(Part 2) Best sharpening stones according to redditors
We found 1,443 Reddit comments discussing the best sharpening stones. We ranked the 350 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the products ranked 21-40. You can also go back to the previous section.
No, they are not. I can tell by the stone (and case) that he's using Shapton pro series stones, and he's not using the 30k.
You can purchase the #12000 on amazon for $66.23 in the US if you purchase the japanese version. https://www.amazon.com/Whetstone-Sharpening-Shapton-Ceramic-Kuromaku/dp/B002LVZG1E/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1480694080&sr=8-3&keywords=shapton+kuromaku
Now, there are certainly stones that are hundreds of dollars (naturals, choosera, shapton glass 30k, shapton pro 30k etc..), but what is in the video is not.
Well yes, but cycle through multiple grit levels, using a stick or paddle up to a raised surface to help maintain a consistent angle.
By the way, you can find honing paddles similar to what he is using on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000UVS62S
If you decide to go the hand tool route, money and space are a lot less of a concern. Rather than throw out hypotheticals, I'll give you some examples of tools you can actually buy right now:
Panel saw. Yeah, 10 bucks. It's actually a nice saw too. The only issue is the teeth cannot be sharpened - but it's 10 bucks. Use this for breaking down big stock into smaller stock
Back Saw. Also 10 bucks. Same as above. Disposable but cheap and will last a long time (it's disposable because the teeth have been hardened). This is for precision cross cuts and cutting tenons.
Dovetail/fine joinery saw. 25 bucks plus a 3 dollar xx slim double taper saw file to make it not suck.
Now for some planes. These may seem kind of pricey for "broke" status, but these aren't POS-get-you-by planes. These are lifetime tools. To get something comparable new, you are looking at 150.00 to 300.00 a piece. You can get better deals by bidding on some planes, but these are all "buy it now"
Stanley #4. Needs some love but that's a good user for 30 bucks.
Stanley #5 for 42$
Stanley #7. 90 bucks.
Pick up a 4 dollar card scraper too.
Chisels
Narex $36. Use one of these and a block of wood to make yourself a router plane also.
Combination square 10 bucks.
A cordless drill of some sort and some bits (assuming you have one already)
70 bucks in 2x12's so you can make a knock down Nicholson style workbench which doesn't need vises. When you are done working, break it down and put it in the closet.
35 bucks for a pair of holdfasts from Gramercy
30 bucks worth of F style clamps from harbor freight will get you started there.
14 bucks to get sharp (not at all ideal but completely workable on a budget)
So for 410.00 or the price of a decent sander and miter saw, you can make literally anything in a small space with a small amount of localized dust. The trade off of course it time and labor.
Down the road you are definitely want to get some better saws, maybe some specialty planes, different chisels, some better measuring/marking equipment. But this will more than get you started.
hey keller, not sure the exact grade but I know its titanium and for the price I paid its probably not the best quality. the stone im using is this thing:
http://www.amazon.com/Smiths-SK2-2-Stone-Sharpening-Kit/dp/B000B5JXU2/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1408066205&sr=8-2&keywords=smiths+whetstone
People are going to say "no, I wouldn't pay more than x dollars for that" or, "No it's a post war type 19, I don't buy any planes made after 1940". These people already have a multitude of planes and aren't exactly in the same mindset as a first time buyer.
It depends on your local market. $38 here would get me a glorified boat anchor that would take an additional $20-30 restore.
There's no cracks in the mouth, there's minimal pitting in the body, and it looks like there's a full length iron in it. The blade is knicked, but you're going to have to learn how to sharpen anyway, so you might as well pick up one of these, grind the primary bevel (it'll take 10 -15 minutes), then read up on the sharpening system of your choice.
Are you shitting me dude? an electric sharpener? I've cooked professionally for many years and have used almost every sharpening system I can find, and I rate all electric sharpeners a good distance below using the concrete sidewalk outside of your house. I would LOVE it if I could find a good electric system to reccomend to family who aren't super into keeping their knives sharp, but I haven't found any of them that are even REMOTELY good. Which one do you like, and why?
Just for sake of argument, here's what I tell all of my friends who are casual cooks to buy for their kitchens to sharpen their knives. It doesn't take very long to use, and you can get a very good edge with it and the stone will last for ever - https://www.amazon.com/DMT-WM8EF-WB-8-Inch-DuoSharp-Bench/dp/B000H6L6FA
I went with this set of two-side stones. It's a good value and covers all your bases (the 400 grit would be for rescuing a knife so dull it's almost ruined), but if I ever get really good I can buy nicer stones.
Edit: Jeez link markdown on mobile always gives me shit. But really, user error.
Toying with the idea of picking up sharpening stones to hone and refresh straight razors, maybe the odd kitchen or pocket knife. Do these seem like decent choices?
Naniwa 1000 (Is this Chosera?)
Norton 4000/8000
Imperia La Roccia 12K-15K
At this point I don't know what I don't know. Pray for my wallet...
Edit: This guy has a set but for more money... any thoughts between the two?
I’d say invest in some water stones and angle templates.
For $70 or so you can keep all of your knives razor sharp.
KnifePlanet Water Stone Sharpening Kit
That’s what I use and I love it.
If sharpening isn’t your thing, ChefKnivesToGo has some great knives for the $200 range. I don’t have a gyoto, but I’d love one.
Most people recommend the King KDS 1000/6000. The one you linked looks like a cheaply made Chinese or a rebranded stone.
This guys list is pretty much what I was going to say.
So for some recommendations:
I've restored an antique 1930s No 5. Bought it for 45, and it is best for those on a budget. Any pre WWII Stanley just needs some light restoration work and a reworking of the blade and it will do 20x better than a harbor freight plane and roughly same as modern Stanley sweethearts at 1/3 the cost. It may not be as good as woodriver or lie Nielsen, but it's a 1/4 or 1/6 the cost respectively.
Paul sellers recommends Aldi Chisels, I got Narex instead for an additional $20. I love them, and will only upgrade out of them once I get enough money to go for some veritas or lie Nielsen. I got a set of 4 with imperial measurements for $60ish. I'd put any extra money into sharpening systems than upgrading them.
I bought David Barron dovetail guides and the Japanese pull saws he reccomends. Gyokucho 372 Razor Saw Dotsuki Takebiki Saw. Look at Amazon for the narex chisels I reccomend and the 'people who bought this also bought' section and you'll find it easily. While there you can find some leather for stropping and the green compound you need with it. Also while looking at these, you'll see a reccomendations for the Stanley disposable knife and the replacement blades. This is what Paul sellers recommends, and it works well. Stays ridiculously sharp, and can be rehoned with little effort and the blade cheaply replaced once it becomes to much work top get the thing sharp. Cutting layout lines is much more precise and helps prevent tearout. I bought narex marking knife and love it. I don't mind trying to hone it every so often. Ditto the scratch awl.
Basically took around the Amazon other bought recommendations and you'll find a bunch of fairly cheap quality things to get you up and running.
>• Splash and Go vs. Stones that require soaking
A matter of taste, mostly. Splash and go means that you can apply water to the surface of the stone and begin sharpening immediately, soakers need to be soaked for a few minutes (half an hour at most). Some soaking stones need to be dried carefully or they may crack. If you don't have a lot of storage or counter space, splash and go will be more convenient.
>• Synthetic Stone vs. Natural Stone
For a first stone, you only need to look at synthetics. Natural stones are inferior to synthetics in the coarse and medium grits. Arkansas stones can make for good finishers. Japanese naturals are expensive and esoteric.
>• Fine Grain vs. Coarse Grain
Fine stones have smaller abrasive particles, coarse stones have larger ones. Fine stones tend to be denser and less porous. Coarse stones tend to cut faster, but it can be difficult to form a sharp edge using a coarse stone alone, thus the popularity of 2-grit combination stones. Most people start sharpening on a medium grit (~400-1200 grit) and finish on a fine grit (~3000-8000). The coarsest stones (80-300 grit) are mostly reserved for repairing damage to the edge and grinding large sections of the blade. Different stones, even those with the same grit rating, may grind at different rates and produce different finishes due to differences in the way they were manufactured (type of abrasive, type of binder, heat, pressure, scale used for grading, etc.).
>• Wooden Base vs. No Base
Again, personal preference. If the stones are to be kept permanently soaked, stones without bases are preferable. The stone with which this comes up the most is the Suehiro Rika, which many people prefer to keep soaked.
>What makes a quality whetstone?
Uniformity of scratch pattern, resistance to clogging, resistance to dishing (becoming concave), rate of grinding, auditory and tactile feedback. Dense stones are almost universally preferred, but it's difficult to generalize beyond that.
