Originally Posted by
JoshEarl
Matt,
A couple of thoughts here: How is your stone oriented in relation to your body? Are you sitting or standing while honing?
Changing these two factors made a big difference for me early on. I was honing side to side. When I started pointing the stone away from my body and honing toward and away from me, I was able to get a much more even stroke.
Sitting down instead of standing up also helped. Keep your elbow high--don't rest it on the table. This gets the hone closer to your eyes, so you can see better. It also allows your arm to travel freely during the stroke.
Also, are you using an X pattern or going straight across the hone? You can go straight across with a 3-inch Norton, but in my book an X is still better. Although X doesn't X--go figure. :)
Keep at it,
Josh