://www.inthewoodshop.com/WoodworkTechniques/UltimateGrindingSharpeningSetUp_html_5c5d41f4.jpg

The stones simply lie on a non-slip mat on a laminated surface. This can be washed down, stones may be moved around, rotated, etc. I do not see the need for something more permanent.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a262/Derek50/Sharpening/Strop/Strop-and-stones_zpsr9qc9ypb.jpg


Regards from Perth

Derek

Karl Andersson
02-09-2017, 8:18 AM
Matt,
I'm sure I'm not the only one for whom that HUGE amount of available horizontal surface would soon become invaded by something other than the stones and their board (like moulding planes in use, flea market finds, etc.). I have tried to make "convertible" spaces before, and they usually look better than they work in all practicality, but maybe I'm too rushed or my workspace is too small.

The sliding grinder looks neat, but it may be best to mount it permanently facing off one of the ends so any grinder/ metal dust goes to the floor or a dust collector (as Derek's would do if it produced dust) and not on the station's surface. Wouldn't the stones work as well on a smaller surface on the remaining other half of the top? It seems the space shown in the picture is a lot more than needed unless I'm missing something special about water stones. A pullout surface for the stones to sit on, like a drawer but flat, would probably allow you to overcome the tendency for other things to invade the stone's space, if that's a potential problem for you like it is for me -and they could be stored there ready to use.

Good luck,
Karl

David Eisenhauer
02-09-2017, 9:27 AM
The ratio of using the grinder to using the stones is, what - maybe 1:8-10, more? Derek seems to have the grinding figured out to a science so maybe he can correct my figure. Point being, the grinder is not used nearly as much as the stones but it does take up lots of space and you don't want it too close to the stones as has been pointed out. My grinder is in an obscure corner of my shop, behind the entry door (which is typically not very-much-used space) and my stones can remain laid out nearby my joinery area for quick, easy use. I would not want my grinder used in the area where I use my stones due to it's mess and space requirements. That's for my work flow, yours may very well be a different flow and that works too.

Matt Putnam
02-09-2017, 10:31 AM
A sharpening station is best when set ups are minimal, and you can just get on with it, and then back to using the tool.
Derek
This comment hit home, Derek. I realize that if the grinder takes some set up it will diminish my chance of using it when needed. Thanks for that insight.

Matt Putnam
02-09-2017, 10:33 AM
Matt,
I'm sure I'm not the only one for whom that HUGE amount of available horizontal surface would soon become invaded by something other than the stones and their board (like moulding planes in use, flea market finds, etc.). I have tried to make "convertible" spaces before, and they usually look better than they work in all practicality, but maybe I'm too rushed or my workspace is too small.

Karl
Point well taken, Karl. I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one who sometimes can't find an open horizontal surface to set down a roll of electrical tape, much less a couple sharpening stones.

Derek Cohen
02-09-2017, 11:05 AM
The ratio of using the grinder to using the stones is, what - maybe 1:8-10, more? Derek seems to have the grinding figured out to a science so maybe he can correct my figure. Point being, the grinder is not used nearly as much as the stones but it does take up lots of space and you don't want it too close to the stones as has been pointed out. My grinder is in an obscure corner of my shop, behind the entry door (which is typically not very-much-used space) and my stones can remain laid out nearby my joinery area for quick, easy use. I would not want my grinder used in the area where I use my stones due to it's mess and space requirements. That's for my work flow, yours may very well be a different flow and that works too.

Hi David

There is irony in that the best hollow grind comes off a relatively expensive CBN wheel. It is capable of being so good, that you do not have to use it much.

Hollow grinding does not eat up steel. Remember that the hollow is refreshed from the inside of the bevel.

Regards from Perth

Derek

Malcolm Schweizer
02-09-2017, 11:06 AM
Good points were made about the debris from a grinder. I thought the stones went in a drawer when grinding. I also just assumed this was for a small shop with little real estate available. Certainly if you had more space a side by side with a sink would be better. I have a luxurious sharpening room, complete with saw station, sink, lots of counter space, and two benches, but that was because there was a second kitchen downstairs. I kind of wish I could combine it with the shop, but I would have to move the stairs, and that's not happening. I take the good with the bad.