NortonNorton Waterstone Flatstone, Flattening Stone with Stone Holder and Case, Pack of 1

this Norton flattening stone? Straight-up gotta have it if you're messin' with waterstones. It's a rough and tough stone that gets your sharpening stones flat, quick. And that's, like, super important if you don't want your edges comin' out all wonky.The lines on it? They help get rid of all the gunk when you're flattenin'. Plus, they throw in a little holder thing and a case, which is pretty sweet for keepin' things tidy and stable.Made down in Mexico, this thing's totally useful and key for keepin' your waterstones in top-notch shape.This review represents my personal opinion and experience with this product. I am not affiliated with the manufacturer or seller, and this review should not be interpreted as an endorsement or professional advice. Any reliance on the information provided is at your own risk.

My water stones include 250, 400, 600, 1000, 1000, 1000, and 6000.They were quite dished from much use. For the first flattening effort this Norton flattening stone got quite a workout.The Norton flattening stone was quite flat when received. I checked with straight edge, both the top and bottom--very flat.After working all 8 water stones I used the straight edge to check water stones for flatness. Huge improvement but not literally flat. Checked the flattening stone. Well now the flattening stone was dished just a little. So I flipped the stone over and used the very flat bottom for just a few more strokes. That finished all 8 stones nicely.To restore the flatness of the Norton stone I used a strip of 80 grit abrasive paper on top of a piece of granite counter. {I DID NOT do this on my kitchen granite counter. It was a scrap piece of granite from a countertop installer.) Just a few passes were enough.This Norton stone is aggressive. Its job is to eat away the high spots of water stones. Pay attention to the surface of the water stone. STOP when it is flat, or you'll grind away the expensive water stone.Check water stones for flatness using a good straight edge. Often that will be a tool like a tri-square. But ONLY use the straight edge. It does not matter if the working surface is square to the edges, only that the surface is FLAT. One smooth plane like a geometry class. The flat working surface of my stones was square to the edges when purchased but after a bit of use it was easy to see that the top and bottom were not parallel -- but those surfaces were each FLAT.Woodworkers can build up a very expensive set of edge tools like chisels and planes. The stones for keeping them sharp cost real money, too. Making and maintaining proper edges becomes hopeless when the stones are no longer truly flat. This flattening stone makes a real difference at a very reasonable price.A diamond plate would be nice but this flattening stone is just 10% to 20% the cost of a diamond plate.

nice and flat works very well..

I'm an old-timer, well into my sixth decade, and also a third generation craftsman. My dad and granddad both had oil stones and by choice, and also virtue of my occupation in the metal trades, I have acquired well over a dozen different oil stones, some of which have suffered neglect. I was torn between this product and a diamond plate but settled on this Norton Flattening Stone. Man was I ever surprised at how well this thing works - and fairly quickly too. My first test was on an India Oil Stone and I used it dry, without any water. It was easy to see how the diagonal groves filled with dust from the India stone. The grooves clean out easily with an old shoe brush. BTW, all oil stones were pre-cleaned with brake cleaner prior to grinding. I make plenty of custom stones for hard to reach areas and this flattening stone works wonders for dressing a surface flat after a rough cut with a diamond wheel. Subsequent to my dry test, most all of my work has been done with water and a few drops of dish soap in an old steel baking pan. If you are working in your wife's kitchen sink you better protect it from the grit which will ruin porcelain or stainless.There seems to be some obsession in the comments regarding the degree of flatness. This seems odd to me but whatever. Oil stones and water stones are for hand sharpening - it's not a precision surface grinding operation, and the advantage here is that the craftsman can (if he or she chooses to) use a little "English" on one side of the stone or the other. To each his own I suppose.Negatives: it comes in a cheesy thin plastic box which does not allow for venting of the moisture in any meaningful way. If they must use plastic, use a proper "alloy".

Works very well on any stone. Fast flattening, with no touch-up needed.Great value and convenience when compared to other methods.

Used to flatten water stones. After 4 or 5 uses the flattening stone put a curve in my waterstones instead of flattening them. I am in the process of replacing it with a diamond lapping plate.

As may other reviewers said, my stone was also not flat, but it still gets the job done. When one end is pressed against a flat surface, the other end sticks up about 1/2mm, so it's not too bad. Still flattens dished stones (well) side-side. The strange thing is that the entire stone is not warped. The "back" (non-grooved) side of the stone is completely flat, so I can just finish up with that. It's still pretty usable, and removes material quickly. It was decent enough to not hassle with returning. But... it should be flat.

Big, powerful, multi functional. This is a big stone which is great because you need that for flattening 8 inch stones. Both sides were flat out of the box. Also the backside can be used for knife repair and course reprofiling. It’s great for light touchups before your stone gets totally dished out. And as mentioned for rough cutting blades on the backside. Very useful and necessary if you have Japanese whetstones. Initially it will leave some roughness to your stone after use but this roughness where is away quickly when sharpening.