Norton Waterstones and Flattening Stones

Keeping a keen edge on your plane irons, chisels, and other cutting tools is a must-do if you're a serious woodworker. These man-made Norton Waterstones are prized for their quick sharpening ability and the quality of edge they leave behind. Norton Water stones go through a strict quality control process that ensures consistent granule size and leads to predictable performance from each stone. Waterstones are synthetic stones designed to be softer and sharpen faster than oil stones. They give you excellent feedback while cutting so you know how much pressure to apply and where to apply it. Oil stones are sometimes referred to as feeling 'rubbery' and don't give the nice even feedback for which their Waterstone cousins are famous.

As their name implies, water (not oil) is used as the lubricant that develops a fast cutting slurry. Soak them in water for a few minutes prior to sharpening to allow the pores of the stone to become fully saturated. You'll know when the stone is ready because any more water added will puddle on the surface instead of absorbing in the stone. Water creates the lubrication that allows the pasty abrasive slurry to sharpen the tool and keeps the swarf waste from imbedding itself in the stone.

To achieve a razor-sharp polished edge on your knives, chisels, and plane blades, follow these steps:

1. Soak your waterstones for a few minutes in tap water
2. Ensure each sharpening stone is perfectly flat with the Norton Flattening Stone (item 101-440)
3. Start sharpening with the Norton 1000/4000 grit combination stone (item 101-437)
4. Finish the edge to a mirror shine with the Norton 8000 Grit Water Stone (item 101-434)

Features include:

• Sharpening Stones have a large surface - measures 8" x 3" x 1"
• Synthetic abrasive
• Precision abrasive uniformity provides consistantly high quality
• Fast cutting with superior finish
• Softer than oil stones and requires less pressure
• Less force allows the stone to do the work
• Easy to flatten with Norton or DMT Diamond coarse stone
• Plastic non-skid base for use and storage is included
• Superb value and will last for years under normal use