Sharpening Stones Feedback - Gift Ideas
 

Hi All. My sister is giving her 13 year old a block plane for Christmas
- I'll be sending him one of my type 12 Stanley #3's for his summertime
birthday. The block plane will be his first tool with a large blade and
I'd like to give him a sharpening stone to go along with it. I'm
thinking a combination stone to keep costs down and simplicity and
convenience up.

I use a combo coarse/fine Norton India and a couple finer ceramic stones
for my bench needs. I'm considering getting him the Norton combo stone
as well, but I'm not sure he (or his mom and dad) would be too thrilled
with using and keeping kerosene or oil around for the stone. That leads
me to waterstones, but I have no experience with them. I see there are
combo waterstones in the 8"x2" size in (250/1000) grits and (1000/6000)
grits - both of which are in my $20-25 price range.

Any comments oil vs. water for a first-time sharpener as well as which
grit if I go with the waterstones?

Also, please don't suggest the "scary sharp" sandpaper methods - I'm
looking for a "real" stone that he can keep for a long time without the
need to keep a selection of supplies on hand.

--
Owen Lowe and his Fly-by-Night Copper Company
____

"Sure we'll have fascism in America, but it'll come disguised
as 100% Americanism." -- Huey P. Long

"Fly-by-Night CC" wrote in message
...

Any comments oil vs. water for a first-time sharpener as well as which
grit if I go with the waterstones?

I personally prefer waterstones. Be aware that if you do waterstones, you
have to have a way to flatten them occasionally. I use 220 grit wet/dry
sandpaper on a sheet of glass. I have an 8000/1000 combo Japanese stone that
works very well for me, but its more like $40. Norton has a line of
waterstones that are cheaper but I cannot attest to their quality.

No matter what you get him, you might consider making a cheap angle guide
for him. Hand sharpening a plane blade without a guide is not for everyone.

Bob

The real last for ever water stones are diamond. I bit the bullet and bought
three 112 inch diamond stones and a 6000 grit water stone. I get e mirror
finish and can shave with it. Mine are 10 years old and are still perfect.
max

Hi All. My sister is giving her 13 year old a block plane for Christmas
- I'll be sending him one of my type 12 Stanley #3's for his summertime
birthday. The block plane will be his first tool with a large blade and
I'd like to give him a sharpening stone to go along with it. I'm
thinking a combination stone to keep costs down and simplicity and
convenience up.

I use a combo coarse/fine Norton India and a couple finer ceramic stones
for my bench needs. I'm considering getting him the Norton combo stone
as well, but I'm not sure he (or his mom and dad) would be too thrilled
with using and keeping kerosene or oil around for the stone. That leads
me to waterstones, but I have no experience with them. I see there are
combo waterstones in the 8"x2" size in (250/1000) grits and (1000/6000)
grits - both of which are in my $20-25 price range.

Any comments oil vs. water for a first-time sharpener as well as which
grit if I go with the waterstones?

Also, please don't suggest the "scary sharp" sandpaper methods - I'm
looking for a "real" stone that he can keep for a long time without the
need to keep a selection of supplies on hand.

On Mon, 29 Nov 2004 13:59:37 -0800, Fly-by-Night CC
wrote:

Any comments oil vs. water for a first-time sharpener as well as which
grit if I go with the waterstones?

How about a diamond plate ? So long as you dry them off well
afterwards, then they're pretty trouble free.

If it has to be a stone, then it would depend on either the simplicity
of the oilstone, or the better performance of the waterstone, despite
the need to flatten it. If mess is an issue, then get him a cheap
combination waterstone (King do one) and a plastic box to store it in.
A bevel gauge would seem essential, if not a sharpening guide.

I wouldn't expect a 13 year old to sharpen very well anyway, not would
they do enough work to need it often. Tell them to post it back when
it needs it, and learn on a couple of chisels in the meantime.
--
Smert' spamionam

Hi Owen,

I use the 8 x 2 - 800/4000 or 1000/4000 combo wet stone, purchased at
LV.

From my own experince. The stone is only half the battle. Whether
it be chisels or plane irons, you need a decent jig to guide them, and
you need to learn how to use them.

Too me, water stone's can be messy. Water and the slurry etc.

Pat




On Mon, 29 Nov 2004 13:59:37 -0800, Fly-by-Night CC
wrote:

Hi All. My sister is giving her 13 year old a block plane for Christmas
- I'll be sending him one of my type 12 Stanley #3's for his summertime
birthday. The block plane will be his first tool with a large blade and
I'd like to give him a sharpening stone to go along with it. I'm
thinking a combination stone to keep costs down and simplicity and
convenience up.

