I picked up Rockler's "sharpening system" today, the one that's a slab of
plate glass, a honing guide and a packet of sandpaper. It was cheaper than
what a local glass place quoted me for the glass alone.

Then I realized that I might be an idiot (and not for the first time,
either), because I've got a couple of old windows sitting in my basement.
Is there any reason, like the glass maybe being too thin or unflat, why I
couldn't cut one of the panes down and use that as a base for sharpening
with sandpaper?

--
-Chip Olson. | ceo2 at thsi dot org | remove the 2 to reply

"Chip Olson" wrote in message

: Is there any reason, like the glass maybe being too thin or unflat, why I
: couldn't cut one of the panes down and use that as a base for sharpening
: with sandpaper?

Thinness can be accommodated by supporting the glass on a sheet of MDF or
whatever.

The flatness is unimportant. Glass is usually chosen because of its
smoothness. Supporting abrasive paper on a lumpy surface would lead to the
lumps being planed by the edge as it is worked forwards.

Jeff G
--
Jeff Gorman, West Yorkshire, UK
Email: username is amgron
ISP is clara.co.uk
www.amgron.clara.net

Chip Olson asks:

I picked up Rockler's "sharpening system" today, the one that's a slab of
plate glass, a honing guide and a packet of sandpaper. It was cheaper than
what a local glass place quoted me for the glass alone.

Then I realized that I might be an idiot (and not for the first time,
either), because I've got a couple of old windows sitting in my basement.
Is there any reason, like the glass maybe being too thin or unflat, why I
couldn't cut one of the panes down and use that as a base for sharpening
with sandpaper?

I can't comment on Rockler's kit, but I've got the Lee Valley glass, and there
is very little glass that thick included in ANY window you or I are likely to
get our hands on.

You could probably use standard window glass, but it is too thin in most cases.
It breaks easily, and is not tempered, so when it breaks, you may get cut.

Charlie Self
"It is inaccurate to say that I hate everything. I am strongly in favor of
common sense, common honesty, and common decency. This makes me forever
ineligible for public office." H. L. Mencken

On Fri, 12 Nov 2004 08:57:51 +0000, Charlie Self wrote:

I can't comment on Rockler's kit, but I've got the Lee Valley glass, and
there is very little glass that thick included in ANY window you or I are
likely to get our hands on.

Yeah, I took another look at those windows after posting, and I'd
forgotten that they're double-glazed vinyl windows, so the glass is
probably somnething like 1/8" thick. :-(

--
-Chip Olson. | ceo2 at thsi dot org | remove the 2 to reply

"Chip Olson" wrote in message
news
On Fri, 12 Nov 2004 08:57:51 +0000, Charlie Self wrote:

I can't comment on Rockler's kit, but I've got the Lee Valley glass, and
there is very little glass that thick included in ANY window you or I
are
likely to get our hands on.

Yeah, I took another look at those windows after posting, and I'd
forgotten that they're double-glazed vinyl windows, so the glass is
probably somnething like 1/8" thick. :-(

--
-Chip Olson. | ceo2 at thsi dot org | remove the 2 to reply


1/4" glass resting on a reasonably flat surface will be just fine.
Granite tiles also work. Anything that gives a true reflection (no bending
or warping) will work.

-j

"J" writes:


[...]

1/4" glass resting on a reasonably flat surface will be just fine.
Granite tiles also work. Anything that gives a true reflection (no bending
or warping) will work.

A quiet pool of water?

--
Dr. Juergen Hannappel http://lisa2.physik.uni-bonn.de/~hannappe
Phone: +49 228 73 2447 FAX ... 7869
Physikalisches Institut der Uni Bonn Nussallee 12, D-53115 Bonn, Germany
CERN: Phone: +412276 76461 Fax: ..77930 Bat. 892-R-A13 CH-1211 Geneve 23

On Fri, 12 Nov 2004 18:29:31 +0100, Juergen Hannappel wrote:

"J" writes:


[...]

1/4" glass resting on a reasonably flat surface will be just fine.
Granite tiles also work. Anything that gives a true reflection (no
bending or warping) will work.

A quiet pool of water?

Frozen - possibly.

-Doug

In article ,
Chip Olson wrote:

I picked up Rockler's "sharpening system" today, the one that's a slab of
plate glass, a honing guide and a packet of sandpaper. It was cheaper than
what a local glass place quoted me for the glass alone.

Then I realized that I might be an idiot (and not for the first time,
either), because I've got a couple of old windows sitting in my basement.
Is there any reason, like the glass maybe being too thin or unflat, why I
couldn't cut one of the panes down and use that as a base for sharpening
with sandpaper?

--
-Chip Olson. | ceo2 at thsi dot org | remove the 2 to reply


Really old window glass may not be flat, modern glass is flat enough
but a typical window has thin glass that may flex. This possibly could
be minimized by gluing the glass to something like a piece of MDF. I
use a marble tile, available for a few $ for a 12X12 from Home Depot
or Lowes.
--

Larry Wasserman Baltimore, Maryland

Larry Wasserman responds:

Really old window glass may not be flat, modern glass is flat enough
but a typical window has thin glass that may flex. This possibly could
be minimized by gluing the glass to something like a piece of MDF. I
use a marble tile, available for a few $ for a 12X12 from Home Depot
or Lowes.

