MK III Sharpening System

This is my attempt to make a starpening system like the Lee Valley MKII.. I believe this is maybe the best method for sharpening hand tools made today..

I started out with just a few Norton Oil Stones I owned that I used to sharpen my speed skates many moons ago... Since them I now wn many oil stones and a few very fine water stone that I still use for final honing..

I hope to complete the MKIII in a few weeks.. Right now I just use to for flatting backs of blade and chisels and these is no better unit I know to do this.. I give you a break down of the parts I used to build this $60 system..

 

Parts and Sources

Main part of the sharpener is the platter, I used a Jet 8" Lathe Face Plate $9.99 I just checked and they are out of stock on these so you will have to go with a WoodCraft 8" Sanding Disc $19.99
Next you need a 5/8" Pillow Blocks $7.00 each you need two
I used a GE 1/2 HP 1725 RPM Motor I bought at eBay Electric Motors with corad and switch brand new for $9.99.. I bought this months in a advance cuase it was a bargain I could pass up, you may have to pay more if your in a hurry..
For the shaft I used a piece of 5/8" Drill Rod from ENCO and tapped the end 1/4-20 for a thumb screw.
If you join ENCO's mailing list they will send you a code for free shipping every month for orders over $50, not a bad deal.. And for screwing parts to 3/4" plywood I used this 1/4-20 Threaded Screw Inserts from Highland Hardware..
I also bought a bunch of .060 thich stainless steel sheeting that I will clad the whole usit with and add handles and a tool rest that I may buy for LeeValley and save myself the work of designing it..

Sharpening Jigs and Gauges A review of the numerous Jigs on the market and which Jigs that might help you decide which one you might want to buy..	Power Sharpening I feel everyone should have at least one power sharpener in a shop.. On this page I go over several machine types that are made today.
Scary Sharp Sharpening is a method of sharpening some one came up with to sharpen blades on sand paper instead of a bench stones and is the most common method for new sharpeners to use..	Bench Stones oil stones vs water stones and what the pros and cons of these honing stones .. With a section of Shapton's to come..
MK III Power Sharpener This page is about the sharpening machine I made and modeled after two popular machines on the markets	Grit Equivalency Gives you a beak down of what abrasive in classes of grit so you can gauge the abrasive qualities of one to another.
Loose Grit Sharpening Blades and Iron or Flattening Bench Stones Loose Grit is a great method to use.. It is also good for extending the life of Scary Sharp Sand Paper	Diamond Equivalency Mesh sizes in micros so you can look the them up and figure about what they compare to in regular grit