What's most efficient way to flatten waterstones?

[Jim Hall]

I've been using wet/dry sandpaper. It's a tedious/time consuming job and seems to wear out the paper fairly fast. I see Norton has a flattening stone. I wonder if they're more efficient. Any suggestions on how best to get this job done? Thanks..

[randyswoodshoop]

I havea trueing stone that I go from Lee Valley, It works great. You can also use a Nagura stone to true up your stone. Both still involve some work to true un the stone. The stone I have does not show wear after a year of use.

Randy

[RicodJour]

One way;

you can use a diamond stone to flatten it. I do it under running water to keep the water stone from sticking to the diamond stone. It's easier to flatten the stones after every sharpening session than to wait until the depressions are deeper.

R

[B A R R Y]

I flatten my 220 grit coarse stone on one of those. The coarse stone is then used to flatten the finer stones.

For quickie flattenings of my 4000 and 8000 stones, use I'll my diamond plates if the coarse waterstone isn't handy. Just like sharpening, I've found flattening to be easier if done often, before major work is necessary.

[Jim Hall]

Ok.. Looks like Norton truing/flattening stone is worth a try and most economical solution. So will start there. Thank you..

[Swingman]

"B A R R Y" wrote

I've finally learned to deal with it ... thank gawd for the WS300! :)

What a difference it's made in keeping chisels and plane irons sharp without fuss/muss and "waterstone" mess all over the bench/shop.

(Just had to throw that in) ... mainly because it so damn true!

[rich]

Maybe I'm just a dumb wood abuser, but I use a piece of glass, about

11 x 14 inches, and I sprinkle some 90 grit carbide sand stuff on it with water. The glass sits on the workbench top, so is mostly flat, and it works great. The glass came from a cheap picture frame, the sand from Rockler I think, not expensive. Anyway, just a minute or so on each stone gives me a flat surface. Hope this helps.....

[B A R R Y]

I have a Tormek. I only usually use a 4000/8000, once backs are flattened. Very little mess, as they only need a spritz. I flatten in the kitchen sink.

[Swingman]

"B A R R Y" wrote

I would ... if we had anything BUT a ceramic kitchen sink! I still can't believe I didn't overrule that idea at the get go.

Amazing, the many ways women have of getting their way!

[Andy Dingley]

Concrete step outside the workshop. Same one I use for flatening cuttlefish bones (for casting silver jewellery).

Wash it off afterwards. Waterstone slurry is slippery.

[Father Haskell]

Drywall screen.

[Jim Hall]

Not to worry.. Even if you had a stainless steel sink, you wouldn't want to be slurring up the kitchen counter. Trust me.. Its a territorial thing. Try making beer on the kitchen stove or canning tuna.. same thing.. not good..

I learned that one at previous house.. New house has a fiberglass wash tub basin/sink in the garage and I bought an outside propane burner for the other.. Life is much better that way..

[Jim Hall]

I have a Tormek too, Barry.. but flattening plane iron on side of Tormek grinding wheel was never to successful for me. I do grind the initial plane iron bevel on it and use it for carving, lathe tools and lots of other things.. I'm glad to have it and it does make sharpening easier for other tools.. You know I wonder just how sharp you really have to get tools. There's probably a point at which sharper doesn't really matter. Christopher Schwarz has this video DVD on sharpening scrapers. He's polishing those puppy's on waterstones and doing all this stuff before burnishing. I lent the DVD to a woodshop instructor and he thought it was all nice but ended up still instructing students with just a mill file and burnisher. At what point, I wonder, does it just become perfectionist versus practical.. In other words, does an 8000 grit waterstone, for example, really make a difference. I have one and use one, but wonder, does it really make a difference for the average woodworker..

[Chris Friesen]

Like many other areas of life, the law of diminishing returns applies.

For straight-grained mahogany it's probably not necessary to be super-sharp. When dealing with heavily figured wood with reversing grain (or cutting end-grain in spruce/pine) it makes sense to get the blade as sharp as possible.

Chris

[B A R R Y]

I do that on stones or glass.

I think so, and it only takes seconds.

[B A R R Y]

Hey! You're famous this month!