I am looking to purchase sharpening stones for lathe tools, hand planes, and an axe. Does anyone have any suggestions as to which type are the best and most useful? I have done some looking and have seen several different styles and was wondering if anyone had any advice for me.

Thanks,

Matt White

It you want an all-in-one complete system, the Tormek is hard to beat. It's a water wheel system and the thing that really sets it apart is the range of accessories that allow you sharpen about anything from lathe tools to plane or router blades to even scissors. They hold the item at the precise angle and pretty much make sharpening as easy as it can possible be. The system isn't cheap, but it is top notch and will last a lifetime. There is very little you can't sharpen with it.

They have recently introduced a slightly smaller and less expensive model.

Either way you go, the Tormek system is highly regarded by serious wood turners and wood workers.

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Thanks Tom,

I think I am looking more for hand stones though. Eventually I might go with the electic system, but for now I want to use hand sharpening stones and wanted advice with what works best.

Matt White

Matt-
Hand stones will surely work but tool sharpening is almost an art. Its not hard to ruin good tools-could become expensive-as Tom said angle is everything and a system that uses water lessens the chance of overheating and changing the properties of the steel in your tools. Good stones are not cheap. At least by hand you will be going slowly.

Chris

I use Japanese water stones that I picked up from Lee Valley Tools (Google it).

Specifically, I use:
1000x/4000x Combination Water Stone (for skews)
1000x Water Cone (for outside edge of gouges)
4000x Water Cone (for outside edge of gouges)
4000x Traditional Slip Stone (for inside edge of gouges)
Double-sided leather strop with the Veritas honing compound.
Veritas Sharpening system for skews and other straight edge chisels (also great for hand plane blades)

The hardest part is the first time you create the edge.
I rough my edges to my preferred shape on the grinder, taking great care not to overheat them, and then work the edges on the 100x stones until they are perfect.
I then hone a secondary bevel at 4000x and strop.

Regular maintenance only requires re-honing with 4000x & stropping.

Most of all it just takes practice in getting the angles consistently correct.


Walt

Right, such stones are more for finish honing and burr removal than they are for shaping the initial edge. The Tormek has a stone that can be changed from coarse to fine grit with their surfacing stone (takes about 5 seconds to change grits on the same wheel) and a leather strop for honing.

I can appreciate someone wanting to do it by hand. I would assume what Walt listed is good - Lee Valley has a great reputation for quality products. Good luck.

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The one thing I would say is that I had initally intended to do it by hand to save money. If you go to the Lee Valley site and add up the prices for all that I list above, you will see that this is a fair chunk of change that would get you pretty close to the base level Tormek system. If I had it to do over again...


Walt

If you want to do it by hand, do a google search for scary sharp.

Yes, the scary sharp method is good, and cost effective, but a little difficult to use for gouges. But there is probably no better way to put an edge on a plane blade!

Gouges seem pretty hard to sharpen due to their shape. Maybe I am wrong but anything flat seems way easier to sharpen. Guess I need to buy a dvd demonstration to see how it is done.

Matt White

With the Tormek, there is a gouge attachment that keeps the angle correct during the entire process. It's an almost foolproof sharpening system.

But again I know you're aiming at doing things on the flat stones. You'll get the hang of it after a bit.


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