All true, but you can also use plain old MDF, dry. McFeely's sells a kit based
on that idea.

Charlie Self
"It is inaccurate to say that I hate everything. I am strongly in favor of
common sense, common honesty, and common decency. This makes me forever
ineligible for public office." H. L. Mencken

On Fri, 12 Nov 2004 18:29:31 +0100, Juergen Hannappel
calmly ranted:

"J" writes:


[...]

1/4" glass resting on a reasonably flat surface will be just fine.
Granite tiles also work. Anything that gives a true reflection (no bending
or warping) will work.

A quiet pool of water?

Only if you're into Zen sharpening, Juergen.


- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
If God approved of nudity, we all would have been born naked.
----- ----- ----- ----- ----- -----
http://www.diversify.com Your Wild & Woody Website Wonk

"Larry Jaques" wrote in message
1/4" glass resting on a reasonably flat surface will be just fine.
Granite tiles also work. Anything that gives a true reflection (no
bending
or warping) will work.

A quiet pool of water?

Only if you're into Zen sharpening, Juergen.

Even the Japanese wait until the water turns into a stone.

-j

On 12 Nov 2004 20:06:27 GMT, otforme (Charlie Self)
wrote:

All true, but you can also use plain old MDF, dry. [As base for sandpaper sharpening.]
McFeely's sells a kit based on that idea.

Might want to check the box stores. Lowe's is in the middle of a
country-wide remodeling upgrade, and there's a lot of 12X12 marble
tile in odd quantities out there going for $1 apiece.

Michael Baglio

"Chip Olson" wrote in message
news



I picked up Rockler's "sharpening system" today, the one that's a slab of
plate glass, a honing guide and a packet of sandpaper. It was cheaper than
what a local glass place quoted me for the glass alone.

I was paging thru a "Jigs and Fixtures" book a few days ago. A well
published writer (Engler? Nick Engler?) said he invested in a marble slab
used for cookie dough from a kitchen supply store for his scary sharp
sharpening. His thought was it was plenty thick, plenty stable and cheeeep!

On Thu, 11 Nov 2004 22:37:20 -0500, Chip Olson wrote:


I picked up Rockler's "sharpening system" today, the one that's a slab of
plate glass, a honing guide and a packet of sandpaper. It was cheaper than
what a local glass place quoted me for the glass alone.

Then I realized that I might be an idiot (and not for the first time,
either), because I've got a couple of old windows sitting in my basement.
Is there any reason, like the glass maybe being too thin or unflat, why I
couldn't cut one of the panes down and use that as a base for sharpening
with sandpaper?

The glass is both too thin and not as flat as plate glass. Plate glass
is made by a special process that produces an extremely flat surface.
I would also be worried about the window glass breaking under the
pressure of sharpening, even with appriopriate backing.

Stick with plate glass. It's cheap enough in size pieces you need.

--RC
That which does not kill us makes us stronger.
--Friedrich Nietzsche
Never get your philosophy from some guy who ended up in the looney bin.
-- Wiz Zumwalt

I disagree-flatness is THE key feature. Smoothness is a by product of that.

"James Main" wrote in message
...
I disagree-flatness is THE key feature. Smoothness is a by product of
that.

Flatness and smoothness are not always the same. You can have a smooth ball
which is not flat at all. Therefore it is not a by-product of flatness.
Think about it.

On Sat, 13 Nov 2004 09:24:10 -0800, J wrote:

You can have a smooth ball
which is not flat at all.

True, but since we're talking about planes, not spheres, this is
irrelevant. A plane is both flat and smooth, by definition.

"Dave Hinz" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 15 Nov 2004 10:22:12 -0800, J wrote:
"Ray Aldridge" wrote in message
news

True, but since we're talking about planes, not spheres, this is
irrelevant. A plane is both flat and smooth, by definition.

No it is not irrelevant. And, since you are diving into semantics,
anyone
who thinks that glass is a plane is wrong too. A plane has no thickness.

Hey everybody, it's "word-games time". The one side of the glass
being used to flatten a plane fits the definition of a plane well enough
to be accurate. Yes, the glass itself has volume, but the meaning here
is, ahem, plain.

Thanks for playing Dave. But you are one post too late. I already played the
semantics card on Ray's post. :-).

-j

On Mon, 15 Nov 2004 12:10:04 -0800, J wrote:

"Dave Hinz" wrote in message
...

Hey everybody, it's "word-games time". The one side of the glass
being used to flatten a plane fits the definition of a plane well enough
to be accurate. Yes, the glass itself has volume, but the meaning here
is, ahem, plain.

Thanks for playing Dave. But you are one post too late. I already played the
semantics card on Ray's post. :-).

Yeah, but I was just plain playin' with plane, plane, and plain.

-j

"Dave Hinz" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 15 Nov 2004 12:10:04 -0800, J wrote:

"Dave Hinz" wrote in message
...

Hey everybody, it's "word-games time". The one side of the glass
being used to flatten a plane fits the definition of a plane well
enough
to be accurate. Yes, the glass itself has volume, but the meaning here
is, ahem, plain.

Thanks for playing Dave. But you are one post too late. I already played
the
semantics card on Ray's post. :-).

Yeah, but I was just plain playin' with plane, plane, and plain.

-j

It is plain to see you will plain about anything.

-j