>What should influence my decision to purchase one over the other?
Budget, availability, the types of knives being sharpened. Knowing your boyfriend's temperament. Is he patient? Is he careful with his knives? Does he drop things all the time?
I use a King Deluxe 300 and a Shapton Ha no Kuromaku 2000 for most of my sharpening. Both are splash-and-go and very dense ("hard"). I have a dozen or so other stones that I don't use nearly as often.
Suehiro's vitrified stones are among the most user-friendly and least fussy. Almost all of them need soaking. The SKG-24 is a good combination stone on which to learn.
Naniwa makes a huge variety of stones, most of which are good. Their QA-0124 is a splash-and-go stone, although the fine side works better after a brief soak, and even then it dries out quickly. These stones can crack if soaked and then dried unevenly.
King KW-65P is a good, traditional soaking stone. It goes out of flat more easily than some of the newer types of stones but it's a nice size and easy to maintain. The KDS is also widely liked.
Imanishi/Bester can be all over the map. I like their Arashiyama, Latte, and Tamago stones but not so much the Besters. They make a lot of stones that are resold under other brand names. I suspect they're behind this combination stone, which I like—splash-and-go and wears slowly.
All the above applies to Japanese "waterstones" (I don't like that term). "Oilstones" (I also don't like that term) like the illustrious Norton India can also provide good results, and are less demanding in terms of maintenance (flattening, drying, etc.). There are also diamond plates—I like EZE-LAP and ATOMA the best.
Edit: Fixed links.
Borrow stones from someone. Or go to your local woodcraft and try out the sample sharpening tools there.
More seriously, the DMT diamond credit card set gets knives really sharp for $25 ( https://www.amazon.com/DMT-D3EFC-Dia-Sharp-Extra-Fine-Diamond/dp/B00006IIO3/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1546742876&sr=8-3&keywords=diamond+card+sharpener ). Pair that with some stropping on corrugated cardboard and you should have a pretty sharp knife. For an extra $9 you can get a real leather strop and polishing compound: https://www.amazon.com/Leather-Honing-Strop-Green-Compound/dp/B07214VMGB/
If you are new to sharpening that stone will be fine. I agree that there are better grit combos to start with - something like this one - https://www.amazon.com/Whetstone-Sharpening-Stone-1000-4000/dp/B01FXK7XF6/ref=lp_14748579011_1_9?srs=14748579011&ie=UTF8&qid=1499024495&sr=8-9
I have a couple of those BearMoo stones (the 1K/4K & 3K/8K) and they seem fine. They are also cheap enough that when you decide to move on/upgrade you haven’t sunk a lot of money into them.
If you already have a hard time sharpening knives then that thing isn’t going to help.
I’ve had one and let me just say that it’s probably better left for kitchen knives and garden tools.
The worksharp will only do a convex edge. It seems intuitive to use via the marketing material but it’s honestly not. Most pocket knives can’t be sharpened properly either because it’s super easy to roll the tips or you cant properly reach the entire length of the cutting edge.
Some people also claim that it can cause too much heat from friction and negatively affect the heat treat of the steel at the very edge. Consistency is also certainly not easy and is probably the most important aspect of sharping.
Honestly the worksharp seems like gimicky bullshit. Without a doubt, it’s probably great for yardwork tools but that’s about it in my opinion.
If you wanna practice and challenge yourself, try a simple stone system and practice your form. here is one my worksharp.
Here is the Paul Sellers video I'm referring to.
The 750 grit diamond stone, and the 1000/4000 grit water stone.
Also, here's the sandpaper I uses for those interested.
Thanks to /u/stalemunchies and /u/respighi who recommended to use a hand plane on my hard-headed end-grain piece - inspired me to go hand-plane hunting!
If you have a sharpmaker and you do not own the ultra fine stone set. Stop what you are doing, finish reading this sentence though, and order yourself not one but two ultra fine stones right. This. Second. You’re welcome.
https://www.amazon.com/Spyderco-Tri-Angle-Stone-Ultra-Fine/dp/B0019JTNDQ
Synthetic or Natural?
Synthetic - Shapton Ceramic 12k (https://www.amazon.com/Whetstone-Sharpening-Shapton-Ceramic-Kuromaku/dp/B002LVZG1E)
Natural - Shobudani (http://www.japanesenaturalstones.com/shoubudani-type-100-a1247/)
Thanks mate. Wondered where to find those. For UK folk: EZE-LAP L PAK Set SF/F/M Color Coded Diamond Hones https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B000UVS62S/ref=cm_sw_r_other_awd_kXZAwbBGHPQ41
£20
I think there should be a sidebar link for kitchen knives.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000Q9C4AE?pc_redir=1407052478&robot_redir=1
It's the spyderco 204 mf get some diamond stones on it and boom you'll never need a razor again
Here is a video with a pretty good explanation. http://youtu.be/-MHe_8wTHmg it does take you about 15 minutes but you will have a mirror edge, and You can widdle hair with it.
I've have used that chefs choice sharpener, it is pretty good but the diamonds (or steel) run out pretty fast. Of I could spend that money again I would definitely gone for the spyderco.
And if you get it don't be cheap! Give yourself that razor edge for the extra $35 http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0019JTNDQ?cache=48955fd73064588b9d00d11d1b3b957a&pi=SY200_QL40&qid=1407287673&sr=8-1#ref=mp_s_a_1_1
Don't be fooled they are sold per 1
http://www.amazon.com/Norton-IM313-11-5-Sharpening-System/dp/B0001MSA72
I like the old school Norton triple oil stones. There is an art to using it, as opposed to the more controlled kits out there, but I like that. It also pretty much lasts forever.
For a handful of years in college I worked as a meat cutter for an old school local market. I would often volunteer to sharpen the older guys knives, as they would consider this a favor, and it often got me out of doing other less seemly tasks (like cleaning out the grinder or bandsaw). It was time well spent. Now I have my own Norton, and I use it to sharpen all of my friends and family's knives. It might not put on an insane lazer-sharp edge, but combined with a good honing steel, it does a pretty great job of keeping all your knives in factory or better condition.
Also, there's a certain amount of panache to freehand sharpening your knives.
Kitayama
Several of the Shapton Pros
Naniwa Chosera(Chosera stones are supposedly a bit different than the newer Professionals, but the Pros have $35 shipping)
Any of those are good choices. The "best" in my opinion would have to go to the Kitayama for an 8k, Naniwa Chosera/Pro for the 1k, and for a 5k... buy it somewhere else or if it has to be Amazon but the Shapton Pro 5k which is a good stone but not really the best at anything.
Check out the "scary sharp" method - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scary_sharp
I'm very happy with using diamond stones (mostly use this one - http://www.amazon.com/DMT-D8F-Dia-Sharp-Continuous-Diamond/dp/B0001WP1LK/ref=sr_1_9?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1397563682&sr=1-9&keywords=diamond+stone) followed by some stropping. Personally I found that water stones are too inconvenient to deal with.
Either paper on a flat surface (like glass) - or a diamond lapping plate: http://www.amazon.com/DMT-Diamond-Machining-Technology-DIAFLAT/dp/B005FUHTDG
I flatten my stones with the diamond lapping plate and it works well!
For stone-flattening part, I use something that is 10"x4". That width would be limiting for sandpaper if you wanted to be running more than one grit at a time, but I'd say that anybody should be satisfied with 10" in length.
<archer>Phrasing, Lana</archer>
If I were in your position, I would definitely shoot for a big ticket item such as the sawstop PCS (36" T-glide) with 1.75hp motor. That will eat up your entire budget (plus $219 more). I cannot imagine a hobbyist woodworker who would not be happy with it.
OR you can do lots of little stuff: (take out the things he may already have)
Sharpening: this this this this and this
Chisels: here
Japanese saw: this and this
Caliper: here
Exceptional quality hand plane set every woodworker would love to have if they don't have it already: here. Conversely, you can get the Lie Nielsen 60-1/2 block plane and get the #4 and #5 from Lee Valley (I prefer their version).
If he doesn't have a planer, this is a great one: here
As for festool products, I would highly recommend the Rotex 150 with Dust collector combination
I'm sure i'm missing a couple of stuff here and there but I hope the list helps you get started.
I spit out my coffee when I read the term 'JB Weld finish' and I wasn't even drinking any coffee.
