Easiest Blade and Chisel Sharpening

[MikeG.]

I see Jacob has replied. I thought he was deep in a period of introspection and analysis after stunningly finding that the general populace doesn't agree with him.

 

[AndyT]

I see Jacob has replied. I thought he was deep in a period of introspection and analysis after stunningly finding that the general populace doesn't agree with him.

...but it seems he was right all along about sharpening!

 

[Lons]

I see Jacob has replied. I thought he was deep in a period of introspection and analysis after stunningly finding that the general populace doesn't agree with him.

...but it seems he was right all along about sharpening!

That's debatable :wink:

 

[Racers]

I have said this before chaps, there are only 2 ways of doing things, Jacobs way and the wrong way.


Pete

 

[Jacob]

I have said this before chaps, there are only 2 ways of doing things, Jacobs way and the wrong way.


Pete

It's not "my way" it's the way everybody did it from the very beginnings of sharpening, until it was re-invented by amateurs, hack woodwork journalists and tool/gadget sellers, and became much more difficult, expensive and contentious.

 

[Jacob]

I see Jacob has replied. I thought he was deep in a period of introspection and analysis after stunningly finding that the general populace doesn't agree with him.

Tories got 44% of the vote. The 'remain' parties Lab, Libdem, Green, SNP got 51% of the vote. A divided opposition opened the way for tory minority policies also rejected in NI and probably starting the break up of the United K.

 

[Lons]

I have said this before chaps, there are only 2 ways of doing things, Jacobs way and the wrong way.


Pete

It's not "my way" it's the way everybody did it from the very beginnings of sharpening, until it was re-invented by amateurs, hack woodwork journalists and tool/gadget sellers, and became much more difficult, expensive and contentious.

Ah the good old days, bring them back and ditch all progress and development, far too expensive and contentious :lol:
Wouldn't mind an old penny farthing do you still have the one you bought new? :wink:

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I suppose I should throw away my water stones and diamond plates and go back to the kitchen doorstep. I was good enough for my mother and grandmother, after all.

 

[Jacob]

I suppose I should throw away my water stones and diamond plates and go back to the kitchen doorstep. I was good enough for my mother and grandmother, after all.

I'd throw away your waterstones - I've never used them but by all accounts they are a PITA. I'd carry on with your diamond plates until the diamonds have thinned out, then perhaps look at Norton and similar synthetic or natural stones - they are abrasive all the way through, not just a thin layer on top.
Hope that helps.

 

[bp122]

Hi all

I read up a few pages on the advice, suggestions and recommendations for bits etc, was quite helpful. So I got myself a couple of diamond plates and I was away!
Sharpened my plane (I'm sure I did it in a way which at least half the people here would disagree) and I built my FIRST woodworking project - wooden holdfasts with Oak and a hardwood dowel, followed by tea light holder with Sapele and Oak for my wife's work secret santa, and a bunch of other tea light holders for Christmas presents!

But when I looked at my posts now and then, I always saw the red asterisk on this thread. Hadn't realised I had opened the Pandora's box! I must admit, I haven't read most of the posts after page 6, especially when it went into molecular metallurgy!

I enjoyed doing my projects very much - indeed mainly because of the tools being sharp that I didn't get frustrated.

From a beginner's point of view, some of the advice I received were short, concise, to-the-point and downright golden, whilst the others muddied the already murky waters and confused an already confused beginner! - Just to avoid alienating people, I am not going to name names!! :lol: :lol: But the most important thing is, I can finally DO things and MAKE things - which was what I wanted to do all along.

Once again, thank you all who helped me learn something.

 

[Lons]

I suppose I should throw away my water stones and diamond plates and go back to the kitchen doorstep. I was good enough for my mother and grandmother, after all.

Do what he says and throw away the water stones Phil, good advice from someone who admits to having "never used them".

Maybe just go the whole hog, ditch the steel and go back to bone and flint.

 

[Lons]

Well done bp122, you'll soon develop the methods that work best for you.

Onwards and upwards from here, enjoy!

 

[Jacob]

I suppose I should throw away my water stones and diamond plates and go back to the kitchen doorstep. I was good enough for my mother and grandmother, after all.

Do what he says and throw away the water stones Phil, good advice from someone who admits to having "never used them".

Maybe just go the whole hog, ditch the steel and go back to bone and flint.