I use a combo coarse/fine Norton India and a couple finer ceramic stones
for my bench needs. I'm considering getting him the Norton combo stone
as well, but I'm not sure he (or his mom and dad) would be too thrilled
with using and keeping kerosene or oil around for the stone. That leads
me to waterstones, but I have no experience with them. I see there are
combo waterstones in the 8"x2" size in (250/1000) grits and (1000/6000)
grits - both of which are in my $20-25 price range.

Any comments oil vs. water for a first-time sharpener as well as which
grit if I go with the waterstones?

Also, please don't suggest the "scary sharp" sandpaper methods - I'm
looking for a "real" stone that he can keep for a long time without the
need to keep a selection of supplies on hand.

On Tue, 30 Nov 2004 00:08:53 +0000, Andy Dingley
spake the words:

On Mon, 29 Nov 2004 13:59:37 -0800, Fly-by-Night CC
wrote:

Any comments oil vs. water for a first-time sharpener as well as which
grit if I go with the waterstones?

How about a diamond plate ? So long as you dry them off well
afterwards, then they're pretty trouble free.

I use both DMT's and EzeLap's advice and use their diamonds dry.
I second the suggestion for a diamond plate INSTEAD of waterstones.
600 grit and a couple sheets of 1000 grit and 1500 to put the shine
to the iron.

The kid would need a flattener for waterstones anyway.

(Posting from a temporary ISP as Starband went tits-up last Saturday
evening. My cluster was one of 3 to die and they haven't fixed us up
yet so I got my own local ISP for now. grumble, grumble)


-------------------------------------------------------------
give me The Luxuries Of Life * http://www.diversify.com
i can live without the necessities * 2 Tee collections online
-------------------------------------------------------------

On Tue, 30 Nov 2004 07:14:35 -0800, Larry Jaques
wrote:

The kid would need a flattener for waterstones anyway.

Mine is the paving slab on the front step. Just make sure you wash it
clean afterwards, waterstone slurry is as slippery as weasel ****
(I'm horribly familiar with weasel **** too)

--
Smert' spamionam

In article ,
Larry Jaques wrote:

I use both DMT's and EzeLap's advice and use their diamonds dry.
I second the suggestion for a diamond plate INSTEAD of waterstones.
600 grit and a couple sheets of 1000 grit and 1500 to put the shine
to the iron.

The kid would need a flattener for waterstones anyway.

Yabut that really blows the budget to hell. Those EZELAPs and DMTs are
2x to 3x the cost of a combo stone...

pitchHe's a good kid. Well on his way to Eagle Scout, does the
Catholic church things, hiked the Grand Canyon rim-to-rim this
September... How's about you guys send a buck or two to the Nephew
Sharpening Stone Fund and I'll buy him the diamond stones./pitch

I guess I'll lean toward the Norton oil stone that has served me well
for years now. I'll also see if I can find a light oil that's not as
smelly as kero.

--
Owen Lowe and his Fly-by-Night Copper Company
____

"Sure we'll have fascism in America, but it'll come disguised
as 100% Americanism." -- Huey P. Long

On Tue, 30 Nov 2004 16:50:32 +0000, Andy Dingley
spake the words:

On Tue, 30 Nov 2004 07:14:35 -0800, Larry Jaques
wrote:

The kid would need a flattener for waterstones anyway.

Mine is the paving slab on the front step. Just make sure you wash it

Now THERE is a precision surface for ya. I'll stick with diamond
plates, thanks. The only stone I use is the one for the carpet
knife. Diamonds and Scary Paper(tm) are my usual friends.


clean afterwards, waterstone slurry is as slippery as weasel ****
(I'm horribly familiar with weasel **** too)

We certainly won't ask why. Newp. Don't want to go there.


-------------------------------------------------------------
give me The Luxuries Of Life * http://www.diversify.com
i can live without the necessities * 2 Tee collections online
-------------------------------------------------------------

On Tue, 30 Nov 2004 14:06:31 -0800, Fly-by-Night CC
spake the words:

In article ,
Larry Jaques wrote:

The kid would need a flattener for waterstones anyway.

Yabut that really blows the budget to hell. Those EZELAPs and DMTs are
2x to 3x the cost of a combo stone...

Right, but he won't have to replace it every 2-3 years.
Try the HF diamond plates for a closer-to-budget item.
I've known a couple people who had the smaller ones and
they seemed to hold up fairly well. I haven't used one.


pitchHe's a good kid. Well on his way to Eagle Scout, does the
Catholic church things, hiked the Grand Canyon rim-to-rim this
September... How's about you guys send a buck or two to the Nephew
Sharpening Stone Fund and I'll buy him the diamond stones./pitch

Hah! $13, sucha deal! I have 2x6ers and they work just fine.
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=36799
These aren't as fine, but they'd work quickly to take out nicks.
Scary(tm) it to final grit. Suggestion: Make a box for him in which
to store his sharpening gear. Then it won't get lost. Or suggest it
for him to do as a first project.


