From Scary Sharp to Norton Waterstones?

[Brian Kent]

Has anyone started with scary sharp sandpaper sharpening and moved over to waterstones? Was it worth it?

I have been using 3M abrasives (40, 15, 5, 1, and .3 micron) on a granite tile. I make a hollow grind on a 6" grinder and then sharpen freehand, or with a cheap honing guide when helpful.

I just used my last set of 3m abrasives and it is time to restock. At the recent Lie Nielsen event I got some help on a plane iron by a guy with a 1000/8000 Norton Waterstone. He said he just used whatever kind was put before him. He did excellent work, and I am sure it was 99% technique.

I can either buy more 3m abrasives and be set for the next year or I can switch to Norton Waterstones. I would get the the 220/1000 and the 4000/8000 combos and a flattening plate (plus tub, holder and DVD) for $130.

If I switch now, I have $150 tops to work with.

Should I switch? Would you make a different recommendation for the same cost? I would still plan on one more finer stone in the future and, for now, use my 1 micron and .3 micron paper if needed.

Thanks in advance. All of the threads I read in the past have gotten me this far in the process.

Brian

[Jim Koepke]

Brian,

I have used both methods and will continue using both. I do use the stones more now, but certain aspects of the scary sharp method blend in well.

I would advise against a combo stone with the 220 grit. The coarser grits wear faster. As your blades get sharp, you will find there is less use for even the 1000 if you sharpen again before they get real dull.

This is where scary sharp comes in for me. The coarse work is done on paper, the fine work on stones. If a bit of residue needs cleaning from a blade, then some finer paper is used to keep the contamination off the stones.

For flattening, a special plate is not needed. Too many have complained about them not being flat. For me, a piece of granite or marble tile with some PSA sand paper seems to take care of a stone in no time.

Just my 2¢...

jim

[Kent A Bathurst]

Mr. Kent:

(1) what is your source for the 3M?

(2) I have been pondering the same move - for 4000 + 8000 stones - sounds like Jim K more-or-less endorses that method.

Kent

[Brian Kent]

Kent,

I use either Tools For Working Wood:
http://www.toolsforworkingwood.com/M...egory_Code=THS

or Lee Valley:
http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.a...04&cat=1,43072

along with a granite tile from Home Depot.

Nice name, by the way.

Brian Kent

[Joe McMahon]

I started with scary sharp and moved to Norton waterstones and got better results. Recently i went to Naniwa stones at TFWW http://www.toolsforworkingwood.com/M...egory_Code=THW
and I get substantially better results. The key to waterstone use is to keep flattening them. This afternoon I finished seven new LN chisels and they are the best that I have ever done.

LN sent me new chisels to replace old ones I had that had edge retention issues. I sharpened the old ones on Norton waterstones and the new ones on Naniwa and I must say that the Naniwa were faster and got the chisels a lot sharper.

As an asside, whenever I have to flatten a back of a chisel or plane blade that is really out of whack, I start with PSA 150 grit sandpaper on a piece of float glass, then 22o grit then 320 grit. This method is very fast and gets you in the ballpark to head to the waterstones. I guess that you could say that I use both systems and am very happy with the results.

HTH, Joe

[Paul Incognito]

How do these systems compare to DMT diamond stones?

[Casey Gooding]

I would get a 1000 stone and an 8000 stone. Use sandpaper for coarse work as the coarse waterstones wear very quickly.

[Phillip Pattee]

Brian,

I started with Scary Sharp and made the switch to exactly the set up you are asking about. I also use a six inch grinder to hollow grind chisels and plane blades. I got my waterstone setup from Peachtree woodworking: http://www.ptreeusa.com/norton_waterstone.htm. It's a little less that the price you mentioned. Buying sandpaper does start to run up a tab after awhile. In the long run, the waterstones will last so long compared to sandpaper that it is probably cheaper. I also started getting my tools sharper with the water stones. Like others have mentioned, don't dispose of your scary sharp setup because it is still really useful for flattening your waterstones and initial flattening of blades, etc.

[Dave Beauchesne]

I have been using paper on a granite plate for several years.

Just bit the bullet and bought a 1000, 4000, 8000 and 16,000 Shapton Glass Stone set, C/W the diamond flattening plate ( gulp !! ), but I figured I would go whole hog once.

I haven't even taken the cellophane off the nice black boxes, but I have to spend more time in the shop and less on SMC!

A decent set of Norton combo stones should be more than adequate; Good Luck!

Dave Beauchesne

[Harlan Barnhart]

I can get a better edge with water stones than paper or oil stones. Look at the the naniwa set. For less than $150 you can have a 1,000/4,000/8,000 set. They come recommended by me. I had norton but like the naniwa slightly better.

[Mark Stutz]

I started with scary sharp and moved to Norton waterstones and got better results. Recently i went to Naniwa stones at TFWW http://www.toolsforworkingwood.com/M...egory_Code=THW

HTH, Joe

Joe,
I assume you have the Chosera stones rather than the #Super-stones". I'm intrigued that you find them noticeably better than the Norton's. I would assume a little better, but this makes these very tempting especially since they are on sale. Which ones do you have? I can't see the need for a 400 for my purposes (Scary Sharp is quicker). How does the 5000 compare to the Norton 8000? I'm assuming that would be the "equivalent" since the sets have the 5000. If you have it, does the 10,000 make a noticable difference?

Thanks.

Mark

[David Romano]

I made the transition a while back. I have a couple of granite plates (heavy) for sharpening jointer blades and found it was to much trouble to get them out for chisels and plane irons. Plus the sandpaper doesn't last long and it's hard to get the stuff off the plate, clean it and install a new one.

So I got the Norton combo kit and am glad I made the switch, but the combo kit is not the way to go. First, the 220 grit is too soft, and the "flattening" stone does not stay flat. So I bought a 8" DMT diamond plate, coarse grit, to flatten the waterstones. That works great and lasts virtually forever.

My sharpening technique for chisels and irons is to grind out chips on a Norton 3x wheel, then switch to the diamond plate followed by the 4000/8000 grit waterstone. I do use the 1000 grit stone since I have it, but think I would buy a 2nd, finer grit, diamond plate instead.

For jointer baldes, I use the grinder, then the diamond plate, then switch to scary sharp on the granite. Again, if I knew what I know now, I'd skip the granite plate and go with finer grit diamonds.

Hope this helps you

David

[Brian Kent]

Thank you David. I see that Craftsman Studio has the coarse DMT diamond plate for $46.

Does anyone here use the DMT Diamond stones for sharpening. For instance the 1000 and 8000 equivalent from Craftsman Studio is in my price range.

[James Taglienti]

I started with scary sharp and moved on to oilstones... i bought a bunch of natural stones at an auction and couldn't resist putting them to work... i have a coarse waterstone that i use for flattening and getting rid of nicks. it seems to work prety well but it gets out of true very fast. it is much easier to flatten than a natural stone however, so i keep using it.

[Joel Goodman]

I use the 1200 DMT and then with a microbevel either the 4000 and then the 8000 norton or sometimes to the 8000 directly. I haven't tried the finer DMT but I doubt it's fine enough for a finishing stone. I think the waterstone slurry ends up finer than the grit of the stone -- I don't know if a diamond stone would operate that way. I don't find flattening the Norton to be that bad a chore especially of you avoid the lower grits and do it often. Either a coarse DMT or sandpaper works fine for that.