Hey folks! I love woodworking, but I live in an apartment and have limited space in my small basement. I prefer hand tools over power tools, and I have some chisels and hand planers that I need to keep sharp. Currently, I use a Japanese wet stone for my kitchen knives, but it's inconvenient since I have to climb three flights of stairs every time I need it. Plus, I can't use the wet stone in the basement because I don't have water access down there. What would you recommend for a compact sharpening setup that doesn't require water access or electricity? I'm also looking for tips on using sharpening guides. I'm in France, so something available in Europe would be great. Thanks for your help!
4 Answers
I also live in an apartment, and I use a baking pan to hold my water stone. I keep a spray bottle handy or have a bowl of water nearby while sharpening. Just sprinkle some water on the stone whenever it starts to dry out. Works like a charm!
Diamond stones don’t need water at all. I just keep a small spray bottle of Windex for when I sharpen, and it works great. They also don’t require flattening like water stones do. I got mine cheap on Amazon, but I’m not completely satisfied. If anyone has better recommendations, I’d love to hear them!
Since I don’t have running water in my shop either, I use splash-and-go stones that don’t require soaking. Just a spray bottle of water does the job! I also have a bucket to handle any waste. Just a heads up, though - cheaper diamond stones don’t last as long as you'd hope. Water stones might be a better investment in the long run.
I’m in the same situation! I found some cheap diamond stones on Amazon that do the trick. Something like this: [https://www.amazon.fr/-/en/Sharpening-Diamond-Surface-Honeycomb-Sharpeners/dp/B09YGDDT12/](https://www.amazon.fr/-/en/Sharpening-Diamond-Surface-Honeycomb-Sharpeners/dp/B09YGDDT12/). You can get sets that include 2000 grit, but I think just having 1200 grit and a strop is good enough. Rex Krugger has a helpful video on assembling them into a nice sharpening station too! Check it out if you can.
That's actually what I do for my kitchen knives too! It’s a handy trick.