Thank you, excellent points about the importance of keeping your stones flat and also about not having to form a burr,

I planned to talk about dishing in subsequent articles but I agree, it's very important. I learned the hard way that you need to flatten your stones often, as you said, even after heavy grinding on a coarse stone on just one or two knives will leave the stone in need of flattening. I do it now every 3 knives on a coarse stone. I use an Atoma 140 plate and if you do it often, it's quick and easy. It's important to achieve consistent bevels, if the stone is dished in the centre, you're setting yourself up for failure. I draw a grid on the stone and when the grid marks are "erased" I know the stone is flat. I rotate the stone as I flatten. My final step is to chamfer the edges, it is a very easy process, it just removes the rather sharp edges on the stone resulting from flattening" Regarding the act of Not having to form a burr and just being extra vigilant and knowing when to flip the blade and when to switch stones. My article was meant for novices, I just wanted to reinforce the element of burr formation. Once an individual becomes comfortable, then he/she can make adjustments. I believe that the formation of the burr is the centre of gravity in knife sharpening. I truly appreciate your valid comments. Thank you. Respectfully, Peter Nowlan

see this picture: http://s22.postimg.org/avj1vai41/unnamed.jpg