Guest Posted January 20, 2011 Report Share Posted January 20, 2011 Wanted to get 3 water stones for sharpening planes. 220, 1000, 6000 seem OK? Norton seems expensive, Grizzly has a reasonable price. Any suggestions greatly welcome on where to go for good value? Thanks. Brian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwatson Posted January 20, 2011 Report Share Posted January 20, 2011 look up King stones they are a cheaper set for a decent amount thats what I have. I went with a 220/1000 combo, 800/4000 combo, then a single 8000 stone. I got mine from woodcraft. I'd also suggest getting a norton flattening stone for flattening the waterstones. I'd suggest 1000, 4000, and 8000 for your water stones. to establish the bevel you can use a slow speed grinder or sandpaper and skip out on the 220 stone. after the 8000 you can strop as well if you wish but I dont currently. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gregory Paolini Posted January 21, 2011 Report Share Posted January 21, 2011 Wanted to get 3 water stones for sharpening planes. 220, 1000, 6000 seem OK? Norton seems expensive, Grizzly has a reasonable price. Any suggestions greatly welcome on where to go for good value? Thanks. Brian Norton makes good stones. I have a set - They produce sharp edges quickly, and should last a long time. Their combination stones are a good deal too. I'd recomend the Norton 220/1000, and the 1000/8000 to handle most of your needs. Can't really comment on the Grizzly stones.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger T Posted January 21, 2011 Report Share Posted January 21, 2011 One thing to consider about water stones. If you work in an unheated shop, and have freezing temps, you will have to bring your stones into a warm environment every day. The King stones I believe need to be soaked in water to perform correctly. I have also seen good and bad reviews on the Norton flattening stone. You can use 180 grit wet/dry paper on a granite or glass slab to flatten your stones, also doubles for plane and chisel blades. Another set of stones to consider is the Shapton Pro series stones. These are man made, and cut like a dream. Easy to take care of, require no soaking and come in protective cases. I just use a spray bottle of water when it comes time to sharpen. There are many ways to skin the sharpening cat, you just have to pick the one that works best for you. Roger Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan S Posted January 21, 2011 Report Share Posted January 21, 2011 One thing to consider about water stones. If you work in an unheated shop, and have freezing temps, you will have to bring your stones into a warm environment every day. Roger beat me to it, besides the Shapton stone he mentions, Naniwa Super Stones also don't require soaking, and are what I use. You can get them online in the following places. http://www.sharpeningsupplies.com/ http://www.toolsforworkingwood.com/ if you go with Naniwa I'd recommend 1k, 5k, & 8k stones. For other brands I would recommend 1k, 4k, & 8k I've never personally owned one, but several people have advised me against purchasing stones lower than 1k grit, because they dish out so easily. For course work, I uses 220 grit sandpaper on an aluminum plate, and for major material removal I go to the bench grinder. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 22, 2011 Report Share Posted January 22, 2011 Thanks guys, much appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mister Pants Posted January 25, 2011 Report Share Posted January 25, 2011 One thing to consider about water stones. If you work in an unheated shop, and have freezing temps, you will have to bring your stones into a warm environment every day. The King stones I believe need to be soaked in water to perform correctly. I have also seen good and bad reviews on the Norton flattening stone. I have king stones and they work quite well. The 4000 and up work fine with misting, but you do want to soak the ones below that for best effect. I also have a Norton flattening stone. It did a good job for a while, then it bowed in the middle. I think the kerf cuts they made in it plus getting wet cause it or something. Very strange, I'm going to pick up a granite plate instead at some point for lapping. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwatson Posted January 25, 2011 Report Share Posted January 25, 2011 I have king stones and they work quite well. The 4000 and up work fine with misting, but you do want to soak the ones below that for best effect. I also have a Norton flattening stone. It did a good job for a while, then it bowed in the middle. I think the kerf cuts they made in it plus getting wet cause it or something. Very strange, I'm going to pick up a granite plate instead at some point for lapping. did you soak the flattening stone or just flatten with the water stone being wet? i know you aren't supposed to soak them. I am looking to get a norton flattening stone soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mister Pants Posted January 25, 2011 Report Share Posted January 25, 2011 Yeah I think I soaked it. I'm pretty sure the cause of the cupping was user error. I also found it a little small for a couple of my big stones which is why I'm thinking of going the granite block route. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jon003 Posted February 1, 2011 Report Share Posted February 1, 2011 If you are merely sharpening I would not get a 220. At 220, you're talking about regrinding/refurb/repair, not sharpening. With my Norton set, I rarely went to the 220 when not trying to bring a rust hunting find or a really abused chisel back to life. Or trying to get the back of a poorly manufactured tool flat. The traditional norton set of combo stones, 220/1000, 4000/8000, flattener is a very good set, and comes with an incredibly useful DVD by Joel Moskowitz(sp) of TFWW. That was the 'gateway' as it were for me WRT understanding and finally getting good results from sharpening. At $129, there is very little out there that comes close to that for a complete sharpening package. Come to think of it, now that I've gone diamond, I probably ought to put that set on the market. Maybe later this year! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuilderBill Posted February 2, 2011 Report Share Posted February 2, 2011 I like the Norton stones, they seem to wear better than the Kings or other Japanese stones I've used (and David Charlesworth agrees with me , he recommends the Norton stones for his students). I bought the kit with the 220/1000 and 4000/8000 combination stones and the flattening stone. The flattening stone only took a few uses until it wasn't, you're better off buying the stones separately and a $30 granite plate with some 220 wet/dry paper. I splurged and replaced it with the DMT DuoSharp plate, never looked back. The 220 side of the 220/1000 makes quick work of the first flattening (or, if I don't feel like dragging out the Tormek) taking out nicks or changing bevel angles. I use the 4000 side for polishing the backs after the 1000(no Ruler Trick) and skip it for honing edges HTH, Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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