My tool sharpening system.
I will now introduce you to my sharpening station. As I said in my profile, I fine tuned my hand tools on a short course
with David Charlesworth. It was whilst on that course I was introduced to the efficiency of David's sharpening
methods. I had never worked with anything better, so I adopted them.
On returning home from the course I obtained a piece of perfectly flat material that is used in kitchens for the top
surface of the base units. It was around 40mm(1½”) thick and 600mm(24”) square. I then added some lipping around
the edges that protruded around 6mm(1/4”) to prevent any water or mess spreading.
I purchased some 6mm (1/4”) float glass and secured it to the top with double sided
tape. This measures 300mm (12”) by 250mm(10”)
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I will now introduce you to my sharpening station. As I said in my profile, I fine tuned my hand tools on a short course
with David Charlesworth. It was whilst on that course I was introduced to the efficiency of David's sharpening
methods. I had never worked with anything better, so I adopted them.
On returning home from the course I obtained a piece of perfectly flat material that is used in kitchens for the top
surface of the base units. It was around 40mm(1½”) thick and 600mm(24”) square. I then added some lipping around
the edges that protruded around 6mm(1/4”) to prevent any water or mess spreading.
I purchased some 6mm (1/4”) float glass and secured it to the top with double sided
tape. This measures 300mm (12”) by 250mm(10”)
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Whilst the water stones are being used they need to be secured firmly or they just roam around the board.
A wooden block with a slope of 1 : 20 and a matching wedge are positioned so that the water stones are pushed
against the outer lip of the sharpening station.
my sharpening station 071
A wooden block with a slope of 1 : 20 and a matching wedge are positioned so that the water stones are pushed
against the outer lip of the sharpening station.
my sharpening station 071
Honing guides
I find that I only require two honing guides for all of my sharpening,
The eclipse honing guide
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The eclipse073
I find that I only require two honing guides for all of my sharpening,
The eclipse honing guide
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The eclipse073
And the Stanley honing guide.
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Diamond stones.
I own a couple of small diamond stones that I use to remove sharp edges on a tool that would be otherwise dangerous
to use.
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I own a couple of small diamond stones that I use to remove sharp edges on a tool that would be otherwise dangerous
to use.
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Kitchen towel.
another important element of the sharpening station is paper kitchen towel, to clean the tools and the sharpening
station.
another important element of the sharpening station is paper kitchen towel, to clean the tools and the sharpening
station.
The water stones are kept in a seed tray half full of water. They are supported on two pieces of timber the full width of
the tray. In this way the water stones will not be laying in a bed of slurry.
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the tray. In this way the water stones will not be laying in a bed of slurry.
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And I use another seed tray for cleaning the 8000 grit stone after it has been flattened, and for cleaning the part of the
wet and dry that has been used to flatten it. This will be explained under the topic water stone maintenance.
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wet and dry that has been used to flatten it. This will be explained under the topic water stone maintenance.
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And a bucket of water is situated adjacent to the sharpening station for cleaning the part of the wet and dry used to
flatten the 800 and 1200 grit stones. Using this prevents the 8000 grit stone being contaminated. I also have another
bin on the floor for the waste paper towel.
flatten the 800 and 1200 grit stones. Using this prevents the 8000 grit stone being contaminated. I also have another
bin on the floor for the waste paper towel.
I also use an adjustable lamp, an essential aid in checking the edge of blades.
Tormek water cooled grindstone
Many years ago now when I was looking for advise when buying a sharpening system, I read an article by David
Savage, another leading cabinet maker in this country. He recommended a Tormek water cooled grindstone. For
me, this is a near perfect system. Unfortunately, it does not come with a jig for grinding the small Japanese chisels
that I use. Having said that, Rob Stoakley wrote an article in the Furniture and Cabinet making magazine,about a jig
that he had designed for that purpose. I will cover this in detail some time in the future.
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Many years ago now when I was looking for advise when buying a sharpening system, I read an article by David
Savage, another leading cabinet maker in this country. He recommended a Tormek water cooled grindstone. For
me, this is a near perfect system. Unfortunately, it does not come with a jig for grinding the small Japanese chisels
that I use. Having said that, Rob Stoakley wrote an article in the Furniture and Cabinet making magazine,about a jig
that he had designed for that purpose. I will cover this in detail some time in the future.
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Chisel/knife tidy
Having spent so much time getting the knife or chisel ready for fine cabinet making, I wanted an efficient method of
protecting the sharp edges. A piece of scrap wood 25mm(1”) square with 9mm(3/8”) slots was my solution. I have a
few of these. Some that are only used by the sharpening station, and those used on my workbench.
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Having spent so much time getting the knife or chisel ready for fine cabinet making, I wanted an efficient method of
protecting the sharp edges. A piece of scrap wood 25mm(1”) square with 9mm(3/8”) slots was my solution. I have a
few of these. Some that are only used by the sharpening station, and those used on my workbench.
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I will update this image when time permits with one of the blue spruce toolsworks chisels.