Water stones aren't a technological development they are ancient. It's just fashion that's picked them up - along with fantasies about Samurai swords and Camellia oil etc. And "peacock oil" :lol:
Maybe I could market something like "Jacob's magic oil"? Mix 3in1 bike oil with a bit of colour and perfume - Brut cologne? Oil for real men"?
Brand names are important. "Peacock" oil is a bit girly, what about "Hairyarse Oil"?

 

[AJB Temple]

All stones are ancient. That's a bit of a stone thing.
In my experience, camellia oil is quite useful. If you are using and sharpening Japanese carbon steel knives, then they can be lovely to use for fine work, such as sashimi, but they can also be very reactive. To deal with that and avoid rust, something like camellia oil is necessary, it's cheap and it works fine in a spray bottle, and it's food safe.

I have a set of water stones in my kitchen. They are dead easy to use: splash and go. No soaking. Good range of grits, they cut fine all the way through, and are easy to level when needed. Not sure that I would go this route in my workshop though. But as I said above, there are loads of sharpening systems and they all work. Just personal preference.

 

[D_W]

What are the advancements? Aside from diamond hones.

I'd venture a guess at people thinking the original high-volume waterstones (like kings) were an improvement because they never had higher quality oilstones. I started with waterstones (the synthetic types), but wouldn't trade away oilstones to get them at this point.

Diamond hones are useful for tools made from steels that woodworking tools probably don't need to be made from (high vanadium high hardness high temperature type steels - above and beyond "chrome vanadium" generics).

The real advantage to waterstones is that they're common and easy for beginners to use. That's what sells. If you sell a translucent arkansas stone to a cabinetmaker, the next 5 after him can use the same stone for their entire careers. It's costly to get and not as easy as ramping up the production line. Mixing a batch of stuff and firing it (or pouring a resin and allowing it to set) - far easier.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I suppose I should throw away my water stones and diamond plates and go back to the kitchen doorstep. I was good enough for my mother and grandmother, after all.

I'd throw away your waterstones - I've never used them but by all accounts they are a PITA. I'd carry on with your diamond plates until the diamonds have thinned out, then perhaps look at Norton and similar synthetic or natural stones - they are abrasive all the way through, not just a thin layer on top.
Hope that helps.

I've used waterstones and diamond plates for nearly forty years without any problem. Water stones? Why critcise something you've never used, anyway? Why even bother to comment on them?

 

[Jacob]

I suppose I should throw away my water stones and diamond plates and go back to the kitchen doorstep. I was good enough for my mother and grandmother, after all.

I'd throw away your waterstones - I've never used them but by all accounts they are a PITA. I'd carry on with your diamond plates until the diamonds have thinned out, then perhaps look at Norton and similar synthetic or natural stones - they are abrasive all the way through, not just a thin layer on top.
Hope that helps.

I've used waterstones and diamond plates for nearly forty years without any problem. Water stones? Why critcise something you've never used, anyway? Why even bother to comment on them/

The impression I got was that they endlessly need flattening and they are short lived. Also they involve water which causes rust and may be incompatible with woodwork itself, on site or on work bench. Are you sure you've been using them for 40 years I thought they were a relatively recent enthusiasm? Ditto diamond stones - 40 years ago they'd have cost a bomb.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Very early '80s.

 

[Rich C]

The impression I got was that they endlessly need flattening and they are short lived. Also they involve water which causes rust and may be incompatible with woodwork itself, on site or on work bench. Are you sure you've been using them for 40 years I thought they were a relatively recent enthusiasm? Ditto diamond stones - 40 years ago they'd have cost a bomb.

Water stones date back to Roman times at the least. I'm not sure I'd call that relatively recent.

Also DMT were founded in the 70s so there must have been a market for diamond plates at least back to then.

 

[Jacob]

The impression I got was that they endlessly need flattening and they are short lived. Also they involve water which causes rust and may be incompatible with woodwork itself, on site or on work bench. Are you sure you've been using them for 40 years I thought they were a relatively recent enthusiasm? Ditto diamond stones - 40 years ago they'd have cost a bomb.

Water stones date back to Roman times at the least. I'm not sure I'd call that relatively recent.

Yes I know they are ancient but they weren't around much in the UK 40 years ago (except for wet wheels) but came along as a revival - from Japan I guess.

Also DMT were founded in the 70s so there must have been a market for diamond plates at least back to then.

Yes no doubt but they would have been very pricy hence everybody used synthetic or natural stones.