Turn Sharpmaker into bench stone

CSG

CSG

Joined
Dec 15, 2007
Messages
1,422
I recently got a Sharpmaker after reading all the buzz and wanting some crock sticks longer than the 4" pair that come with the Smith's 3-in-1. I still missed having the flexibility of having a bench stone though and was looking at maybe getting one or two of Spyderco's stones when I finally caught a bit on the Sharpmaker DVD that showed pairing the stones together in the bottom of the base and thus creating about a 1x7 bench stone. Well, duh! That's brilliant and you'd think Spyderco would make a big point of that in their marketing.

The only issue is that the unit slips and slides unless you set it on a grippy surface (I tend to sharpen on the kitchen counter or dining table. Sure, you can use a piece of leather, maybe a towel (didn't work well for me), or a non-slip rubber mat like that rubber shelf liner but I ended up buying a little pack of assorted rubber self stick bumper feet at Lowe's and stuck those on both the top lid (so it holds as a bench stone when inverted) and on the base so I can use two hands two guide the blade on the rods. I didn't want to screw the base down in a specific location. I'm sorta surprised Spyderco doesn't include at least one set of bumper feet for the base which allows a good purchase on a smooth surface.

Great sharpener! But for a third less than the price of the diamond rods, I ended up buying a coarse DMT Dia-Sharp 6" bench stone for that part of blade work.
 
I bought the Soft Touch Bumper Value pack from Lowe's for under $4. On the base, I used flat, what appear to be silicon, disks. These ride below where the rods set. You wouldn't want a foot as tall or taller than the flat of the rods as they sit side by side. On the top, I used some soft dot bumper feet (six altogether) which provides plenty of grip on the surfaces I use.

As a 1x7 bench stone with medium and fine surfaces as well as the standard configuration, it's a helluva deal.
 
Ended up pulling off the soft rubber dots on the top lid and replacing them with the same silicon type discs as on the bottom. Absolutely no need to screw the thing down in normal position to free up a second hand. Using both hands to guide the blade improves the effectiveness of the unit over using one hand. This is particularly beneficial in keeping the tip on the rods and not allowing it to pull off. I'm sure a rubber gripper shelf paper mat would work just as well but these discs are on the unit all the time so nothing else is required for a firm grip in regular use or turned over for bench stone use.

I can't find the product that I bought at Lowe's online but this is similar:

http://www.amazon.com/Self-Adhesive...words=self+adhesive+clear+cylindrical+bumpers

They are self-adhesive, clear, low profile, rubber discs. 3/8 or 1/2" would be best.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top