As part of my shop upfit, I want to build a sharpening station. I've added a sink to the shop and plan to locate my sharpening station right beside it. I'm a water stone and grinder user so the station needs to accommodate those two primary items. At a high level, I envision the stones living in a drawer in a container of water (when not in use) and the grinder staying on top of the table.
I came across an image of a popular woodworking project that looked intriguing. The grinder appears to be on rails and can be slid/locked towards the back of the surface when using the stones and vice versa when stones are not on the surface.
Does anyone have something similar to this for their sharpening station? Pros and cons? I'm not opposed to buying the plan (I think that's the popular woodworking model) but would like to get a feel for how good the design is overall first.
Here's the image:
Ultimate-Sharpening-Station_5F00_lead.jpg
Also, I'm not totally committed to using it, but I just got a 2" thick maple table top (like a butcher block but not end grain) that I have in mind to use for my surface. I know a laminate surface of some type would be better for the water but I have this one and like the idea of reusing it.