I think more important than what tools you start with is sharpening them well. Instead of welding epoxy, this is what I finish with instead: a series of sharpening stones wetted thoroughly with just water (http://www.amazon.com/Smiths-SK2-2-Stone-Sharpening-Kit/dp/B000B5JXU2/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1409200998&amp;sr=8-8&amp;keywords=sharpening+stones) and a green bar of stropping compound from woodcraft rubbed on scrap leather (don't buy a purpose made strop).
Nice work given your tools - I like how you used a knot hole to be the empty eye socket. Keep it up
Shapton Kuromaku 12K over at Amazon is $65
I have this one even though it's chrome plated, it has zero rust.
Here is an entry-level knife set with two useful palm gouges
He would also need honing compound to keep them sharp. He'd need to find a strip of leather to glue onto a nice flat board to apply the compound to. You can buy just plain leather all over the place, like here.
I don't know too many people that carve with balsa, never tried it myself either. Most carvers in North America though use basswood or tupelo.
The DMT sharpening systems are quite good if you're willing to spend the money on it. They last a very long time and are good for sharpening chisels as well using a honing guide.
Ooh I want to buy a kit now. How's this for a stone?
I think theyre only 70 usd on amazon https://www.amazon.com/Chosera-000-Grit-Stone-Base/dp/B000CNOXGC
Meat-Cutter Here
Buy a multi-stone example A whet stone is used to create the edge of a knife. However a multi-stone has 3 different textures going from very fine to coarse. This will allow you to properly sharpen any knife.
The second tool we use is a Steel Sharpener. Example You use this in between cuts in order to quickly re-shape the blade. Everytime you use your knife, properly or inproperly, you bend the sharp edge of your knife ever so slighty, and within minutes if your not careful, you may ruin your edge completely and have to resharpen. The edge of a knife is like a piece of foil, and what the steel does is to quickly bend it back to its shape.
Learning this trade takes practice, and lots of it. Edges are completely committed to muscle memory over time, but to start out sharpening you need to first look at the angle of you knife's edge. This angle is what you will be sharpening at. Same goes with steel.
Anyways I thought I would give you a run down on equipment. If your looking for technique go ahead and watch a few videos on youtube.
I use this one. Much more affordable than most of the others:
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B000B5JXU2/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&amp;psc=1
I recommend this a lot, but the work sharp guided bench stones are great to learn on. The stones are diamond, so they'll handle any supersteel and the little guides on the end are unobtrusive but really help to get a feel of what the angles should be. It's also around the price of a sharpmaker but will build your freehanding skills. Oh, and get the upgrade kit for quick reprofiling and a shinier edge.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00X9KU3GO/ref=mp_s_a_1_6?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1494366178&amp;sr=8-6&amp;pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&amp;keywords=Work+sharp&amp;dpPl=1&amp;dpID=41nt%2B0fEixL&amp;ref=plSrch
I like to work with hand tools so here's biased list that will get you started. If you use s4s wood you could build quite a bit and learn to do some fine joinery. It's $153 for the first batch, but you'll eventually need to to sharpen so that's $78 more. After all that I'd look out for a vintage Stanley No 5 Jack Plane.
$12 Narex 1/4 Chisel
$12 Narex 1/2 Chisel
$11 Combination Square
$32 Ryoba Saw
$11 Marking Knife (or X-acto knife)
$50 Handscrews (2 of them, can use as vise)
$25 4-1/2" Beech Mallet
= $153
$11 Honing Guide
$67 Diamond Stone
= $78
Narex Chisel
http://www.leevalley.com/US/wood/page.aspx?p=67707
Combination Square
http://amzn.com/B008R6NMGS
Ryoba Saw
http://www.leevalley.com/US/wood/page.aspx?p=32941
Marking Knife
http://www.leevalley.com/US/wood/page.aspx?p=69870
Handscrews
http://www.leevalley.com/US/wood/page.aspx?p=69825
Mallet
http://www.leevalley.com/US/wood/page.aspx?p=30004
Honing Guide
http://www.leevalley.com/US/wood/page.aspx?p=60311
Diamond Stone
http://amzn.com/B000H6L6FA
You could make a simple pouch for it. Any thick material would work fine, not just leather. I like to use old jeans for stuff like that. You can oil the leather/denim to help keep moisture out.
You can help keep the blade from rusting by rubbing in some oil, like mineral oil, or something like WD-40. Then you can use wax to help seal the metal. You can use any wax, even a regular candle. Just rub it into the metal, you might want to warm it up a little so it's easier to apply. Then buff the wax out until the surface is smooth.
As far as sharpening goes, get yourself a cheap stone and practice. I basically have that same stone and use it a ton. You can always buy finer grit stones later.
If you do pursue diamond stones, here is a list of what I have.. I am not sure if this the be-all-end-all, and I can definitely recommend trying lots of things, because sharpening seems to be something so personal. Just wanted to collate in one place what I have settled on thus far.
This is one of the cheaper setups. I think it would be interesting to try ceramics at the top end, and better leather for a multi-strop setup.. Just ran out of funds after trying several failed other methods ;)
OP gave you some good advice about research. I'd add that if you can somehow find someone local who can show you what sharp really is, that would be a big bonus. I haven't found that person yet myself, because I am a hermit.
Stones:
Paddles:
Stropping:
Sandpaper:
What do you think of this? It's only a little more than the stones you suggested, it's finer and free 2 day shipping (aliexpress wants $6 for shipping). I'd still get the pastes you linked.
I already one this set
Thank you. Does this one look ok? It's in my price range as much as I would like to get the $100+ models I figure I can learn on this one and upgrade later. Also, will this handle Mora stainless blades as well as carbon? https://www.amazon.com/BearMoo-Whetstone-Sharpening-Stone-1000/dp/B01FXK7XF6/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1484022117&amp;sr=8-5&amp;keywords=Japanese+1000%2F4000
Spyderco Double Stuff
Don't forget to buy the Ultra Fine Stones. They really help finish off an edge. You can also attain a mirror polish with these stones.
Something like [this](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NFB2MTI/_encoding=UTF8? coliid=I1OVDD8OA30BSQ&colid=39RFP342YBA78) for a holder and agreeing with the 5k Rika suggestion. Use it, love it.
https://www.amazon.com/Whetstone-Sharpening-Shapton-Ceramic-Kuromaku/dp/B002LVZG1E/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1466026100&amp;sr=8-2&amp;keywords=naniwa+12000
Here's a Shapton. They're pretty good from what I've heard. I have a Naniwa though and those run for more.
https://www.amazon.com/Naniwa-SP491-12000-Honing-Stone/dp/B00MJ89E5S/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1466026100&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=naniwa+12000
/u/Wpieter reminded me that there are other CRKTs that use the same field strip doodad (which is actually pretty cool, by the way). Check out the HVAS model. It is cheaper than the Homefront and a better design, in my opinion, with a nice thin hollow grind. The steel, 1.4116, is exceptionally stainless. It's the same steel as used on Swiss Army Knives. Does not hold an edge for a long time, but very easy to get razor sharp. If you got a Syderco pocket stone to go with it you'd be in business.
You could get a knife sharpening kit and do it yourself!
Bought one last year and it’s relaxing to do and you can make them razor sharp with very little effort.
Work Sharp Guided Sharpening System, bench-top knife sharpener, angle guides, diamond plates, ceramic hone, perfect for home, camp or field sharpening, sharpens all types of knives, fishhooks &common camp tools. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00X9KU3GO?ref=yo_pop_ma_swf
My sharpening kit is dirt-cheap and delivers a shaving-sharp polished edge with a little time and effort. I use silicon carbide sandpaper (1000-3000 grit), some water, a glass block, some double-sided tape and a strop with white and green compound. Total cost for the whole setup was around $30 from Amazon. Added bonus is that you can just slap a rubber band around the whole thing and pack it up into a bundle about the size of a paperback book. Once you get the blade sharp, you mostly only use the strop and some compound every now and then to keep it sharp.
Even the cheapest knife can be made obscenely sharp - it'll just require more maintenance to keep it that sharp.
I recently stumbled upon KnifePlanet's Sharpening School and I decided to go ahead and buy their "Waterstone Set" on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/dp/B074X7VB62/
So far, I am really happy with my choice. As a beginner, this set gives me 4 different grits to work with: 400, 1000, 3000, 8000 + a stone holder. The whole set costs $49 which is great.
I followed some of their lessons and I am now able to sharpen my kitchen knives easily.
I am sure that a professional sharpener would prefer Naniwa or others over these... but for me they're a great place to start
So there is a thing that hasn't been made clear, making grips for his gun would require carving chisels and if he is already making them then he already has some stuff. You mentioned a Mortising chisel which is for a completely unrelated task. Does he have carving chisels? Since you are looking at Mortising Chisels, does he already have bench chisles? If he is starting and doesn't have bench planes Narex are a good set to start with, if he was looking at Mortising chisels again Narex is a great choice. Unless Lee Valley is running free shipping buy them from highland woodworking if you are not in Canada.
