A Three-Stone Sharpener

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Maintenance is a must for your fine knives and tool blades; make it easy with . . .

To a person accustomed to working with cutting tools, a sharp edgeS is one of life's little pleasures. And few whetstone wielders would deny that the triple-face sharpener shown here is a great new twist on an old grind.

To begin with, the tool is sturdy yet compact, which is a welcome combination in a work area where space is at a premium. In addition, its multiple-stone arbor provides coarse, medium, or fine honing surfaces at the turn of a handle and secures each one in position with a simple horseshoe pin clamp. Furthermore, the arbor rests in an oil- or water-filled pan that continually bathes the two unused stones in their appropriate lubricating medium. If you wish, you can also make a protective cover that doubles as a ramp for use with the roller-type chisel- and plane-blade sharpening guides popular with many woodworkers.

If you think you might like to give this inexpensive multiple-stone hone a try, you'll need to gather up a 32" length of 1 X 4, a piece of 3/4" plywood or one-by that's at least 4-1/4" wide and about 14" long, a block of hardwood measuring 2" X 2" X 3", a 1/2" X 12" steel shaft, a 3/32" X 1-1/2" expansion pin, a 1/2"-bore, 3"-diameter pulley, a 3/16" X 13" steel rod, a 1/2" X 9-1/2" rubber hose with a 3/16" orifice, a 1/8" X 3/4" X 20-1/4" piece of aluminum flat stock, a 2-1/2"-deep, 5-1/4" X 9-1/4" bread pan, three 3/4" X 2" X 7" sharpening stones in your choice of composition and grade, and the assorted fastening hardware called for in our illustration.

The box is easily made by first ripping the 1 X 4 down to 2-3/4" in width, then cutting it into two 5-1/4" and two 10-3/4" pieces. Drill a 1/2" hole, centered and 3/8" below one edge of each of the shorter boards, then fasten the box sides to the ends using eight No. 6 X 1-1/4" flathead wood screws. (Take the time to countersink the heads and fill the holes, too.)

Next, push the pan firmly into the frame and mark the positions for the holes that will receive the arbor shaft, using the 1/2" bores in the ends as guides. Remove the pan to drill the openings, then set it back in place and secure it to the box with four No. 6 X 1 /2" wood screws fastened through the rim lip.

To make the arbor, you'll first need to cut the hardwood block into an equilateral triangle with 1/2"-wide flats instead of corners. Then, by carefully dividing lines struck between the centers of each opposite flat surface, you can determine the exact center of the block and bore it longitudinally with a 1/2" Forstner or auger bit. With this done, cut the piece into three 1 "-wide sections to make a set of triangles.

Before you install the blocks, slide one of them onto the shaft until it's at a point that will correspond with the center of the bread pan when the arbor's in place. Then drill a 3/32" hole through a wide flat, the middle of the rod, and part of the block behind it. Remove the wood, and slip the shaft into the holes in the frame and pan, sliding the blocks on as you go and making certain the drilled piece is in the center.

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