Sunday, January 24, 2010

A Double Combo Stone

Sharp Tools are a must when working with hand tools. The more I woodwork the more particular I become when it comes to sharpness. What I use to think was sharp 2 years ago I would consider too dull to work with today. To keep my tools sharp I use a series of Norton waterstones. I own a 200, 1000, 1000/4000 combo and an 8000 stone. I have found that I do not use the 220 on tools but really just use it to flatten other stones. I will also flatten stones on 120-grit drywall sanding screen on a granite surface plate to ensure they are as flat as possible. One of the first stones I purchased was the 100/4000 combo stone and it has seen heaps of use to the point it was becoming very thin. I was afraid that under the weight of the sharpening process that the stone might be flexing. To prevent this I Gorilla glued two stones together to make a thicker single stone. I glued a solid 1000 to the 1000 side of the combo stone. The trick works like a charm and it extends the life of both stones significantly.

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