Hey Mark,
Here are some key things I learned from my neighbor back when I lived in my hometown. He was a master carpenter and by "master" I mean he was like a 6'3" Yoda of woodworking. I wish I had spent more time over there before he passed away but wood working wasn't exactly a priority for me when I was young. However, he would often teach me a few things as I needed help with repairs because my Dad's job kept him away all days except weekends.
It was actually only a couple of years ago that I bought stones again but his advice is still sound.
Basic Tips
- Some stone types take longer to pre-soak then others. Make sure they are sufficiently saturated or they don't work/get wrecked.
- Keep the surface good and wet but without rinsing off too much of the slurry buildup. It's actually the slurry that is doing a lot of the cutting.
Here was the key for me that he pointed out. It removed all of my previous frustrations.
- When I started, I wasn't rubbing long enough with the lower grits so I was wasting too much time and energy with the higher grits. If you keep checking, you can see the polish area build up as the blade starts to flatten against the stone. Don't switch to to a higher grit until you see the Entire blade surface is polished. That means it is now flat and the higher grit will now touch it all evenly. If the higher grit can not touch the entire blade evenly, then you are just wasting your time.
- Use a honing guide to hold the blade at the correct angle. Especially for hand planer blades where the correct angle is super important. Most guides come with an angle setting tool to set the various proper angles.
- Pick a guide that has a bevel mechanism. That is to say, when you have it perfectly sharp and polished, you twist a lever or whatever and it raises the blade angle just a degree or two. Do three or four more passes over the stone to create the sharper bevel angle right at the tip of the blade. This extra bevel makes all the difference in the world.
- I built a wooden jig that locks the stone into my water tray (an old, square tupperware cake dish I salvaged). I glued some rubber pads to the bottom of the dish to keep it from slipping on my bench. You obviously need need to be able to hold the stone steady. A tray is not required but it will mean that you don't soak and stain your bench from all the slurry.
- I have a sheet of plate glass that I picked up from a window shop and a small bottle of silicone carbide grit. If you suspect that the stones are losing thier perfect flat shape. Pour some grit and water onto the glass and rub your stone all over the glass. The glass is naturally flat and the resulting slurry will true up the stone.
Stones (you need more than one.)
I have four different grits of stones. I find the reversible, 1000/4000 is all I need if I don't get lazy and let the blades go downhill to far.
I have a 200 that has come in handy when I have chipped a blade on a surprise nail and have to take a lot of metal of to get it flat again. I also pull it out if someone brings me a really old or beat up blade that needs a lot of work.
I have an 8000 that is really just a polishing blade but I find even the 4000 gives me a mirror finish. I only use the 8000 when I'm feeling particularly energetic or want to feel like a samurai.
Why bother?
It sounds like a lot of work, but once you realize you can and should use the lower grit longer than you think, it actually becomes quiet fast and effective. Sometimes it just feels nice to do something old-school as well. I also find it safer for my more valued chisels as I'm certainly not praised for my steady hands.