I guess I'll lean toward the Norton oil stone that has served me well
for years now. I'll also see if I can find a light oil that's not as
smelly as kero.

Yuck x2. I always shied away from sharpening as a kid because of
the oily, sticky mess it was. If ScarySharp(tm) had existed back
then, I'd have learned a LOT earlier.


-------------------------------------------------------------
give me The Luxuries Of Life * http://www.diversify.com
i can live without the necessities * 2 Tee collections online
-------------------------------------------------------------

On Wed, 01 Dec 2004 07:29:19 -0800, Larry Jaques
wrote:

Mine is the paving slab on the front step. Just make sure you wash it

Now THERE is a precision surface for ya.

Moulded concrete - surprisingly accurate if you measure it up.
Besides which, this isn't a task that needs huge accuracy.
--
Smert' spamionam

On Wed, 01 Dec 2004 16:52:03 +0000, Andy Dingley
spake the words:

On Wed, 01 Dec 2004 07:29:19 -0800, Larry Jaques
wrote:

Mine is the paving slab on the front step. Just make sure you wash it

Now THERE is a precision surface for ya.

Moulded concrete - surprisingly accurate if you measure it up.
Besides which, this isn't a task that needs huge accuracy.

I see. So a sheet of 36 grit oughta do ya? No, that'd be more like
the driveway. Maybe the more finished steps are up to 80 grit. ;)


-------------------------------------------------------------
give me The Luxuries Of Life * http://www.diversify.com
i can live without the necessities * 2 Tee collections online
-------------------------------------------------------------

Fly-by-Night CC wrote in message ...
Hi All. My sister is giving her 13 year old a block plane for Christmas
- I'll be sending him one of my type 12 Stanley #3's for his summertime
birthday. The block plane will be his first tool with a large blade and
I'd like to give him a sharpening stone to go along with it. I'm
thinking a combination stone to keep costs down and simplicity and
convenience up.

I use a combo coarse/fine Norton India and a couple finer ceramic stones
for my bench needs. I'm considering getting him the Norton combo stone
as well, but I'm not sure he (or his mom and dad) would be too thrilled
with using and keeping kerosene or oil around for the stone. That leads
me to waterstones, but I have no experience with them. I see there are
combo waterstones in the 8"x2" size in (250/1000) grits and (1000/6000)
grits - both of which are in my $20-25 price range.

Any comments oil vs. water for a first-time sharpener as well as which
grit if I go with the waterstones?

Also, please don't suggest the "scary sharp" sandpaper methods - I'm
looking for a "real" stone that he can keep for a long time without the
need to keep a selection of supplies on hand.

It doesn't much matter what kind of sharpening set up you give him.
The most important gift you can give is the knowledge of how to use
it. If possible spend time helping him tune and sharpen the plane.
If that's not possible try to get the blade sent to you to put an edge
on it. If he's like most 13 year olds he'll want to make shavings NOT
have a zen-and-the-art-of-sharpening experience. Once he knows what
the tool should feel like, then the impetus to touch up a dull edge
exists. AFAIK, diamonds are the only near zero-maintenance and near
zero-expendable-supplies solution.

hex
-30-

Shapton stones. A little more expensive but sharpen faster, last
longer, and don't require storing in water (like waterstones). Also
see my posting from a few months ago regarding sharpening methods.
Just do an andvanced google groups search for author of Never Enough
Money.

Fly-by-Night CC wrote in message news:onlnlowe-
cut

On 1 Dec 2004 14:11:19 -0800, (Never Enough
Money) wrote:

Shapton stones. A little more expensive but sharpen faster,

Dear Santa,

Can I have a Shapton stone too ?
I've been good - I can't afford to be bad any more, and I certainly
can't afford one of them.

On 1 Dec 2004 14:11:19 -0800, (Never Enough
Money) wrote:

Shapton stones. A little more expensive but sharpen faster, last
longer, and don't require storing in water (like waterstones).

I've used Shapton stones, but don't own any.

Two thumbs up!

Barry

"Andy Dingley" wrote in message....
Moulded concrete - surprisingly accurate if you measure it up.
Besides which, this isn't a task that needs huge accuracy.


ayup. Put some sand down with a bit of kerosene on a concrete flagstone to
flatten a coarse combination stone. Swirl the stone around in figure eights
until a greyish slurry is formed. When you have the grey slurry, it's time
to flip the stone to do the smoother side.

Since my mother passed away I can now release one of my father's oldest
secrets - the sloping side of an old fashioned concrete wash tub is perfect
for this.

--
Greg