Cutting a waterstone?

Ernie1980

Ernie1980

Joined
Apr 19, 2012
Messages
8,099
Hey all!

I use norton water stones for sharpening, and they are larger than I need. I would like to cut them in half to share with my brother, but could find nothing with an internet search except use a wet tile saw. Have any of you tried to cut one using a masonary hack saw blade?? I don't want to buy one for nothing:)

Thanks!
 
Ernie1980 said:
Hey all!

I use norton water stones for sharpening, and they are larger than I need. I would like to cut them in half to share with my brother, but could find nothing with an internet search except use a wet tile saw. Have any of you tried to cut one using a masonary hack saw blade?? I don't want to buy one for nothing:)

Thanks!
Click to expand...

They are easily cut with a diamond sawsall blade and some water. I also picked up one of the handles that let you use it as a hand saw. It goes fairly quickly.
 
Ernie1980 said:
Hey all!

I use norton water stones for sharpening, and they are larger than I need. I would like to cut them in half to share with my brother, but could find nothing with an internet search except use a wet tile saw. Have any of you tried to cut one using a masonary hack saw blade?? I don't want to buy one for nothing:)

Thanks!
Click to expand...

Then you're not using them correctly. In all seriousness, I can sharpen a 2" blade on mine, and use the entire stone. You're also going to lose some of the stone in the cut itself, and can possibly weaken or crack the stone. Just a bit to think about.
 
cbwx34 said:
Then you're not using them correctly. In all seriousness, I can sharpen a 2" blade on mine, and use the entire stone. You're also going to lose some of the stone in the cut itself, and can possibly weaken or crack the stone. Just a bit to think about.
Click to expand...

I actually cut some of mine in half lengthwise to reduce the need for lapping them flat - had an easier time working the surface with a more narrow stone. Wish I hadn't now as I've since learned to just use the entire surface while I grind no matter what size stone, keeping it reasonably flat all the time.

I've also taken a 1/4" slice off the end of all my waterstones to have a matched stone for unclogging them, whipping up some mud, and working down any areas that don't get hit with the tool I'm sharpening.
 
I use a cheap wet tilesaw from lowes to cut Arkansas stones and it works fantastically. If you need them perfectly straight and smooth cut then a tile saw is probably your best bet. If it doesnt have to be perfect (and it sounds like it doesn't) i'd go with HeavyHanded's approach and use a diamond saw. It'll cost less and get the job just as done as a tile saw.
 
Member KssKss, aka, Ken Schwartz would be the one to ask, he cuts stones of all types regularly.
 
PM sent to Ernie. Thanks for the referral, Jason!

Please clarify if you mean cut in half along the length, width or thickness of the stone.

---
Ken
 
Way off topic, and if a mod thinks this is the wrong place for this comment i understand, but i feel like it needs to be mentioned in this forum specifically.

This isn't against you, Ken, or you, Jason, just something i have noticed happening in the MT&E forum. It's just a habit i have seen adopted by some of the members here. A lot of questions about how to do this or that have been ending up with a member either offering to do it for them or suggesting a professional on this forum that can do it for them. I feel like these "solutions" have been killing a lot of the potential conversations here. All of a sudden a thread turns into PM's and emails and the thread dies off with no real solution or conclusion for other forumites who might have the same questions or concerns. I understand that some of the members here are running a business and trying to make a living, and i'm not trying to attack them. I'm just asking if you could keep the conversation in the thread so any helpful information that can be gleamed from the topic, can be. And if the person does decide to take you up on your offer, good for you. That's all i gotta say. And again, i don't intend this as a personal attack or anything. Just mild observations.
 
The net result of our off thread conversation was that I suggested a way that some had tried - using a hacksaw. I neither endorsed or objected to it as this is not a technique I use. He said he would try this out and if he had a problem he would contact me. Regarding how I cut stones, this is proprietary information - both for the poster and anyone else. While I readily share sharpening techniques, I will not share my proprietary techniques. I hope you understand that leaving someone with vague information that almost certainly dooms them to failure is unfair and that professionals are also under no obligation to tell all, since my career in this field and other fields is littered with my generously providing information to individuals who then become my competitors. It is a delicate balancing act.

I have spent considerable time effort and expense developing my techniques, littered with broken stones and failures to do what I now do mostly successfully. There is still an element of risk and physical danger regarding my techniques. If a person has a stone costing $1000, I strongly suggest that this be done by someone with the experience to successfully do this. If I might be so arrogant, this is something I am almost uniquely skilled at doing. In this case the risk associated is relatively small and the shipping costs plus cutting fee make it less than ideal for the OP to send it to me. My net gain in this transaction was zero - minus time spent giving advice to the OP. I have no problem contributing my time freely to this community.

I consider it a kindness to the OP and generous of Jason to have alerted me to this thread so I could respond. For this I publicly thank him. Hopefully the OP was well served by my comments postings and PMs.

I hope this answer gives some more information to the readers of the thread and explains my actions - and doesn't give anyone the feeling that they were left out of the conversation.

Thanks for asking the question and giving me the opportunity to respond.

---
Ken
 
Working as an electrician channeling condiut in 200 year old stone buildings
I used an angle grinder, side grinder, disc grinder to cut old hardened crystazlised limestone

A diamond tipped blade will go thru a waterstone with ease
 
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