Sharpening: Are water stones really better?
My father taught me to sharpen his kitchen knives on traditional Arkansas oil stones, and I've continued to sharpen my woodwoorking tools on the two (soft and hard black) I inherited from him. But, getting more seriously into woodworking, I've now spent some time on the internet and heard about the miracle of Japanese water stones. My question is: are they really significantly improved over my oil stones to justify the expense of my getting a set? I can get a pretty decent edge using my oil stones, but possibly not the "extra extra visible-only-under-an-electron-microscope one-molecule-thick sharp" edge I hear bandied about after sharpening using water stones. (Some exaggeration for dramatic effect.) I also have to resharpen more often than I care to, although that might be more due to the inferior quality of my chisels (blue-handled Irwins -- I'm saving up for Ashley Iles as we speak).
If they are worth my switching over, what is considered the basic set I would need? What grits, flattening equipment, etc.? (I'm sharpening only chisels and plane blades, nothing fancy like carving tools.) And what are recommended types and brands? There are so many water stones out there that I'm tempted to paste all the advertisements to a wall and throw a dart at them to choose.
Advice, lectures, rants, and bickering all appreciated.
May as Well Throw in my 2¢
I think all of the above are correct.
What works best for one person is not necessarily the best for another.
So if it works, don't fix it. If it isn't working, then investigate the alternatives.
I have oil and water stones and find the water stones are used more often.
Most of the time a blade that has been sharpened before will only need a touch up with the 4000 then the 8000 to get hair splitting sharp.
To contain the mess, my wife hauled me to a big box department store. We checked in kitchen, bath and automotive and found the cheapest rubber mat. The floor mats in automotive were on sale, so that sealed the deal. Also bought a plastic 5 quart container to keep the stones in. Don't leave something like this in a place where it might freeze.
The mat we bought has a ridge all around, so it contains the water. Some still occasionally gets on the bench.
My experience is water stones are more aggressive than oil stones. For production blade sharpening, this is a good thing.
For putting on a little water during use, a very small hole was drilled in the cap of a water bottle. A little squeeze and there is more water on the stone. Keep an old towel handy to wipe the blades. Before using the water bottle, one of my grandkids sippy cups did the trick. Others like to use an old spray bottle. What ever works.
The slow cutting of oil stones makes them my preference for finish sharpening of auger bits. Some things are better done slow and careful.
jim