One thing before you do that you should look to see if he has sharpening stones. If he doesn't get him a 8000 and a 1000, that would be about 100 dollars and it will set him up for at least 10 years worth of use. I'm ignoring coursers stones they can be supplemented with course sand paper for the time being.
I've heard good things about this spyderco and unless I start hearing bad things about it, it'll be what I switch to when my DC4 dies. But I'm not sure what you're looking for. You say you want a portable stone, but you complain the DC4 is small. I've also never had any trouble with the ceramic side of the DC4. What knife/grind are you sharpening?
I tried a DMT plate (this one)
I didn't seem to cut/sharpen that fast compared to my water stones. I have been looking at getting a Lapping plate to flatten said water stones. But I'm going to burn through the last of my sandpaper first (got a good deal on a big package of 200 grit wet dry paper for flattening - but it doesn't last long so it's not as good of a deal as I thought).
One of these
Do you have any thoughts?
You'd think they would give you a bit of a warning, but I understand why they wouldn't.
If you think you're going to be serious about collecting and sharpening knives. Drop some cash on something like: Spyderco Tri-Angle Sharpmaker & a set of ultra-fine stones to go with it.
It'll set you back about $75 all together, but it's a one time purchase that will last you your life.
There are other awesome sharpening systems out there, but that one is the most bang for your buck. If you want to spend stupid money on a sharpener; I hear wicked edge makes an awesome product
Yes. A small set of water stones at progressively higher grits:
https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Knife-Sharpening-Stone-Set/dp/B074X7VB62/
So two double sided water stones, 400 grit, 1,000 grit, 3,000 grit and 8,000 grit. The flattening stone is handy when you inevitably put gouges in the surface of the higher grit stones, as it will grind down the surface till it's flat and smooth. There's more expensive and nicer water stones out there, but these will do the job and then some.
And if you want to go as far as you can, you'll need a hard-backed leather strop and some green (chromium oxide) stropping compound - https://www.amazon.com/Sharp-Pebble-Polishing-Sharpening-Woodcarving/dp/B07MH8YGQ1/ - the stropping compound comes in at around a 30,000 grit equivalent. You can get 1 micron and 0.5 micron diamond paste stropping compounds as well, but you'll start running into diminishing returns as far as a kitchen knife goes.
The biggest thing besides having the tools to get things properly sharp is having the technique down so you're not making the edge worse, or spending far more time on getting it sharp than you need to. Going from dull to splitting a hair lengthwise sharp should take fifteen minutes or less once you've got some practice under your belt and your technique is solid.
As far as technique goes, one of the more beginner friendly and helpful youtube channels I've seen is Burrfection - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOluHMoKJ6CrS0kcybhaThg
I bought the Stanley Sharpening System for a nicer chisel that was given to me.
http://www.amazon.com/Stanley-16-050-Sharpening-System/dp/B000KFTDSK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1414521586&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=stanley+sharpening+system
I assume this would work fine for a hand plane as well.
Yoshihiro Shiroko High Carbon Steel Kasumi Yanagi Rosewood Handle Sushi Sashimi Chef Knife (10.5'' (270mm)) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B006U3PVK0/
Something like this.
No you don't need all 4 stones. 1k + 5k or 8k
Ha No Kuromaku Ceramic Whetstone Medium Grit #1000 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001TPFT0G/
And
Shapton 5000 Grit (Wine) Professional Series Whetstone https://www.amazon.com/dp/B008NPL1U2/
Or
Japanese Whetstone Sharpening Stone Shapton Ceramic Kuromaku #8000 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002LVZG0U/
Additionally I personally also use this for finish only, which is purely aesthetics
King KDS 1000/6000 Combination Grit Whetstone, New Style for Sharpening Harder Steels https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01BB1ZDVW/
And this for stone cleaning
King Japanese Nagura Stone #8000 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B015X6R792/
This is a guide on how to
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEBF55079F53216AB
All the crappy farm tables and diy projects on r/woodworking a your post gets removed, wtf.
I have a rikon half speed 1850 rpm 8" grinder with a 80 grit CBN cubic boron nitride wheel and a veritas tool rest. Shapton ceramic 320, 1000, 5000, 12000 stones. A 36"x6" 3 cm thick piece of granite and use adhesive backed sandpaper rolls. I wax the granite to allow the paper to come off the granite easily.
grinder
cbn wheel
tool rest
stones
320 g
1000 g
5000 g
12000
sand paper
These? EZE-LAP L PAK Set SF/F/M Color Coded Diamond Hones https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000UVS62S/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_g.0MDbPT44X4E
When using a flattening stone..take a pencil and draw a two lines from corner to corner in an X pattern across the face of the stone. Then soak your sharpening stones as you would normally. Mount the referencing stone on your stone holder and place the sharpening stone X side down. Hold the sharpening stone down with your full palm with your other palm down to create solid pressure on the full stone across as much of the surface as possible. Stroke in an X pattern - upper left to lower right corner a few times and then switch to upper right/lower left a few times. Rinse sharpening stone and see how much of the penciled X has been removed, when it's gone from the center of the stone (should be the most worn area) then you're done. Don't forget to periodically rinse the flattening stone occasionally during the process to keep it's grit open and available.
and a little more info:
I'm a whore for Shapton stones, loved the way they sharpened and their longevity. I preferred the Professional Series but according to Shapton the glass were supposed to last longer because you can use all the stone down to the glass, I didn't buy into that idea. https://www.sharpeningsupplies.com/Shapton-Professional-Series-Stones-P741C84.aspx
You need to buy one of these if you haven't already gotten one, specifically with the center support. Way better than using a wet towel on the edge of the sink. https://www.amazon.com/POWERTEC-71013-Sharpening-Holder-2-Inch/dp/B00NFB2MTI
Link to Norton Flattening Stone: https://www.amazon.com/Norton-Flattening-Stone-Waterstones-plastic/dp/B00067ZSJ0/ref=sr_1_6?s=hi&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1505326146&amp;sr=1-6&amp;keywords=flattening+stone
Shapton has their own lapping/referencing plate but it's $500: https://www.sharpeningsupplies.com/Shapton-Diamond-Reference-Lapping-Plate-P516C84.aspx
Link to Dick Polish (yes, that's really what's printed on the handle) https://www.knifemerchant.com/product.asp?productID=1393
And find a Sally's Beauty Supply Near you and get one of these bottles. Small enough that when filled it's not too heavy to wield and good for adding water to your stones during sharpening: http://www.sallybeauty.com/sheer-mist-trigger-sprayer/SBS-292048,default,pd.html?list=Search_Results#q=spray+bottle&amp;start=1
I highly recommend these, they sharpen fast and last forever, I use them on everything from machetes to axes
EZE-LAP L PAK Set SF/F/M Color Coded Diamond Hones https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000UVS62S/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_Kv4VDbJN2AZ1B
i am a big fan of DMT diamond stones. Course, Fine and Extra fine is likely all you need. I have the extra, extra fine as well and nice but you don't need it. A bit spendy but worth it. They are fast cutting, Stay flat unlike water stones and clean since you only need to use a little water to wash away the swarf. I keep a spray bottle of window cleaner near the stone to use.
Another option is Arkansas Tri stone setup I have used this set up and it works great. You still might want to get a cheap course stone if you have blades with a bad edge. But it is a good deal for a stone set and they are longer lasting and stay flatter then water stones but are the slowest cutting. Use a light oil like mineral oil or kerosene to help them cut quicker. Lubricating oils are the opposite of what you want.
Since I wanted to try out water stones I picked up one the Bearmoo combo stones in 1000/4000 grit for the kitchen. It works just as advertises, quick cutting, only needs water, good price. But like all water stones you do need to keep an eye on the flatness of the stones. But still a good deal.
Getting a good setup for stropping will also go along way in helping get that razor sharp edge.
So there you go a few options for you you to think about (get the DMT). let me know if you have other questions.
You weren't being an ass at all. I think I'm going to try to learn what I can from online, and see how good I can get at honing. Unfortunately the honing stone I have doesn't advertise what grit the stone is. That concerns me quite a bit. Here's what I've got. I'm using the white stone for the razor. I know I should buy a better, bigger stone that advertises what grit it's using, but am saving my money for supplies to make wall mounted shaving shelves for myself and to sell on etsy. Besides, the small white stone seems to be working, so I think it's got a high grit count
my manager was feeling generous one day and this one magically appeared in the kitchen for us to use. It's pretty damn awesome. it's pricey but Norton also makes single stones for about 20-40 bucks.
