Thread: I finally cut my hones in half! Worked out great!

So there was a thread about a year ago about cutting Norton hones in half with a hacksaw that had caught my interest as I like the idea of narrower hones, and having twice the hones to work with.

Well my grandpa happened to have bought a diamond blade tile cutter about 6 months ago because the price was the same as renting it. This is the model Mastercraft Wet Tile Saw | Canadian Tire He was lucky enough to get the saw for $50

It worked prefectly, no chips and didn't take long at all. The two hones I cut were the Norton 220/1k and 4k/8k.
I cut the 4k/8k directly down the middle, but I cut the 220/1k with a 1/4 inch offset, and I am using the 220 side of the larger half as a lapping stone, I used a hacksaw to cut grooves in it, and it works better then I expected actually, and I did lap it after cutting the grooves on 180 grit paper and then 320.

If you wanted a narrow hone, all you had to do was draw a line down the middle and hone on half of the hone.

Oh well, if you're happy, that's great. After all, now you have twice as many hones.

I do like your conversion of the 220 into a lapper!

Interesting. I considered the same thing for making a lighter weight hone for traveling. I'm curious to learn how your narrow width hones perform.

The reason I like narrow hones is the size and for honing warped and smiling razor. But also I just prefer the size as I have a narrow 12k chinese.

As far as usability goes there's not much difference. I do really like having the lapping stone and twice the 4k and 8k.

I have a razor that is slightly warped. It does seem to strop better on one of my more narrow setups. If that's the case, then it would seem to make sense that a narrower hone would work for the razor as well. Thanks again for the post.

Originally Posted by diyguy

I have a razor that is slightly warped. It does seem to strop better on one of my more narrow setups. If that's the case, then it would seem to make sense that a narrower hone would work for the razor as well.

But it doesn't make sense. The exact same stroke that you need to use to keep the blade on a narrow hone is EXACTLY the same stroke that you can use on a wide hone. If you need the visual aid, draw a line down the center of the hone and hone on your new narrow hone. I guarantee that the same stroke done on a narrow hone can be accomplished on a wide hone.

Originally Posted by Utopian

But it doesn't make sense. The exact same stroke that you need to use to keep the blade on a narrow hone is EXACTLY the same stroke that you can use on a wide hone. If you need the visual aid, draw a line down the center of the hone and hone on your new narrow hone. I guarantee that the same stroke done on a narrow hone can be accomplished on a wide hone.

There are many who have metioned that warped blades register better on a narrow hone. Personaly, I have enouph razors not to bother with warped blades, but some do.

Originally Posted by Utopian

But it doesn't make sense. The exact same stroke that you need to use to keep the blade on a narrow hone is EXACTLY the same stroke that you can use on a wide hone. If you need the visual aid, draw a line down the center of the hone and hone on your new narrow hone. I guarantee that the same stroke done on a narrow hone can be accomplished on a wide hone.

Ron you are fighting a losing battle my friend, there are just way to many people that cannot see the truth of what you are saying...I fell for the rhetoric a few years back and cut down a set... Luckily it cost me only time and about 6 hacksaw blades the hones were given as part of a deal that if I did the work he supplied the hones...
I only wasted my time to do it, I still have the set, and I haven't used them in two years at least.... As there is nothing they can do that a 8x3 sized honed can't do... BUT the belief still exists out there that thinner hones can be an advantage on Smiling, Warped, mis-honed or whatever razors...

I know, I know, and I'm the guy that bought a set of all four Norton half hones that I have not touched in a couple of years. In other words, it cost me a little more, so I'm trying to help others avoid that mistake.

I guess we should point out the the size issue cuts both ways too, you can do anything on a thinner hone that you can do on a wider hone except the rare straight down the hone stroke...