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Finest abrasives.
Microbevels front and back.
Use a jig.
Copyright (c) 2002-15, Brent Beach

Hardware

The biggest barrier to using the abrasives and jigs discussed in these pages is that you have to collect all the parts yourself, from a number of suppliers, then build the various parts.

This page pulls together all of the hardware you will need and links to sources for that hardware.

Contents

  1. Glass - used in the Sharpening station.
  2. Backing Board - part of the sharpening station.
  3. Glue - suitable for gluing glass to wood.
  4. Nuts and Bolts - used in the honing jigs, and in the stone vice.
  5. Threaded Rod - for the stone vice.
  6. Drill bits - for the jigs and the stone vice.

Glass

I have tried other surfaces for the sharpening station, but glass is the only one that works. This is one of many lucky accidents for me. Had I started with something else - plexiglass for example - the slips would not have stayed under the jig and I may have given up.

You may be able to get glass via mail order, but is is probably easier to get it from a local store that specializes in cutting window glass.

Put window glass retail into google and make some calls. If the results don't look local, add the name of your city. (You should not have to do this - Google knows where you are.) The stores are eager to sell you glass. Have the sizes you want handy when you call. It should be ready when you get to the store.

The edges and corners of a kust cut glass sheet can be very sharp. You can ask the glass retailer to soften the edges for you. They sand the edges after cutting. You can also do the sanding yourself. I do. I use the 3" by 8" drywall sanding block with just about any sandpaper on it. Wear gloves - the edge will slit your fingers if you are not careful. Sand across the edge at a 45 degree angle, making sure you do all 4 edges on both sides. Spend a little extra time on the corners to make sure they are rounded enough that an accidental bump does not produce a cut.

Backing Board

You will need a backing board to prevent damage to the edges and corners of the glass sheets. I use masonite that I bought at a local lumber yard. [Masonite is made without glues. It is pure wood, if Wikipedia is to be believed.][As I found our from Mark Wells in an oldtools list post.]

I have had no luck using google and looking for masonite retail. However, lumber yard victoria (I live in Victoria) found all the lumber yards in this area. Again, get the bill of materials ready and give them a call. They may require you to buy a sheet larger than you need, but often have pieces in a cutoff bin that you can use.

Glue

You will need to glue the glass to a backing board to prevent damage to the edges of the glass.

You will also need glue to glue glass on the working surface of the stone vice - a big improvement over a wood only stone vice.

I use Weldbond glue, available at most big box stores or even your local small hardware store.

Nuts and Bolts

You will need machine screws in various sizes and types as well T-nuts to make the jigs. Again, you can try your local big box hardware for the machine screws.

If you cannot find T-nuts locally, you might try this mail order company that sells the T-nuts and machine screws at pretty good prices (less than I have paid for them!). [Update 13 08 - One reader reports that this company is located in Boston, has in-store pickup for on-line orders and provides excellent service.]

Threaded Rod

If you decide to make a bench stone holder, then you will need threaded rod, wing nuts and regular nuts.

Again, your local hardware store should stock these. If not, the nearest big box store will. Mail order on threaded rod may be a little expensive to ship.

Drill Bits

The standard jig requires up to 4 different drill bit sizes.

This sketchup model from the shows the 4 different drill sizes. Working from the bottom,

  1. a drill bit sized to the machine screw head. Having the machine screw heads set into the jig prevents contact between the screw head and the glass. This drill should produce a flat bottom so that the machine screw head seats solidly.
  2. a drill bit sized to the machine screw itself.
  3. a drill bit sized to the T-nut shaft.
  4. a Forstner bit sized to the T-nut head.