I watched this video when I first got my sharpmaker: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-MHe_8wTHmg
I also highly recommend getting the ultra fine sharpener stones off amazon http://www.amazon.com/Spyderco-Ultra-Fine-Triangle-Stone/dp/B0019JTNDQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1452369036&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=sharpmaker+ultra+fine
I could get a pretty good edge with the standard coarse and fine stones that it comes with, but the ultra fine stones with get it incredibly sharp.
To second and expand upon /u/JoshGTO's answer, a diamond-grit bench stone will work for anyone of any handedness in any direction. I have this one from DMT - I can't imagine it ever breaking (the base is a very solid plastic) and, while the extra-fine side makes up about 98% of my usage, I do occasionally flip over to the other side to help restore edges that are really badly degraded. Diamond grit works really fast, so you should only need a few swipes to get your knives back to top shape. Finish up with a sharpening steel - you can get them all over Amazon for $20ish tops, and there's no reason they shouldn't last forever also - and practice keeping your angles consistent as you sharpen, and before long you'll be able to shave with every knife you own.
Spyderco Tri-Angle Sharpmaker Knife Sharpener 204MF https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000Q9C4AE/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apip_O6OKljcnF7RVn
Spyderco Double 1 x 5 x 1/4 Stuff Fine/Medium Stone with Pouch https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0013AVZR8/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apip_KCUoRxrKWtyWa
You may.
I have this knife: https://www.amazon.com/KOBALT-Quick-Change-Folding-Lock-Back-Knife/dp/B001G3KURI
And while I can't find the one I have, something like this should work fine: https://www.amazon.com/Bora-501057-Combination-Sharpening-Aluminum/dp/B003Y3BMAW
The key when cutting is to do it in one smooth cut with plenty of force down into the foam.
i have been using the worksharp guided field sharpener and the worksharp guided (table top) sharpener for a few years now. very happy with them. in fact the "field" sharpener thats handy portable sized. i have 3 of them. home, backpack, hunting pack etc...
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https://www.amazon.com/Work-Sharp-WSGSS-Sharpening-sharpening/dp/B00X9KU3GO/ref=sr_1_3?crid=8IJR6ZKE3AL2&keywords=guided+sharpener&qid=1554681979&s=gateway&sprefix=guided+sh%2Caps%2C157&sr=8-3
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https://www.amazon.com/Work-Sharp-Guided-Field-Sharpener/dp/B009YKHZ96/ref=sr_1_2?crid=8IJR6ZKE3AL2&keywords=guided+sharpener&qid=1554682004&s=gateway&sprefix=guided+sh%2Caps%2C157&sr=8-2
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Two hours to set a bevel, fuck that noise... Get a DMT D8F and wear it down a bit by rubbing some metal bar across it. Then tape the spine of your razor and go to town setting the bevel on it, won't take you one-tenth the time. You can check how the bevel is coming along by marking along it with a sharpie and then doing a quick stroke or two on another hone. Anywhere you still have black is where the bevel isn't set. Then when the bevel is just about set you can go to your Chosera 1k, either without tape or with fresh tape on the spine, and it should be pretty quick work to get the edge popping hairs. You might get some rough marks right where the bevel meets the blade but you can work through those if you want on the Chosera 1k but I won't worry about it.
Do you know what they currently have at all?
A really coarse stone with another side for finishing on would be this - useful for fixing chipped blades and overall getting a very sharp edge. It's diamond so it does not need maintained. It's quite heavy so it can be set down on something and used anywhere with a splash of water, or even without water. But better with..sorry it exceeds your budget a bit. It was 7$ cheaper a few months ago: Sk11-sided Diamond Whetstone # 150 / # 600 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003EIE8LC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_K765Ab44NE259
A good at home stone in your price range would be this one, you have to soak it in water for 5-20min before using (each time, until it stops bubbling in the water) but it's a great stone that is widely used: KING KW65 1000/6000 Grit Combination Whetstone with Plastic Base https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001DT1X9O/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_n565AbSFCV7EG
Anything 'bearmoo' or 'sharp pebble' or anything looking like those ones honestly is not going to be enjoyable or comparable in quality to the above.
Another great stone worth mentioning: Shapton Ha No Kuromaku Ceramic Whetstone Medium Grit #1000 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001TPFT0G/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_o-65AbB1PMZ8B
If they already have some bench stones, maybe they can use a holder - super useful!: POWERTEC 71013 Sharpening Stone Holder, 5-1/2-Inch to 9-Inch https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NFB2MTI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_h.65AbP2HAJ5W
I sharpen my knives on a Norton Tri-Stone or a Togiharu Dual Sided water stone depending on the knife(norton for all the "traditional" european knives, togiharu for my japanese knives). I generally sharpen my knives every Monday, which is the same day that I empty and clean out my knife kit, polish my shoes, fold all my side towels, and wash, iron, and starch my jackets. Don't attempt to sharpen your knives until you have the proper equipment, and know how to use it.
If you're a home cook, you can always take your knives to a Williams-Sonoma, which usually have a free sharpening day a few times a year.
Get your girlfriend a petty knife. Shit I use one a lot when I'm at home. If I'm butterflying 2 chicken breasts, Peeling/deveining some shrimp, fast things, I'll reach for my 5'' petty knife or 6'' global. Small and agile, with better ergonomics than chopping with a pairing knife.
Duuuuuuuude. Don't think of spending ANYWHERE near that much on sharpening stuff as a novice. Sharpening is a difficult skill that takes thousands of hours to really master, lots of practice and frustrating moments. Start out with your whole set up costing ~$100 and see if you even like it. Its a full blown hobby as well as something handy to know. I as a professional chef, after sharpening knives for hundreds of hours probably, still take my knives to a professional once a year to really get them good and perfect. I'm proficient not perfect. I can maintain an edge that a professional set perfectly, to a point which can shave your face, but I can't take a knife thats been scraped on bricks and a 200 grit stone intentionally to destroy an edge, and put a perfect 14 degree angle. I'd recommend water stones because they don't require messy oil. just a soak in water and a spray bottle, or work near a sink.
You need a couple things to sharpen. Get a few cheap rags together, Get a bin you can soak water stones in get a sink mount and get a few stones
$16 Sink Mount
$149 Stone set this is the one I got and learned on. It's been great so far, its expensive right now but I found the same exact set for $99.00 when I bought it a few years back.
$12 Strop Not needed but it takes your knives to the next level
This all being said. Everyone has an opinion on whats best to start with. This is the path I took and I've never been upset with my purchases :)
that one there in particular is part of a set including the crappiest oil stones you're ever likely to see - I turfed mine =)
$16 from amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Stanley-16-050-Sharpening-System/dp/B000KFTDSK/ref=sr_1_1
This sub needs to stop recommending the crappy version of the King combo (KW65) then shit on it saying that it's a noob trap.
Get this one instead
https://www.amazon.com/King-KDS-Combination-Whetstone-Sharpening/dp/B01BB1ZDVW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1526217567&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=king+kds
I think you're supposed to soak it first. I have one of those.
https://www.amazon.com/Bora-501057-Combination-Sharpening-Aluminum/dp/B003Y3BMAW
These ones are actually intended as a house warming gift for my brother, they are Jewboer 240, 600, 1200, 3000 grit diamond plates plus a leather strop.
I have a set of DMT plates (220, 600, 1200, 8000) that I use in the kitchen, but since I spent so much money on those, I worry about wearing them out in the shop.. So I'm thinking about getting another cheap Jewboer set for my chisels/planes.
I hung up my Lansky and went to what works. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0001MSA72/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
We used these in the military and they are the best i have ever found. Try this and a leather strop and practice, practice, practice. The amount of surface area allows you to get a razors edge in far less time. The oil stays in the bottom and carries away all the particles as you refresh/rotate it. Particles sink to the bottom and do not cause an issue. Eventually you dump, clean and refresh the oil, but i have had mine for several years now and not had to do this yet.
Yes it take some practice but in the end the edge is the best I have ever seen.
I recently got the same stones. This piece of leather is the exact size of the stones if you want to go that route:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0154F7FKS/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&amp;psc=1
You shouldn't need a mallet for something as thin as a soundboard, Stanley makes an inexpensive sharpening kit for chisels that comes with a honing guide to make it super easy:
http://amzn.com/B000KFTDSK
If you already have the soundboard roughed out and attached, a sharp card scraper or a sharp chisel is the easiest way to go. If you haven't roughed out the soundboard yet, a good coping saw or keyhole saw will work great. Lee Valley has some inexpensive saws, that are much better then what you can pick up at the hardware store.
