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Yep. I could totally see that with the stones. There's a lot of mythology out there, and a lot of magical thinking. I get that when testing gear, you'll eventually pick something as "The best." ...

So... More experiments. The porosity of a soft Arkansas stone seems to be important to its behavior as a substrate. I tried some 0.5 micron Alumina polish called Raybrite A, and wow. This...

As others have noted - dust collection has to be a key part of the discussion. These things generate a MOUNTAIN of chips/dust, and that will absolutely overwhelm some systems, thus causing damage to...

Well, that knife cuts both ways. If it's done wrong, you are on the hook to fix it. I would recommend getting a pro to at least do the tie-in's.

Personally, while I'm fine with measuring and...

So the building authority may not care if you try to run water uphill, but I have it on good authority that it does not.

What will happen is that every single speck of dirt and leaves will...

It's probably worthwhile to consider your desired color and grain for how it will fit into the rest of the decor, and then work backwards to the wood. For example, a really dark chocolate brown...

Remember that water flows downhill. The drain piping in the the ground needs a specific drop of so many cm per meter of pipe run or water will not flow.

As such your first challenge will be to...

So I've been trying out various grits of Alumina on several soft Arkansas stones now, and I really like it. With the abrasive powder, it doesn't seem to matter whether you use water base or oil...

I know it's crazy talk, but you could always try sharpening a polished surface. While not perfect, you could probably bracket the grit level pretty accurately.

On the loose diamonds on the plate... Try it out and tell us how it goes. It is cheap enough to experiment with. A 5-gram tube of greased diamond paste runs ~$10 from a lapidary supply. I think...

Welcome!

If you are interested in learning woodworking, there is no substitute for joining a local woodworking club. They frequently have classes, group projects, and build along's. This sort...

I'm now willing to say that if you get a "Dud" soft Arkansas stone, try charging it with Shapton fine stone lapping compound before you toss it. That will rejuvenate the stone without making it cut...

I think 500 grit is about right. A teeny sprinkle makes the fine India cut really fast and still maintain basically the same baseline transitional grit level.... Interesting that the oily swarf has...

I've got some 500-600 grit SiC tumbling media on order as the 90-120 starts off way too gritty. I'm thinking that will be pretty close to right on a fine India stone. I don't want it leaving big...

I'm pretty sure soft, mushy long oil varnishes hang around because there's still money in the sailing/yachting world. Outdoor furniture gets some too. Then there's the long history where climate...

Yeah, this was a bottle I got on deep clearance years ago. I thought it was going to be like Clover fine (~300 grit) and then I looked it up and it was actually 4000 grit. :o It's been rolling...

So, I'm already buffing, so why not?

536613

Yes, I juiced an Arkansas stone I hate with a teeny pinch of Shapton fine lapping compound and some honing oil. The marketing ad copy says 4000...

Overall, the goal is not to have to machine grind the bevels unless there is a problem (damage, angle change, etc). I doubt the coarse SiC powder will be much use dumped straight on the stone. ...

So... I decided to cheat. Like you said, give it another try. I lapped it again with Shapton coarse SiC grit, except this time, I just left all the black silicon carbide muck on the stone. ...

Apparently my question was unclear. Sorry.

What's a good intermediate stone between the grinder and the fine honing stones?

Hey all,

Hand tool sharpening....

As I push further into the rat hole that is sharpening, I think I am accumulating more questions than answers.

I also don't want to buy six of everything...

So... For anybody interested... The key to rejuvenating a dead India stone is high quality (read expensive) sandpaper. The home store stuff won't do it. The fancy pants ceramic stuff will at...

So... What I like about Arkansas/Washita stones - they are well behaved in a predictable way. They cut how they cut, and if something goes awry, they're pretty easy to flatten/rejuvenate. I got...

So I decided to bow to the hype. I have zero experience with Washitas, and they vary a lot, so I sprung for an actual boxed Norton Lily White. Expensive, yes, but it should tell me something...

I think your contractor fellow was right. Looks like you got some shoddy bricks there.

