Sharpening Stones (3×8)
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Hello all,
I have a set of 2×6″ diamond stones (not EZE Lap–not sure who made them). After my first real year of getting into woodworking with hand tools (and probably using improper technique all along the way, wearing out certain tools and accessories before their time), I decided to upgrade my sharpening station to 3×8″ stones to better accommodate some of my larger irons (I have a 4 1/2 which would benefit while my regular irons for my #4 barely fits on the 2″ stones).
While I can’t yet speak to the quality of these stones since I have not yet used them/built a new station for them, I wanted to share them b/c I found the price to be very good and the limited number of reviews seem good as well. I bought a set of 3 stones on Amazon for $115. They are 3″x8″ and come in 300, 600 and 1200 grits. The seller is “Ultra Sharp”. I can’t post links as I think it is generally looked down upon by the forum moderators but thought I would share this information if it helps anyone else. From what I’ve seen the EZE Lap stones are generally out of stock and sell for around $50-60/stone (so $150+ for a set of 3). Cheers!
Thanks for the tip. I have been thinking of upgrading from my sandpaper on a granite tile setup. I may give these a shot.
Wow–sharpening on a 3×8 compared to the 2×6 setup I had is like night and day!
Hello,
I’m in the market for diamond stones and stumbled across these online as well. They are half the price of the eze lap stones, which both interests me and makes me suspicious. Please, if you would, report back on how they are performing. I’d certainly appreciate it.
Dean,
So far, so good. I don’t know how to handicap the durability of these things–they look identical to every other diamond (non-DMT) stone that I’ve ever looked at. I have had my 2×6 stones for a year and while they still sharpen I grew concerned that their surfaces were worn smooth (it may just be that I can’t really perceive the grits with my fingers to the touch). The reviews on Amazon, while not numerous, were generally positive. The stones came in nice boxes and the holder (that I don’t use) seems to be of good quality so I’m hopeful that the stones are decent/good. I have sharpened a few chisels and planes on the stones so far and already, the 300 grit stone feels notably smoother than it did when I unboxed it. However, I think this is probably typical and does not suggest the stones crapped out and all of the diamond grit scraped off–I can still see that they look new and the level of sharpness I’ve gotten so far is very good so as of now, I’m quite satisfied. From what i can tell, EZE Lap stones have a reputation for flatness which I can’t say about the Ultrasharp. But I can’t say I’ve noticed any flaws or feel that my blades are suffering in any way.
Fwiw, I did keep my 2×6 sharpening station and plan to use it more for smaller items–small chisels, card scraper, etc–blades that don’t need much surface area. But as far as sharpening a 4 1/2 iron–heck, even just a regular 4 iron–this has been very pleasing.
Here are the photos of the stones and sharpening station. I wish I had my comparison shot to the 2x6s for reference. This sharpening station is heavy–the stones are heavy/stout. I like having a wide strop though I do wonder if it is better to have a thicker vs. thinner piece of leather–I honestly have no idea–does it matter?
Thanks for the info and the pix. The stones certainly look substantial. I’m just now setting up a workshop. Well, thinking about… getting ready to… set up a workshop. Point is, I’ll need to make a decision fairly soon on what I get to do the sharpening. It would be great to save a hundred dollars.
I’ve been looking at these stones as well. You can’t beat the price. I am currently using Harbor Freight 4 sided diamond stone set that is 2″x6″. I just received a Wood river 4 1/2 smoothing plane for Christmas so the stones I have now won’t work being that they are too narrow. Please keep testing your new stones and let us all know how they work out.
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