Sharp Pie

[Peter Nowlan]

I think this little pie chart represents how a lot of folks divide up their sharpening with different stones.

My Stone Box, well some of them anyway



Thanks for looking

[milkbaby]

What, no feeling for burrs? That makes me sad.

[Peter Nowlan]

That's all part of the coarse stone stage my friend, it's an excellent observation on your part but definitely a piece of the pie.
Maybe I should fix that though, thank you.

[Kit Craft]

Interesting! For a very long time, long before I got into waterstones I would have been in the green 100% of the time. Now, I spend about 90% of the time doing touch ups on an aono aoto, so around 2k. Me, I would figure the 1-2k to be the larger section. I belong to a few other forums and I swear many of the guys don't own anything other than a 1k/6k or 1k/8k!

Would you suppose this chart more represents pro's and sharpening enthusiasts than it does those who sharpen for utility? I have no basis for figuring this sort of thing out but you have piqued my curiosity!

[Peter Nowlan]

Absolutely Kit, this is my world and differs from folks who sharpen their own knives. I'm aware that many people start with a 1,000 grit stone and that's the coarsest stone they need.

When the obsession started kicking in for me, when I had all the eagerness but lacked knowledge, coarse stones were not even on my radar. Now as the chart indicates, they play the most important role of all.

So the bottom line is that nobody should be influenced by the chart, it's my personal timeline and depicts how my journey unfolds. It's not a guide.

[Kit Craft]

Absolutely Kit, this is my world and differs from folks who sharpen their own knives. I'm aware that many people start with a 1,000 grit stone and that's the coarsest stone they need.

When the obsession started kicking in for me, when I had all the eagerness but lacked knowledge, coarse stones were not even on my radar. Now as the chart indicates, they play the most important role of all.

So the bottom line is that nobody should be influenced by the chart, it's my personal timeline and depicts how my journey unfolds. It's not a guide.

Awesome, thanks for sharing with us! I should sit down and figure out my own sharpening timeline out of curiosity. It would be more or less easy now but remembering back, not so much.

[Jason H]

For me, I would have to add another 5% slice to capture the time I spend cutting paper and vegetables to test their sharpness. I must be a nerd.