Too often my workbench pulls duty for a variety of tasks, forcing me to find another shop location to sharpen my tools. I also teach woodworking classes, taking my hand tools on the road. For both reasons, I needed a portable solution for sharpening with waterstones.
What I came up with is basic and compact, but it keeps my benchtop clean. It’s just a 7/16 x 12 x 18" polypropylene cutting board with a “juice groove” around the perimeter and two pieces of ¼ x ¼ x 9" UHMW (ultra high molecular weight) plastic attached with ten 6-32 x 5/8" stainless steel flat head machine screws (five screws/strip). The cutting board cost $7.95 at a local discount department store; UHMW plastic is available from specialty woodworking shops.
I drilled through holes, countersunk the underside of the cutting board, and drilled and tapped the UHMW. I spaced the UHMW bars about ¼" farther apart than my longest 8" stone. Actually, my 8" stones vary from 7¾" to 8¼", so for my station I placed the bars 8½" apart. I cut a bunch of cherry wedges of varying thicknesses so I can accommodate all of the stones I currently use. The wedges are placed opposing each other and are used to lock the stones in place. The “juice groove” around the perimeter keeps water off the bench, and the board easily cleans up when I’m done.
I set the whole apparatus on a piece of non-slip shelf liner (which comes in 12" wide rolls), and it really secures everything nicely. I can apply as much pressure as I want and nothing moves. The handle hole makes it easy to pull out from under my bench and can also be used to hang it on the wall.