Honestly, they look more like red cement blocks than actual kilned bricks. People did that to save a...

Get it certified as a bunny rabbit whacker and off you go. ;)

Very nice work there. I saw the thread title, and was so hopeful. You did not disappoint.

Well, apparently, I have to learn everything the hard way. I flattened my fine India stone the other day, and it's dead. I somehow massively glazed the thing. As in doesn't cut, just polishes. ...

Here's the back/unused part of mine. The gray us oil stain and shadow from flash. The stone is white with light gray mottling, and a few wisps of very fine rust colored "smoke."

If you looked...

I'm curious if I got an outlier, or if Norton is intentionally picking their soft Arkansas down at the soft/aggressive end of the spectrum. While it won't fine polish, it's a good stone to bridge...

Word is the Russians are buying up vintage Arks and Washitas and cutting them up to make the stones for the guided honing hickeys. The prices alone should be a hint that there's a market, but...

(Edit to add.. For anybody missing the context here, I was trying out Arkansas stones and seemingly, every single one came in significantly out of flat. It is a royal pain to lap them, unlike water...

With actual mortar, you can use a piping bag like for cake icing. There are disposable models fairly cheap, and even units which attach to zip-loc bags.

Honestly, though, these jobs always turn...

Very nice chisels and also very nice work prepping them. It's the sort of tool gloat that makes a man jealous.

That's one heck of a grinder you got there. No chance of bogging that thing...

All that fussing and fettling for a thing used to scrape glue. ;). I have to admit, my card scrapers became one of my most cherished workshop weapons once I figured them out, but yes, the brain and...

I guess I would ask: Is this to be an indoor table or outdoor table.

Many (most) clear epoxies aren't good finishes when used outdoors, especially when exposed to the elements. Remember that...

Very nice. You can get a lot of good things on the new market now, but quality paring chisels isn't one of them.

I suppose your decision to pull back makes some sense. There's an incredible...

This forum is a place for comments which are not necessarily helpful or productive to your friend's plight. So, for example, would you be put out if it received thirty comments pertaining to the...

I know I'm late to the party, but I've hacked up a couple large animal carcasses. A freshly sharpened set of tree loppers are your #1 friend. Just start clipping, and you'll make quick work of all...

Something powered with a 60-80 grit belt or disk. Make sure you have good breathing protection as you don't want arsenic bearing pressure treatment residues in your lungs.

How permanent do you really want these chairs? Often, Adirondack chairs were designed to be built quick and cheap (and light) for portable summer chair duty.

Will they really be left outside...

What is the specific problem you are having? "Did not adhere properly" could cover an ocean of problems.

For example, did it peel back off? Did you get fish eyes or big dips/low spots? ...

It shouldn't be a surprise that tools like this were tiered with quality and pricing. They usually follow a good/better/best/custom sort of strategy. Same for today with your huge production...

Nicholson also makes farriers rasps for horse hoof work. Those are crazy coarse compared to the familiar cabinet rasps and wood files. They can be pretty handy when you're sculpting foam. Not...

I think the main thing is to watch your emotional wellbeing. The main warning I see is someone who has waning emotional energy for stuff like this. That's the time to box it up and sell out. And...

The thing is.... Your crystal ball needs to be pretty darned good. What forest timber will be coming out of plantations 20 years from now? What will shoot up in value?

What will governments do...

I love my drill doctor. There's a specific trick to getting them to work right - but that's all right there in the instructions. It takes ~30 seconds to sharpen and off you go. Super handy when...

Keep the ones you use and love. Jettison the rest. You don't have to justify your choices to anybody but yourself.

I keep meaning to crank up my online auction account and purge some excess. ...

It's really hard to say without getting an up close look. Cracks, rust pitting, and missing parts are the death of old planes. A run of the mill bench plane in usable condition runs ~$20-40 in...

It is a lot easier to cut wood down to suit the needs of specific projects than it is to find projects which make use of odd sized wood you end up with. I would leave it be until you have specific...