DC4's are popular. Spyderco Pocket Stone is a step up. Also consider a strop for maintaining the edge when it doesn't need to be put on the stone. These can be made with scrap leather to save some money. The Worksharp comes with both, I've never used it but looks like it has good reviews.
Very nice. What are you using to flatten them? I've been looking at those, but the cost of the DMT DiaFlat that gets recommended around here is super prohibitive.
Watch murray carter on youtube, pick up a sharpening stone from a hardware store and practice.
Or buy one of these on amazon Work Sharp WSGFS221 Guided Field Sharpener https://www.amazon.com/dp/B009YKHZ96/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_eZaCyb9CW1MHG
Or this Work Sharp WSGSS Guided Sharpening System https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00X9KU3GO/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_8ZaCybDZE6G0C
They are good for beginners and very versatile.
I use this one and it’s alright. I set it in a tray to collect water and use a non slip mat beneath the tray.
Best deal is probably still the Rikon slow speed, the wheels that come with it are pretty much worth the price of the grinder.
You can also get quite a bit of mileage out of a set of the diamond paddles which work pretty well with most of the HSS woodturning tools. Something like the EZ-LAP https://www.amazon.com/EZE-LAP-PAK-Color-Coded-Diamond/dp/B000UVS62S - I mostly use the fine.. I also have a "file" from DMT that is pretty nice (maybe a bit nicer than the EZlaps) although I don't see it for sale at the moment.. not sure might just not be remembering which one it is specifically.
Was debating between that and Guided Sharpening System Work Sharp https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B00X9KU3GO/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_awdb_t1_u7xsDb0EM69Z7
As temporary options
I would suggest possibly this stone if you want something cheaper.
Or Shapton's stones 8k and 12k are around $60, no idea how much you paid for the Norton.
This is doable for much less than $600. When I started shaving w a SR I figured it would take about 2 years of shaving to pay off the initial cost. Although if I am being honest I probably spend more now on razors than I did before.
For the most basic of kits you will need a:
That's the basics really. You can spend more on aftershave, preshave, synthetic brushes, creams whatever. If you know how to sharpen/strop I would definitely recommend a used razor off ebay ( a nice one you don't have to restore). If you don't know how to sharpen I recommend you get some stones and learn anyway it isn't very hard. Though you may want a cheap $10 razor to practice on just in case. The hardest part is choosing a brand (or buying just one razor). For used razors you have some things to consider:
You may also want to try a double edge (DE) razor but then you still need blades (although they are very very cheap) I am not sure if that is a requirement here or not.
NOT MY CARD.
Knife sharpening kit because you want sharp knives for shanking, and anyone that commits something like identity theft or credit card fraud deserves to be shanked. A lot.
So something like:
Victorinox Fibrox and a BearMoo Stone?
I don’t have crazy expensive hear but I use something very similair for my kitchen and tool knives, I’ve seen this recommended on reddit for folk in the US as a beginner stone that’s not too expensive. You can have a pretty big range of prices depending on how ‘artisanal’ you want to get my one like this has treated me well. A honing steel is good to have as well and just run it over that a few times before some serious chopping and then over the stone when it’s really running a dull edge
https://www.amazon.com/Whetstone-Sharpening-Stone-1000-4000/dp/B01FXK7XF6/ref=lp_14748579011_1_9?srs=14748579011&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1499024495&amp;sr=8-9
I use these from [EZE-Lap] (http://www.amazon.com/EZE-LAP-PAK-Color-Coded-Diamond/dp/B000UVS62S/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1396904446&amp;sr=8-7&amp;keywords=eze-lap+sharpening). I keep this set at home.
You can buy individual [paddles] (http://www.amazon.com/EZE-LAP-LF-Fine-Diamond-Hone/dp/B0001WP20U/ref=sr_1_35?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1396904527&amp;sr=8-35&amp;keywords=eze-lap+sharpening) as well.
In a pinch, any smooth glassy stone will work, as will the bottom of a porcelain coffee cup (or a piece of porcelain).
My favorite moment was something like 'come see goldstein and goldstein for cases against' 'Roland the royal flatulist'
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003Y3BMAW/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&amp;colid=2PJPFF2873MNX&amp;coliid=I1023XOTI9R8TU&amp;psc=1
cheers!
I bought this sharpening kit a little while ago and HATE the guide, its sticky and finicky and tough to get the blade in perfectly square. How do you like the honing guide you posted?
I mostly use my Lowes combo square for machine calibration, so I think an engineers square is exactly what I need. Thanks!
Also I should have mentioned I have a No 5 Jack plane but want something a little less cumbersome to use
And once you have some practice using it, you can also get the ultra fine stones/rods for the sharpmaker. (Note that on Amazon those are sold individually. So you need to buy quantity x2 in order to get both rods.)
The two sets of stones that come with the sharpmaker (medium and fine) are good enough to get a very sharp edge. For most purposes, this is more than enough. The ultra fine stones just take things up another notch, so that you have a scary sharp edge. It's not necessary, but it does help the edge last longer, and there are other benefits to having an even sharper blade (such as easily being able to do very thin or quick slicing).
I ended up just buying this piece of leather and some green strop compound from amazon, mainly because it was the easiest way for me to buy one, but you could just use denim or even newspaper as a strop. With 8000 u might not even need a strop, just keep polishing with very light strokes and u should be able to get a very fine edge since it's such a fine grit.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0154F7FKS/ref=sr_ph_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1464995710&amp;sr=sr-1&amp;keywords=leather+strop
Is this what you have? Is it normally around that price or is that a legit sale price (sometimes Amazon markets sales even though the price never changes).
https://www.amazon.com/Spyderco-Double-Stuff-Medium-Stone/dp/B0013AVZR8
This one? Any videos showing how to use it? I'm really
New to this. I'm used to just wearing out Leathermans lol
How much cooking do you do? Do you prefer Japanese or Western knives?
The best bang for your buck is the Victorinox Fibrox knives. America's test kitchen rates them as highly/higher than most $100-200 knives.
If money is no option, I prefer the Misono UX10 series.
There are lots of big brands and differing opinions on what knives to get. I have owned Global, Shun, Misonono, Victorinox, and MAC knives. They all have their positives and negatives. It comes down to what you like and what you are willing to spend.
In terms of what knives you need, a good Chef's knife, a pairing knife and a bread knife is all you need for 90% of daily cutting tasks. If you are just starting out I would get the Victorinox Fibronox series. If you decide you like knives and want something that gets ultra sharp, I would be more than willing to share what my personal preferences are.
The other thing I would invest in is a sharpening system. I prefer DMT diamond plates. They stay flat and will cut through any blade material. Plus they are really fast. Some people love the edge pro system. I haven't used it, but I like the feedback stones give you over other systems. Stay away from cheap automatic grinders, they don't get blades nearly as sharp.
There is a deep rabbit hole when it comes to chef knives and sharpening, in the end it comes down to what you love to use. Search locally and see if there is a chef supply or knife store you can go to see what you like the feel of.
It's this set
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B074X7VB62/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_--FCCbVG3TC55
Leather Honing Strop 3 Inch by 8 Inch with 2oz. Green White Compound https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07214VMGB/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_2SUACbR5RFD03
This is what I bought and have been using. Haven't used any fluid or anything though, just the compound
This appears to be the JDM stone on amazon for 10 bucks less http://www.amazon.com/Japanese-Whetstone-Sharpening-Shapton-Kuromaku/dp/B002LVZG0U/ref=pd_bxgy_469_img_3?ie=UTF8&amp;refRID=0KV1KNW2MKPSVK67V495
Victorinox makes good knives. You'd be fine with a set of those. I'm just saying that for a deer you don't necessarily need really, really good/big knives like we use for butchering a cow. My dad's go to's are some victorinoxes. I'm partial to those wood handled rapalas, but they get dull quick. A good fillet knife works just as well as a decent boning knife on something as small as a deer.
You don't use a ceramic rod or a steel to sharpen. You use them to realign the edge after a bit of use. Learn how to actually sharpen a knive as well. Many people don't know how to. I know those lanksy kits with the rods that set the angles for you are well loved, but I haven't used one much. They aren't hard to find.
I have no idea about brands with the ceramic rods. This is what they look like. The one I have here came from a packing house with no name on it. All I know is that if you break one my dad gets super pissed, so they can't be the cheapest. http://www.butcher-packer.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&amp;cPath=67_68&amp;products_id=145&amp;zenid=4871b7a05ac074eed44a4e2338989153
This is the sharpener I have. I thought they cost more to be honest.
http://www.amazon.com/Norton-IM313-11-5-Sharpening-System/dp/B0001MSA72
Thanks for the advice!
