Thread: Anyone cut down a Norton?

Has anyone ever cut down a 3" Norton to say 2" or 1 1/2" etc.? What did you find to be the best way to go abouts it?

They used to make Norton 4K/8K stones in a 2 inch wide model but I can't seem to find them anymore. It seems like they have been discontinued; however, I have seen them in the for sale section on occasion. If you wanted to cut the stone I would imagine that you would have to use a diamond coated blade because the Norton would dull your normal blade very fast. I am not sure how you would keep the stone from chipping.

The chipping (as in blowing up) is where I'm concerned. I've had the pleasure of having a few grinding wheels blow up in my face over the years by being stupid and taking the easy way out. This would be the opposite approach, metal to the sander. A diamond wheel would do it for sure, but I'm not sure if that's the only option. What would be trick is those high pressure water cutters.

Yeah I think they still make the 2 1/2" Norton's. I've seen them around (or maybe it's the 2", my memory gets worse as I get older). I was thinking about cutting one [3"] down to 1 1/2" so I would basically have two hones out of one. Maybe make one 2" and the other 1" for when a real narrow hone comes in handy? I've got a bunch of 1", 1 1/2", and 2" natural hones and a few barber hones. I said it in another post but I really like working with the smaller widths with razors.

Use a metal cutting bandsaw blade. They work just fine.

Has anyone tried a wetsaw for ceramic tile? I bought one of these for my remodeling project, and I'm curious as to whether it would work for hones.

Josh

One of our members, Kelly, cut his Norton, and I remember he had difficulties doing it...

Nenad

Originally Posted by JoshEarl

Has anyone tried a wetsaw for ceramic tile? I bought one of these for my remodeling project, and I'm curious as to whether it would work for hones.

Josh

I use a flat bed wet diamond wheel tile cutter for cutting my hones. Works a treat. This has cut Arkansas, Norton, Coticule, Thuringen and the H.......... stone I got off TM. Can never remember the dam name of that hone. The cut is about 2-3 mm (less than an 1/8" ) so the wastage is low and the cut is perfect true and smooth.

PuFF

Originally Posted by randydance062449

Use a metal cutting bandsaw blade. They work just fine.

Thanks for the tip Randy. I was thinking maybe a band saw as the width of the blade would take less off than say a circular saw. My neighbor has a really nice Grizzly that he told me I can use any time I want, but I have to get my own blades. I think this would be a good candidate for getting my own blade.

Use a diamond blade for cutting Nortons or other whetstones. I have a lapidary saw that is used wet and I get good clean cuts with it. I also have a diamond blade for my RotoZip and I use that as well but it's used dry. I've cut granite and marble with it as well with no problem. Be absolutely sure to use a good dust mask and safety glasses when you do this! You risk silicosis by breathing in whetstone dust and that ain't pretty. BTW, I don't use those white paper masks as I don't think they do the job very well and my lungs are one of my favorite organs. I use a full lexan face mask with two dust filters. They cost about $100 and Grainger carries them. I use a full face mask because I've had stuff go in my eyes past safety glasses and a plastic face shield. Stuff bounces up under the shield and gets around the safety glasses. After having that happen several times I spoke with an Industrial Safety Expert who works for a major industrial firm and he told me to stop fooling around with cheap masks and goggles. I took his advice and haven't regretted it. I know some folks just use safety goggles but I happen to like the rest of my face as well!