Show us your sharpening stone boxes.

[swagman]

The following is an update on the box I am making for my Welsh Llyn Idwell Grecian Stone.



The box after being mortised out and spirit stained ready for the stone to be seated. The timber used is Tasmanian Huon Pine.
http://www.wood-database.com/huon-pine/



A black caulking is used to seal the stone within its mortised housing.



Tomorrow I can apply 2 coats of wax to the stained surface and buff it to a respectable sheen. Final photo to submit.

If any other members have recently made a box to house their sharpening stones, your quite welcome to add your own photo's.

Stewie;

 

[swagman]

Attached are the final photo's after 2 coats of wax was applied.






Off cut of Huon Pine.


Stewie;

 

[swagman]

So no other members have bothered to make themselves a sharpening stone box.

Stewie;

 

[Jacob]

I've had the same two boxes for about 40 years. I made them both. They are much like yours but unfinished, except by mineral oil and 40 years of use. They aren't very interesting at all.

 

[swagman]

Appreciate the feedback Jacob.

Stewie;

 

[AJB Temple]

I don't use boxes. Pointless for me. I have a set of six splash and go Naniwa stones that I use for kitchen knives mainly, but the coarser ones get used for plane blades as well occasionally. I also have a couple of J nats and some finger stones. I used to use an adjustable rubber base for the stones, but these days I put the stones directly onto a damp cloth to stop them sliding about. They are stored edge on in a drawer to give air circulation.

 

[AndyT]

I made a box for an oilstone and posted a summary of how I made it.

This was in Feb 2014, so I expect you will have already seen it, Stewie.

oilstone-box-t77502.html

 

[RossJarvis]

I don't use boxes. Pointless for me. I have a set of six splash and go Naniwa stones that I use for kitchen knives mainly, but the coarser ones get used for plane blades as well occasionally. I also have a couple of J nats and some finger stones. I used to use an adjustable rubber base for the stones, but these days I put the stones directly onto a damp cloth to stop them sliding about. They are stored edge on in a drawer to give air circulation.

My "water stones" are either in a medium size Tupperware box or their own plastic boxes. Not worth showing to anyone

 

[carpenteire2009]

Here are three of mine,all made from mahogany scavenged from an old pub table top. Nothing special, ones was chopped out by hand, with the other two I removed the bulk of the waste with a router. Finished with multiple thin coats of polyurethane varnish, wiped on. The stones are an old Norton "Pike" novaculite, and two modern Norton India stones.

 

[Mike Jordan]

I'll risk sending everyone to sleep, on the left and oak box containing a norton india medium, on the right a non specific brown hardwood one containing what i think may be an arkansas. Its very hard and fine and was given to me as am apprentice with the information that it was very old and had been used as a razor sharpening stone. it took hours of hard work to flatten out the hollow on each face but it is a very good stone. The only point of interest (literally) is the countersunk screw in the end of each box, these are allowed to project about one millimeter below the base of the box and anchor the stone on the bench when in use. The small drawback is the damage done when the boxes are stacked on top of each over in my tool case, it has taken well over 50 years to do the damage you can just see on one of the lids, so not really a major problem.

 

[Mike Jordan]

Having thrown in my photo I would be interested to know why you have chosen to bed your stone into the box with caulk. I have never seen this done other than in the instance of pieces of natural stone flattened only on one face and set into a box using a cement mortar to hold the rough face.
Mike.

 

[Mike Jordan]

T

 

[MIGNAL]

I have a small wall mounted shelf that I use for sharpening. Given that I don't have to carry sharpening media to site work I don't really see the need for a box. A holder of some description perhaps, if only to stop it sliding around.

 

[adrspach]

Thinking of that with the need to make boxes for my stones my woodworking journey started. However also thinking of how long is the journey and there are not many boxes out of it.
I will try to find some pictures and post them.

 

[adrspach]

That was the first box even thought the hone was not mine. My friend from Boston US asked me to find him CF when they were not that known.
That single hone started my obsesion with colecting naturals.
However thinking of how effective is my hone box making it is not. Learning a lot but the practice is laughable.
The material for the box is some left overs from neighbour's hardwood decking. Finish is just simple Reneisance wax.

 

[swagman]

Having thrown in my photo I would be interested to know why you have chosen to bed your stone into the box with caulk. I have never seen this done other than in the instance of pieces of natural stone flattened only on one face and set into a box using a cement mortar to hold the rough face.
Mike.

Mike the following I posted on a another forum may help answer your questions.

Bront; Huon Pine was chosen as its a naturally oily timber, highly resistant to moisture decay. Its traditionally a rare practice to stain the inside of an enclosed box. Had the outer box remained a light coloured timber, its surface would have been susceptible to later unsightly staining from the combination of lubricant and stone slurry. The use of a caulking seal to prevent moisture entering the lower housing of the box is self explanatory. Traditionally, tar/pitch was used. As a reference to historic practice you may find the following informative. https://www.google.com.au/search?q=i...il+stone+boxes

Appreciate your questions.

StewieS;

 

[swagman]

I should mention their are a number of approaches available on whether to permanently house the stone within its box. For example, if your wanting to add a hinged lid to the box, its unlikely you would choose to permanently seat the stone within its lower half. A Carborundum or India Combination stone is self explanatory. I have 4 stones in my workshop that I chose to adhere to a piece of float glass. Whatever the choice made, It is generally considered good practice to store your stones in such away that the top surface is not left exposed to foreign contamination.

Stewie;

 

[Biliphuster]

Some nice boxes on display here, certainly better finished than the box I keep my Arkansas in.

I notice that no one has inserted blocks of wood at either end of the stone. As I understand it they are to stop you dropping off the end of the stone, which is something I would find useful as I do sometimes knick a blade this way (I endeavor to use the whole stone, thus keeping it flat).

Has anyone else used these? I can see problems involving uneven wear and some way needed to bring them flush with the stone surface.

 

[swagman]

More than likely the end blocks were installed to lock the stone within its mortised housing. You find old boxes where they have either been screwed down or just tapped in place. If there was a need to remove the stone from its lower housing, you could simply remove the blocks to loosen the stone out. The use of jigs was less fashionable back in those early days, so its unlikely they were installed for that purpose. A bit of a question mark on why some of these blocks would have been installed flush to the top surface of the stone, for the reasons you outlined.

 

[Jacob]

I'll risk sending everyone to sleep, on the left and oak box containing a norton india medium, on the right a non specific brown hardwood one containing what i think may be an arkansas. Its very hard and fine and was given to me as am apprentice with the information that it was very old and had been used as a razor sharpening stone. it took hours of hard work to flatten out the hollow on each face but it is a very good stone. The only point of interest (literally) is the countersunk screw in the end of each box, these are allowed to project about one millimeter below the base of the box and anchor the stone on the bench when in use. The small drawback is the damage done when the boxes are stacked on top of each over in my tool case, it has taken well over 50 years to do the damage you can just see on one of the lids, so not really a major problem.

:shock: oops sorry, nodding off. :|
Ingenious fixing of box to bench!
What I do is just sit the box on the bench. If I'm being very energetic I might sit it against a bench stop, or on top of a bench hook, or anything - nail in the bench?
I wouldn't bother flattening the stones (hours of completely unnecessary hard work).
I can't think of anything interesting to say about my boxes they are really boring, so I'll just nod off again if that's alright. Night night, sleep tight.