I'm thinking I should show financial restraint and do some learning on a single non-diamond stone for now. Something like this: Chosera 1,000 Grit Stone with a Base
https://www.amazon.com/King-KDS-Combination-Whetstone-Sharpening/dp/B01BB1ZDVW/
King KDS will have a thicker 1000 side than 6000 side (equal thickness for King KW65) which is a good thing because coarser stone will wear down faster than finer one.
Wife bought it for me when I got promoted to apprentice a while back https://www.amazon.com/Norton-IM313-11-5-Sharpening-System/dp/B0001MSA72/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1538708009&amp;sr=8-3&amp;pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&amp;keywords=sharpening+stone+tri-hone&amp;dpPl=1&amp;dpID=41QN2JR02gL&amp;ref=plSrch
Start simple with just an 8" chef knife and a stone for maintenance.
Recommend like a MAC Chef Knife or a Victorinox Fibrox (with a honing rod). good for value, robust, forgiving knives which is great for your first time.
For maintenance, Suehiro Cerax 1k or King 1k/6k stone - he'll need to learn how to use the stone, maybe check out Burrfection or other people.
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Key notes:
Honing rod is recommended for western knives to maintain sharpness.
Stones is needed to sharpen the knives when they blunt with use.
When you develop more experience or love for knives, then start buying your other stuff like serrated, paring, utility, nakiris, santokus, higher grit stones and whatnot.
check out /r/chefknives
As far as I know they are naniwa which would make sense as the nagura / cleaning stone that comes with it is the typical naniwa one which also comes whith chosera stones.
https://www.amazon.com/Chosera-000-Grit-Stone-Base/dp/B000CNOXGC/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_2?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1536472553&amp;sr=8-2-fkmr0&amp;keywords=naniwa+cleaning
Was alerted to this deal on a 12k shapton on Amazon.
Whetstone Sharpening Stone Shapton Ceramic Kuromaku #12000 by Shapton https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B002LVZG1E/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_FSQazb09PY33J
The shapton kuromaku's are apparently the exact same thing as the pros but branded for Japan (and much cheaper). The 8000 grit is $66 on amazon.
Easy one for me. I'd skip the Proraso White and spend a few extra bucks on a Chosera 1k.
Proraso White made my skin tingle, despite being marketed as a "sensitive skin" soap.
Aside from that, I've been wanting to try an Omega Hi-brush for a while. Price seems kinda high, but I've been pleasantly surprised by the synthetic brushes I've tried so far.
Also, you mentioned you don't need any more soap, but TOBS Lavender. There are better Lavender soaps out there, but for the price TOBS is in my top three. I'm a big fan of Lavender in general, and I love how insanely heavy TOBS goes on the fragrance.
Lastly, CeraVe in the tub. The folks over at /r/SkinCareAddiction turned me onto this stuff. You use it after shaving, like a balm. Seriously, man. Seriously. This stuff is the shit. If you've never tried it, treat yo'self.
Also, Merry Christmas!
I bought this cheap little guy when I first started sharpening myself. I now have some slightly nicer stones, but I would recommend using a stone rather than those little pullthrough sharpeners. It's fairly easy to learn and in my experience the pullthroughs don't work too wel/can wear quickly. For tantos without a curve in the blade it is very easy to sharpen on a stone.
Fine or extra-fine diamond plate. DMT is good: https://www.amazon.com/DMT-D8F-Dia-Sharp-Continuous-Diamond/dp/B0001WP1LK/
DMT "fine" is 600 grit iirc, and "extra-fine" is 1200. If your knives are already respectably sharp, about 2000-3000 grit is good for maintenance.
I have pocket knives which are very dull. ive tried traditional knife sharpening tools sold on Amazon, the ones that make a V and you pulled the knife back-and-forth to sharpen but they don't seem to be sharpening anything. Also bought a wetstone to try but I couldn't get it to work,maybe i bought the wrong type of wetstone or something but now I'm looking into buying a strop. Does anyone know if this is a good idea or what should i do? I'm a begginer to sharpening and i don't know the procedures. How do factories sharpen knives for restaurants? Whats the pro way? Is it using a strop?
Heres the amazon strop I'm looking at.
Leather Honing Strop 3 Inch by 8 Inch with 2oz. Green White Compound https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07214VMGB/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_BMtZDbPZA0MP0
Unfortunately, I can't find a coarse DMT stone for anything less than $70 on Amazon, or a Spyderco medium for under $50. This is on the .ca site, not .com, as they won't ship to Canada.
I can find King water stones on Amazon, though not in the grit you talked about. There's a 1000/6000 for $36, and a 800/4000 for $47. While I like the price, I'm not sure if it's for me. It's not a ceramic water stone, so it might be softer than I'd like. I see it recommended a lot, so I will keep it in mind.
There are videos on how to deal with the curved leather knives, and I'll watch them closely when I get such a knife, but until then, most of my knives will likely be straight edged. I don't need to get them surgically sharp, but the sharper the knife is, the easier it is to finish the edge of the leather. If it's not sharp enough, fibers tend to stick out from the cut. 1000 should be plenty for right now, and if I need more, I'll look at one of the water stones, as the finer grits wear much more slowly anyway, and I don't have to concern myself with dishing as much.
Both the Kuromaku and Chosera seem to be pretty highly regarded, as I read in this sharpening blog. Shapton Glass was also highly regarded, but I decided against them because of the price. This is where I started getting confused by the Chosera. In the blog, the model number of the Chosera that he's talking about start with 'P' - for instance, the 1000 grit is P-310. Now, when looking them up on Amazon, I found one that looks like the one in the blog, it's that trademark green. However, the model number is SS-1000, and that sounds like the Super Stone series that Naniwa also has. Except that looking up the 1000 Super Stone gives me a model number of S-1000. So the Super Stone (two S's in the name) has one S in the model series, and the Chosera Professional has two S's? There's also more than just the standard and Professional series, there's a bunch of 'traditional' ones, and the super stones are still being sold, it looks like. It's all very confusing. I mean, the 1000 is $100 so I doubt I'd go for it anyway, but I have no idea how to honestly tell them apart. That's the main reason why I wanted to go with the Kuromaku. Way less confusion.
Also, I agree with you on the oil front. I considered the possibility because of the price, but I really don't want to have to deal with the mess.
I got the DMT lapping plate, only for much cheaper than Amazon. I think I paid like 95$ for it.
They can be like $1 from the local hardware store. Lot's of cheap ones out there. You can find diamond ones, diamond files. All kinds of cheap abrasive tools.
https://www.amazon.com/EZE-LAP-PAK-Color-Coded-Diamond/dp/B000UVS62S
Haha np!
I've found these two models that seem to be right for my intended purposes:
https://www.amazon.ca/KING-KW65-Combination-Whetstone-Plastic/dp/B001DT1X9O/ref=sr_1_1?s=industrial&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1519951696&amp;sr=1-1&amp;keywords=king+stone
https://www.amazon.ca/BearMoo-Sharpening-Whetstone-Combination-Sharpener/dp/B01FXK7XF6/ref=sr_1_6?s=industrial&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1519951696&amp;sr=1-6&amp;keywords=king+stone
https://www.amazon.ca/Norton-614636855653-8-Inch-Combination-Oilstone/dp/B000XK5ZDY/ref=sr_1_5?s=industrial&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1519951656&amp;sr=1-5&amp;keywords=fine+india+stone&amp;dpID=41epHsuXYbL&amp;preST=_SX342_QL70_&amp;dpSrc=srch
Any comments on them? Do you have any model suggestions for those budget diamond stones you have in your edit? I don't know much anything about whetstones so I'm not sure what to look for.
edit: I've heard people state that 8Cr steels are good with rough edges and others who polish as high as possible...
My big Norton
For kitchen knives, especially big ones, I think freehand sharpening on stones is the way to go. You have three choices: Diamond plates, Japanese water stones, and Arkansas oil stones.
Arkansas stones are the things your grandpa used, and they are truly BIFL. Treat them right and they'll last forever. A set like this would be excellent, although the particular brand probably doesn't matter very much. They're all natural stones and whatever variation exists will be between batches as much as between brands. Do make sure you get standard 8"x3" stones, though - smaller ones will be frustrating.
