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Thread: The One Stone Challenge

  1. Rod, what is an Oregon stone?

  2. #152
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    Quote Originally Posted by rod termaat View Post
    Thanks for the reply David. I guess I should add some qualifications. I do not consider myself a beginner. I have been woodcarving for many years and sell my treen locally. I am not artist or even craftsman's, but I do aspire. Lately I have been building chairs and using a pole lathe learning to turn bowls and such. I am trying to put together a small tool kit for traveling, and thinking about sharpening with the minimal effort and maximum efficiency. I am a serious stropper and feel that I am a better then average hand sharpener. That being said, I know I have much to learn and lurk here daily since 2008. Of course my post count does not reflect this, but....

    If someone gave you 100 dollars today and said go buy a sharpening stone, what would you buy? I sharpen carving knives, chisels, spokeshave blades, and the list continues. I would like to buy 1 stone that is low maintenance and gets me to sharp. I do not need scary sharp, just good and sharp. My website is www.rodtermaat.com and needs to be updated, but does document my carving and chair building thus far. Thanks for your insight. rod
    Yeah, you'll have no trouble with a washita. I guess if I was to buy one stone, if:

    * synthetic - I'd buy a chosera 3000 and put compound on MDF to step it up when needed
    * natural - definitely washita, and I'd try to save ten bucks to buy a jasper (I'm sure you already have compound)

    The washita I use in general, I haven't done anything to it in 6 months or whatever, except early on I let stray diamonds get on it (not on purpose) and had to lap the surface off to get rid of them. Otherwise, it's very fine cutting at this point but it still cuts. with light pressure on final strokes, it's similar to a hard arkansas finisher, the only thing it's lacked on a little bit so far is pocket knives (a translucent will get them sharper, but even a trans will cut a lot deeper on pocket knives than it does on a larger surface (a jasper or compound in the instance it's needed would solve that easily, though).

    Nice chairs, btw.

  3. #153
    Noah, The Oregon Stone is what is says on the wooden box. I bought it many years ago. I find a few similar pictures when I google it, but nothing worth sharing. At one point I remember the stone having fine and super fine on the side, but that has long since disappeared. It is a combination stone with 1 charcoal and 1 light tan stone. No idea on what they are. It works fine as I never let my tools get dull, but it is huge at 3" by 12" and I want something smaller. For some obsessive reason I am focused on the exact perfect tool and nothing more. Trying to build the ultimate light weight travel kit. It is actually rather silly, but a mans got to have something to fuss over.

    David. Thanks for the advice. I will set out looking for one of these stones vert soon. And thanks for the compliment. I have a few more chairs to post and a long ways to go before I reach craftsman status.

    Back to lurking..... rod

  4. #154
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    If I recall, the oregon stones looked to me like a standard line of synthetic stones, but after a little bit of googling and reading a knife forum, it appears they had at least something like an india/mid grit novaculte combo. The knife forum's term for it was "hard arkansas", but that term is thrown around willy nilly these days, I'd guess it's something similar to a higher density soft stone if that's what you have.

    Or you might just have an india stone that's coarse and fine. Either way, a fine india that's broken in nicely makes a nice stone to use.

    Not really any point to my comment other than that if you have a combination of any type that's broken in nicely, the washita might really not offer you much. I guess that's a universal truth for all sharpening stones - if you have one that's decent, one that's great only gets you a little more.

  5. #155
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    I am very sedimentary these days,and my duff is turning to stone. Unfortunately I can't position tools on it properly to see if it would work out for the "One stone" theory. What do you think?

  6. #156
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    Stanley covington shared a line with me the other day (that I really enjoyed), but I won't share it here. Your post reminded me of it. The only thing I can suggest is to put an iron on a stone, and then sit on them and do a shuffle

  7. #157
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    Dare I post this rambling video about sharpening? In response to the suggestions that the edge might not be very good using a single stone.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0MiSQd-2iWE

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    Nice David! I was nice to see your micro-bevel technique. I've noticed getting a sharp-edge isn't too much of an issue, but getting one that last can be. but I Imagine the edge off of the Washita is far finer and thus longer lasting than the edge off of a 1.2sigma (which is all I have left now).

  9. #159
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    At this point, this stone is finer than a 1200 synthetic stone by a large amount, and the edge is different. It's a durable edge, more durable than I remember it being when using a synthetic stone with vintage stock irons.

    I don't know how much that perception would stand up (the durability) in a test where you count strokes and really find out, but it's a nice edge to use.

    The same method is fine for everything (jack planes, or whatever), and you can do it faster if you're not talking and not fearing that the edge might not be perfect right away. Maybe a minute and a half on a fully worn plane instead of 2 1/2.

    If the stone gets too slow, I like to rub two of the same type of settled in stones together (then there are no deep scratches), but I haven't done that with this one for a long time.

  10. #160
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    Quote Originally Posted by David Weaver View Post
    At this point, this stone is finer than a 1200 synthetic stone by a large amount, and the edge is different. It's a durable edge, more durable than I remember it being when using a synthetic stone with vintage stock irons.

    I don't know how much that perception would stand up (the durability) in a test where you count strokes and really find out, but it's a nice edge to use.

    The same method is fine for everything (jack planes, or whatever), and you can do it faster if you're not talking and not fearing that the edge might not be perfect right away. Maybe a minute and a half on a fully worn plane instead of 2 1/2.

    If the stone gets too slow, I like to rub two of the same type of settled in stones together (then there are no deep scratches), but I haven't done that with this one for a long time.
    That's really a good point lapping it with a similar or same stone when needed. maybe lapping with 15micron 3M lapping film would work on a stone like that?


    how does it work with modern carbon steels? like Hock blades which are harder than the old steels from what I gather.


    I don't have much hopes on getting a Washita at 150$ on the bay.... but new hard arks are not too pricey. I have a soft ark and black ark waiting for me in the US (per your recommendation), I don't mind using 2 stones either, but I am wondering how the arks will do with the more modern steel.

  11. #161
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    Hard ark and owyhee jasper makes a great combination, is cheap, and makes a better edge than the washita does.

    The price for the washitas right now is filthy, they're not that good based on their utility. They're an interesting stone for a marked one at less than a hundred bucks, or $50 or so for one that's not marked, but above that, they are only a collector novelty.

  12. #162
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    I've been looking for a a owyhee jasper on the bay... they are mostly very small or highly irregular looking... how would you choose one?

    when you say hard ark, do you mean a hard (hard select) based on Dan's grading? where 'true hard' and black would be finer

  13. #163
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    Quote Originally Posted by Matthew N. Masail View Post
    I've been looking for a a owyhee jasper on the bay... they are mostly very small or highly irregular looking... how would you choose one?

    when you say hard ark, do you mean a hard (hard select) based on Dan's grading? where 'true hard' and black would be finer
    Yeah, hard select, or hard from natural whetstone might actually be a little better with a jasper. I can see the hard select from dans being a bit fine as a first stone in a combination.

  14. #164
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    I bought a 'soft' from natural whetstone and a 6x2 black from Dan's... I'm guessing this is a good combo too, but what would the differance be, if I follow that with a Jasper too?

  15. #165
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    The jasper will be finer, but maybe not a necessary step after a black arkansas. I don't know which one is technically harder, but the jasper feels sort of like porcelain tile.

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