Besides Rockler and Woodcraft (too far), are there any places locally that sell sharpening stones? Preferably Waterstones and DMT stones. I also am looking for a local store that carrys an 8" Norton Combination India Stone.
I know Home Depot sells a smaller Norton Sharpening stone but I don't believe it is the same as the India combination stones.
I think your best bet would be to find any woodworking specialty shops in your area. And if it were me, I'd still look into Woodcraft if they're anywhere within a 30 or 60 minute drive. I drove about 30+ miles last week to my 'local' Woodcraft store, and was surprised and relatively impressed with the selection of DMT diamond hones they had in the store. And I'm pretty sure they also carry waterstones, although I don't recall which brand. If they're even remotely nearby, I think it'd be worth calling them and asking specifically what they have in stock, so you hopefully won't waste the gas in driving all the way over there. Woodcraft is kind of a cool store, anyway. Lots of interesting tools & other stuff that you probably won't see very often elsewhere.
I looked online at Home Depot's website the other day, as I had also seen a Norton combo stone in their store. I'm virtually certain it's NOT the India stone (it's priced way too cheap at $4.99). The India stones are more expensive ($15 - $20 or maybe a little more).
Another possibility might be some of the bigger sporting goods outlets (like Cabela's or Bass Pro Shops, if they're nearby). DMT is a pretty popular brand in many of the hunting supply shops. Not sure about the waterstones there, though.
And barring that, if you already have a specific type/brand/model in mind, I still think it would be worth considering ordering online, and let the UPS/Fedex folks bring it to your doorstep, if driving to a local shop is still too impractical.
