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I am planning to buy some sharpening stones and see various choices
1000- 4000 combination
3000-6000 combination.
I will be sharpening chisels and hand plane blades , do I need both combination?
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I don’t think so.
The first combination will cover most of what you will need.
However I would add a leather strop with honing compound do a final polish on you edge after the 4000 grit.
That and the strop is great to leave on your bench and constantly touch up your blades as you work.
The only other issue is that the 1000 grit won’t be coarse enough to grind out any knicks or chipped edged that you might encounter.
So a cheap 6” bench grinder or a very rough stone would be an additional thing to consider.
I hope that helps.
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Try the scary sharp method of using inexpensive wet dry sandpaper as a sharpening stone alternative and get a sense of what results of different grits provide. If you’re doing a lot of frequent sharpening then a collection of more durable stones may be ideal. If you’re not a frequent hand tool user you might find the wet dry paper is all the abrasive you need. Wet dry paper is available just about any Home Depot or hardware store in 320-2000 grit which is plenty fine to give you a mirror finish. A polished granite tile, some wet dry sandpaper and a honing guide is a nice basic sharpening kit.
Any free advice given is worth double price paid.
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Abrasive is abrasive. Really does matter whether it's on paper or in a stone. Pick whatever fits your budget, the steel will not know the difference. If/when you get to the point of having to hone a lot and do so frequently is when the choice of media makes a difference, both in time and cost.
Thanks, Curt
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01-26-2019, 08:08 AM
(This post was last modified: 01-26-2019, 08:10 AM by adamcherubini.)
If you intend to restore old tools, then I think diamond stones are the clear answer. If you are buying new tools from reputable, non Chinese, companies, then I think you can take your pick of fine cutting stones. I dont care for water stones for reasons I won’t go into. But given the choice, I’d go with the 1000/4000 and a leather strop.
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(01-26-2019, 08:08 AM)adamcherubini Wrote: If you intend to restore old tools, then I think diamond stones are the clear answer. If you are buying new tools from reputable, non Chinese, companies, then I think you can take your pick of fine cutting stones. I dont care for water stones for reasons I won’t go into. But given the choice, I’d go with the 1000/4000 and a leather strop. ....................
Diamonds are the Rolls Royce of abrasives... I recommend buying the ones with the most diamond grit per square inch...IOW, not the hones that have diamond grit scattered in little holes on the plastic surface....they stay flat, don't require "dressing" and last a long, long time. No steel is "too hard"..There's more to the story than that {Type of diamond etc} but even so, diamonds are the most bang for the buck IMO.
Diamond paste is great for charging the leather strops also....nothing cuts like a diamond.
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(01-26-2019, 09:04 AM)Timberwolf Wrote: ....................
Diamond paste is great for charging the leather strops also....nothing cuts like a diamond.
That's what I use exclusively.
I've even found really inexpensive .5 micron diamond paste on eBay.
20 grams of diamond paste. You pick your preferred grit.
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(01-26-2019, 03:54 PM)Peter Tremblay Wrote: That's what I use exclusively.
I've even found really inexpensive .5 micron diamond paste on eBay.
20 grams of diamond paste. You pick your preferred grit. ........................
Sometimes you get "more paste" and less diamond......The industriall diamond paste is 'richer" in diamond powder, but if you're getting good results, stay with the seller...I bought a supply of industrial diamond paste in "heavy" concentration at a flea market a couple years ago and it makes a world of difference...If you buy the powder you can mix your own as heavy as you like...and you can also buy Boron Carbide powder on ebay...Same as they used to make abrasive wheels.. I bought an ounce of it and it's almost as good as diamond but not available in all the grit sizes. Mine is a little too coarse.
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I'm a Shapton man. I use the 1000, the 4000, and the 8000. I use the Trend 300/1000 diamond plate to flatten them. I use an 8" grinder (variable speed) to create or repair the primary bevel.
When working I can sharpen plane irons and chisels in two minutes or less, and even when I re-grind the primary bevel I can be back at work in five minutes.
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(01-24-2019, 04:46 PM)Jack01 Wrote: I am planning to buy some sharpening stones and see various choices
1000- 4000 combination
3000-6000 combination.
I will be sharpening chisels and hand plane blades , do I need both combination? Thanks for all the feedback and your time. It is helpful.
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