Japanese stones are not really BIFL because they're consumable, although they still last an awfully long time. As they wear down they expose fresh grit and in return, tend to sharpen way faster than Arkansas stones. Brand matters a bit more here - Norton, Naniwa, and King are frequently recommended, King being the least expensive. I have a King 1000/6000 grit combo stone, and it's great, although I wish I'd gone for the 800/4000 set instead. To get the best life and performance out of a water stone, you'll need to occasionally flatten it with another stone designed for the purpose.
Diamond sharpeners are the new hotness. They cut faster than Arkansas and last longer than water stones. Unknown brands are likely to have the grit fall off, so buy DMT Dia-Sharp. I don't own these and can't tell you what specific grits you want, unfortunately.
I wouldn't get a sharpener like that. I use a stone that has two different grits on it. It was like $3 at a kitchen store and keeps my knives sharp. There's a lot of tutorials on youtube showing you how to use one.
As for what knives to get, the recommendation for Victorinox Fibrox line is solid. You need a chef's knife and a paring knife. Next I would pick up a serrated bread knife, preferably one with an offset handle like this. Note, I'm not recommending that specific one, I just linked to a sample of one so you'd know what I was talking about. You can cheap out on this one. One serrated knife cuts just about as well as another. After you have a chef's knife, a paring knife and a bread knife you should be good for just about any job in your kitchen. If you then want more knives I would recommend a santoku and some sort of cleaver.
Other important points, hand wash your knives, don't throw them in the dishwasher. Use a wood or plastic cutting board. Please don't use a glass one, it's a bad idea. Sharpen your knives & hone your knives frequently.
But for like a dollar more, you can get something like this basic stone set that will not eventually ruin your blades.
DMT also makes a true lapping plate--the Dia-Flat Plate, but at $190, it's probably way overkill. I think the standard DMT plates are flat enough (and probably a lot flatter than the Naniwa and Norton lapping stones).
I have a couple of stones from bearmoo that are $20 that do the job. If you are doing family members knives I would err on the really coarse side since their knives are likely to be both crappy and really dull.
https://www.amazon.com/Whetstone-Sharpening-Stone-1000-4000/dp/B01FXK7XF6/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1501775119&amp;sr=8-4&amp;keywords=bearmoo
I have the Lansky 5 stone system and it has worked wonders for my kitchen knives. However, this system is frustrating to use with a chefs knife because of the blade length. I am looking to get into whetstones. I need something that will work well for not only chef knives but plane irons and chisels.
My price point is ~$100. So far my research has led me to a king combination stone and then a DMT course plate for major work and stone flattening. Does this sound like a good setup for my needs? Also, what is the difference between the King KDS and the King KW65?
My dad got me a set of these 6 years ago when i started woodworking in college, a great set that i still use to this day as a professional cabinet maker. I would also reccomend buying a good set of sharpening stones, you can buy some cheap ones with plastic backing but in my experience they fall apart after a few uses. So i got a couple of these in various grits they are fantastic, at this point i cant imagine ill need to buy anothet set of chisels or shapening stones for a long while.
Edit: I suck at spelling.
I've sharpened with stones before but not nice stones (Smith's Tri-Hone)... Does this seem like a worthwhile buy?
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honestly if you're not looking to get into all the ins and outs of sharpening then the spyderco sharpmaker is a pretty solid choice and it can get you a hair shaving edge. i'd also recommend picking up some untra fine ceramic stones, a strop, and some green compound. for more in depth info check out this thread as well as the sidebar over at /r/knives. i hope this helps you out.
Are these the Chosera?
SS400
SS1000
SS5000
In your opinion should I go with Shapton (have not checked the price difference yet)
Like 9 to 20 bucks on avg. It's not that hard to learn
Your picture looks like a two-grit sharpening stone, maybe something like this, the rougher grit is to get the knife blade or cutting edge close, the fine grit for putting the very sharp edge on it.
Bora 501057 Fine/Coarse Combination Sharpening Stone, Aluminum Oxide https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003Y3BMAW/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_r7F7AbQNQDDQQ
Something like this.
Why pocket sized? You plan on edc it?
this
And this
Are the only two stones you need.
I also recommend you get this
To use with this
Stones are great for putting an edge back on, stropping helps maintain a good edge. Just a couple strokes infrequently helps a lot.
This is the kit I got, and it works pretty well. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07214VMGB/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&amp;psc=1
I need to rig up a round one for the spoon gouge next.
Or you can go for the scary-sharp method and glue sandpaper to mdf - http://www.robin-wood.co.uk/wood-craft-blog/2015/02/09/sharpen-hook-knife-spooncarving/
Best of luck though. Carving is a great past time.
Maybe start from the WorkSharp Guided System.
Good way to practice before moving to the freehand sharpening on stones IMO.
Plus - I'd recommend to get a budget knife to practice before you move to more expensive knives.
That's what I did when I started sharpening on the Lansky system and it saved me from a few scratches.
I also just dove into waterstones and freehand sharpening my Shuns and I ended up buying this stone holder https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00NFB2MTI/ref=sxts_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1540381110&amp;sr=1&amp;pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65, a DMT extra coarse and coarse Dia-sharp, then a Sharpton Kuromaku 1000 and 5000. I maintain with a strop with green compound. I can flatten my stones with the DMT plates and I really like them to establish a bevel or for repairs.
Whoops I knew that.
https://www.amazon.com.au/gp/product/B00NFB2MTI/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A4XRJ8S0WXSO0&amp;psc=1
https://www.amazon.com.au/gp/product/B001DT1X9O/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?smid=A3DVML5LANE1W2&amp;psc=1
Baam
Much lower learning curve than a whetstone. Plus, it will last you much longer if you take care of it. Especially if your knives are made from a softer steel. This will get them razor sharp.
Also consider a two-sided diamond whetstone; I use this DMT one, I know Harbor Freight sells one that's less expensive (but maybe not quite so flat or durable).
After that new king wears away you guys can probably invest in a slower wearing Shapton Professional as well as a cheap lapping plate.
I just got this Sk as a cheap lapping plate and was surprised at how much my 1000/6000 king stone dished.
Do you guys work in a butcher shop or something?
For western, check out Messermeister: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0073YEQ38/ref=mp_s_a_1_7?qid=1449880794&amp;sr=8-7&amp;pi=AC_SX118_SY170_QL70&amp;keywords=messermeister+elite&amp;dpPl=1&amp;dpID=31WkRiI44vL&amp;ref=plSrch
The elite line is all forged and the different names are simply handle material.
Personally for sharpeners I've just ordered the DMT fine/extra fine with holder:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000H6L6FA/ref=sr_ph_1?qid=1449880933&amp;sr=sr-1&amp;pi=AC_SX118_SY170_QL70&amp;keywords=dmt+fine+extra+fine
Harder and flatter than a whetstone as its diamond, and it requires a light touch. However it's easier for starters to work with, I hear.
I like them. I picked up the "double" and for the price to try it out you can't go wrong.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0013AVZR8?psc=1&amp;ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title
I purchased one of these little Spyderco Stones recently and it works great. Very small, portable and inexpensive. I feared free hand sharpening for a long time but it turns out it really isn't that difficult.
Thanks. I'm kind of leaning toward the Work Sharp system for $50. It looks pretty versatile, though not idiot-proof. But it does have a 42 year warranty!
Yes...
*https://www.tandyleather.com/en/product/ergo-handle-swivel-knife
I originally used ...
I tried their polishing compound
Eventually for my round knife I got one of these sets - it wasn't this one ... but from watching youtube videos one guy recommended a similar system for getting an edge on & after you edge the blade, polishing or jewelers rouge should be all you need.
Personally, I goto the pro's and they sharpen it for 15-20 bucks to edge my stuff, then jewelers rouge.
But ceramic tips... all the way for my carving this year!
This may seem long but I spent a lot of time to share the knowledge so please read it and look at the links.
Everyone who uses any tool with an edge should own a Norton 4000/8000 grit water stone. (2 stones in 1) and know how to use it.
I own that one and a Shapton 16000 grit
For polishing a very smooth and fine edge
I plan on adding a Naniwa 12000 grit for an in between grit.
I bought them for honing straight razors but use them on anything that needs to be sharp
Lynn Abrams is like the go to guy for how to get things really sharp
The stones wear as you use them, so you will eventually need to lap them to flatten them back out. Some people use a flattening stone
I personally sprung for a lapping plate since I can also lap other things flat directly on it.
I also have one of these that I use for utility stuff like hunting knives or pocket knives or anything I think would gouge my nice stones and shorten the lifespan.
I know you are probably thinking, " all this stuff costs a fortune" Stones are durable and you will have them to use for the rest of your life. Chip away at them one at a time.