Originally Posted by
Jon Middleton
I have a CBN wheel coming for my half speed Delta grinder, and am setting up the Wolverine tool rest. I want to use a granite tile and wet dry sandpaper to flatten my waterstones and hone my tools. I also bought one of the cheap Wood River honing guides which doesn't look too bad. What brand/type of sandpaper works best?
Getting back to the original question, Norton 3X was my last purchase of sandpaper a few years ago. My understanding is their Pro Sand series of sandpaper is even longer lasting.
As for using sandpaper for blade sharpening, my Veritas Mk.II Power Sharpening System uses sandpaper mounted on disks to sharpen blades and has been working for me for about two decades. Most of the time now it is used for restoring old tools that come into the shop.
My blades usually do not get to a point of needing grinding before honing.
You grind the primary bevel down to where only a very narrow secondary bevel remains, just a sliver. You then only need to hone a very small area to produce a cutting edge. As Rob explains it, only the secondary bevel contacts the wood. It's a very easy and quick process.
My experience with secondary bevels is limited. My sharpening is done freehand. If not careful a flat bevel will develop a secondary bevel or a convex bevel. The savings in time between maintaining a flat bevel or using a secondary bevel is not that great. The exception to this is with thick blades. Thick blades can have a problem with the stiction between the blade and the stone. Often a side to side motion can help when stiction develops.
When a secondary or convex bevel is noticed it can usually be corrected with a coarse stone or a quick trip to the Power Sharpening System.
jtk
"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
- Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)