Show me your sharpening stations!

[Timberwolf]

I don't have a dedicated station.  My sharpening setup is way too small to need that. 


Coarse diamond stone, double-sided Arkansas stone (soft/hard), and a strop.  I keep them in the tool chest unless I'm using them.  Most of the time I don't even use the diamond stone, unless I've really let an edge go dull.  Instead, I start on the soft Arkansas, hone briefly on the hard Arkansas, and then strop.  Takes only a couple minutes per edge. 

I do have a bench grinder in another location, but I use it only to reestablish bevels after several sharpenings. 

I'm not against dedicated sharpening stations.  If I had all the space I wanted, I might keep my sharpening things out on an assembly table or something like that.  But you can solve some of your space issues by keeping your processes simple.

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"I do have a bench grinder in another location, but I use it only to reestablish bevels after several sharpenings".

I seldom use a bench grinder for the "final" edge...altho I do have several...One I usually use is a two-speed 8" grinder with a CBN wheel on one side and a 1" wide hard muslin buffing wheel on the other...By charging the muslin buff, I can take a tool right off the 180grit CBN and buff the ragged edges away, leaving a highly polished and dangerously sharp edge ...If you have not learned to use a muslin buff in a safe manner, this can be a dangerous operation, but the results, if done correctly, are absolutely amazing...Buffing, either on a leather wheel or muslin, charged with a good compound is the fastest and best way I have ever discovered that will produce such an edge..When you can take an edge tool and use it to slice a paper towel in two directions and leave a cut with no ragged edges, you have gotten it about as sharp as it will ever get....Back in the sixties and seventies, I collected and restored vintage knives and a buffer was the best tool for the job, along with a good deburring wheel...so I have been using electrons and sharpening a very long time..I can't emphasize strongly enough that the buffer can be the most dangerous tool in your shop...it is Unforgiving of mistakes...so if you try it, educate yourself on the safe procedure first and never lose your fear of the machine.

[David Katz]

Three shaptons, 1000, 4000, 8000. Two DMT double-sided diamond plates used for scrapers. A Lie Nielsen guide. A Trend 300/1000 diamond plate for the shaptons. Various other waterstones tried over the years and now laying idle. The variable speed grinder on the right has a 60 grit Norton and a 180 grit CBN wheel. The CBN wheel is one of the best purchases I've made in a long time. Many other stones uses for sharpening profiled irons and carving chisels.

Like Derek says below, I hollow grind all my plane irons and "American" chisels. The Japanese chisels are flat-ground. I always strop using the green compound on leather. I also have numerous files and a saw vise for sharpening my saws.

[knockknock]

Water stones: a tub for rinsing (so crud doesn't go down the drain), a tub for soaking stones, spot to use a stone, diamond plate for flattening

[Derek Cohen]

When we built the house, I insisted that there was running water in the double garage. Half of this became my workshop. This is the sharpening area ...



A couple of Easy-Lap diamond stones. 1000/5000/12000 Shaptons, 6000/13000 Sigmas, and Medium and Ultra Fine Spyderco.

Tormek and half-speed 8" grinder with 180 and 80 CBN wheels.



I freehand on hollow grinds for Western chisels and BD planes blades. Freehand on flat bevels for the main Japanese chisels. The honing guides are only for BU planes. There is a Veritas Mk II, LN, and Sharp Skate.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Tony Z]

I'm odd man out, no pics! I have no dedicated sharpening area. I do have a CBN wheel on my grinder, but the stones are right by me, at my bench. Concave grind on all, on the CBN, then stones used depends upon chisel/blade steel.

Vintage steel or O1, it's a Washita, then hard Arkansas, then maybe a stropping (strop is what is hung on the bench, leather on a paddle). Steels such as A2 go through the 3 Spyderco stones, with the Ultrafine on the bench. No jigs, EXCEPT for spokeshave blades and very narrow blades. For spokeshaves, I use the LV short blade holder, then freehand. For narrow blades, I got an accumulation of jigs to choose from (I'm a sucker for the next best thing), but the Richard Kell or an original Eclipse work very well.

So, I do fine without having a place "just for sharpening". Come to think of it, I don't recall seeing a dedicated spot at the Anthony Hay Shop or the Dominy Shop or even one pictured on Roy Underhill's TV show.

[mound]

Probably not what you’re looking for, but a good excuse to show off the Worksharp station I just finished. Used the $5 Stumpy Nubbs plan but modified the top deck to sit on threaded rods so it can be leveled with the abrasive disk. Works great, super fast. Hopefully the pic shows up:

Another wood netter sold me a setup nearly identical to this a while back.. Never realized it was a Stumpy Nubbs plan until I saw your post!