Recommendations for a "Cost Effective" way to flatten waterstones, please...

[Harold Burrell]

I'm looking for a cheap way to flatten my King waterstones (I guess that is the best way to ask). I cannot bring myself to spend $100+ on a diamond stone. So...I am looking for suggestions.

I am quite new to the whole "stone thing" anyway. What I have been using is a 1/2 sheet of glass with sandpaper and a honing guide along with a work sharp 3000. That stuff has been OK, but I wanted to add to my arsenal. So...I recently acquired a set of King stones. An 800/4000 combo and a 6000. I'm thinking that I may need to go higher for a final polish??? Or is what I have good if I follow up with, say, a leather wheel?

By the way...I am looking to sharpen chisels and plane blades primarily.

Any and all suggestions will be welcome. Thanks.

[Bill White]

I don't get caught up in the somewhat obsessive quest for surgical sharpness on my planes and chisels. With the stones you have and a leather stropping wheel or paddle you will get very good results.
I sharpen for a local kitchen supply store using a Makita water stone wheel, diamond paddles, and leather stropping. Never had a "call-back" (yet).
Remember that you're cutting wood.
I flatten my water stones with wet/dry sandpaper and a piece of granite as a surface plate.
Bill

[Steve Friedman]

You don't have to spend over $100 to get a diamond plate. Stu sells the iWood #300 for $52 (plus shipping) that has received very positive reviews. I have never tried to flatten waterstones with sandpaper, but before you do, you may want to look at this thread from last year:

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthre...e-Water-Stones

Seems like loose grit may be better than sandpaper. Messy, but even cheaper than sandpaper.

I have never tried the suggestion, but I do recall a post by Derek some time ago about using drywall screen instead of sandpaper to flatten stones.

Good luck,

Steve

[Mel Fulks]

Bill,you haven't gotten caught up YET. Don't think you won't be .This sharpening stone thing is one more remake of "Invasion Of The Body Snatchers". I recently posted about the overkill of the thing,now I'm in the lab categorizing ,examining grit samples under the microscope, figuring specific gravity,corresponding with others of our kind....My wife slides my meals under the door.

[Christian Thompson]

I got a 3x8 diamond stone off lee valley for $52 (and free shipping right now!). Personally, I am really glad I did - I find it much faster and less messy than trying to use sandpaper.

Christian

[David Weaver]

Wet and dry sandpaper is fine for kings. Actually works quite well with them. 180 or 220 should do the whole lot of them just fine.

[Chad Bender]

I've got a granite reference plate (Woodcraft, $25 a few years back) and use it with wet/dry sandpaper from the auto parts store. That solution works fast and is quite a lot cheaper than $100.

[paul cottingham]

Plate glass from LV http://www.leevalley.com/en/wood/pag...17&cat=1,43072 and grit. Works great, and around $50.00.

[Jorge Rico]

Harold,
I use the flat face of an 8" x 8" x 16" CMU block. Make sure you pre soak the waterstones and keep the face of the block really wet. Afterwards, rinse the waterstones to remove any concrete grit. I've been doing this for years on plane and chisel blades without any problems and without getting scratch marks on the face of the stones.
Hope this helps.

[David Weaver]

Bill,you haven't gotten caught up YET. Don't think you won't be .This sharpening stone thing is one more remake of "Invasion Of The Body Snatchers". I recently posted about the overkill of the thing,now I'm in the lab categorizing ,examining grit samples under the microscope, figuring specific gravity,corresponding with others of our kind....My wife slides my meals under the door.

Uh oh...that sounds like a disorder!

[Andrew Teich]

I also purchased that kit of King Stones that Rockler offers. I later added an 8000 King from LV. I also built a leather strop and use simichrome polish as was recommended on one of the threads here. I think you can be plenty sharp enough going from the 6000 to the strop. I was able to pick up a DMT D8C, the 3"x8" Coarse, from weldwarehouse for 37 at the time. They have a local location so I saved on shipping but a quick google search for "DMT D8C" brings up some options that'll ship to you for under 50 bucks. I think the Coarse works fine although sometimes I wonder if an Extra Coarse would make lapping the stones just a little quicker. Once I wear out the 800 grit side of the 800/4000 I think I'll use a Diamond stone on the steel for the rough stuff and then switch to the stones.

[Sean Richards]

Wet and dry sandpaper is fine for kings. Actually works quite well with them. 180 or 220 should do the whole lot of them just fine.

+1

I have used the King waterstones for a long time and sandpaper on a flat surface works just fine

[Sean D Evans]

I was waiting for the cinder block answer.
I first started reading this forum in 2006 and that was the answer i always heard to this question. I was away until earlier this year and have been amazed by how much more sofisticated the sharpening discussions have become.

[Bruce Haugen]

+1

I have used the King waterstones for a long time and sandpaper on a flat surface works just fine

So have I, and the W/D paper on glass works just fine. To flatten the coarse stone you can also try drywall screen on glass. It is much faster than normal paper, even the coarse stuff.

[Mel Fulks]

I'm still using the old Ronco Adjustable LapA Stone.You remember....that was the one that clamped onto your cars bumper.