Sharpening: Are water stones really better?

[Eric Wong]

It may or may not be better. The skill of the sharpener has a lot to do with it.

That being said, the best sharpening system is the one that you will use. As we all know, dull tools are more dangerous that sharp ones.

[Phillip Pattee]

Bess,
I really don't do much different from what Mike Dunbar describes in the article I linked. I don't use one long piece of glass but have several plates that were once glass cutting boards (by the way glass is a terrible cutting board--don't use them for this). I put regular automotive sandpaper on them using a can of spray adhesive. I use a brush to keep the paper from clogging. I have found that I can use a paper to sharpen many times before most of it is worn out. It can still be messy. You have to take care the direction you are pointing the adhesive spray when you spray down your glass plate. Mine are small enough that I can hold the plate in one hand and spray can in the other. When you stick the paper down, you should take care to get it free of bubbles and seems so that it is smooth. After a blade has gone back and forth over the sand paper you brush the paper off to get the grit out. This is a fine, dark residue, so I wouldn't do this in the living room or kitchen as that stuff would get everywhere. I do my sharpening and most work in the garage.

I think I paid about $10 for the glass plates, less than $5 for spray adhesive, and sandpaper comes in packages of various grits available from just about any automotive parts store. It hasn't broken the bank. I think if you buy PSA paper that someone has tried to package specifically as for a scary sharp set up, then you will pay more for it. It simply isn't necessary though.

[Hank Knight]

Bess,

I'm late to the party, as usual, but I'll give you my $.02.

You can get good results with any of the sharpening systems that have been discussed. Wiley suggested that you stick with your oil stones and avoid the expense involved in trying other systems. Generally, I agree except for the fact that I believe there is a subjective component that is important here. Your question about whether water stones are the "best" sharpening method has brought a host of responses from others arguing forcefully that their method, whatever it is, is the "best," and it probably is for them. But it's hard to get to the point where you're satisfied with your sharpening system without having tried others. Almost everybody that replied described what it is about their favorite system that is "better" than other systems. The preferences have to do with the messyness of water stones, the expense of sandpaper, the yuk of having oil all over everything, and such; very few said they get a better edge with their system.

If you can accept Wiley's recommendation to stick with your oil stones and perfect your technique with them, you will indeed have a perfectly good system that produces a qulality edge. The trick is to ignore everybody else's comments that their system is "better." I couldn't do it. I've spent a small fortune on sharpening stuff, and I get pretty good edges. I have a bench grinder and a Tormek; and I use oil stones, diamonds and water stones interrchangeably, depending on how I feel at the time. I don't know that I have a favorite - except that I don't like sandpaper; for no particular reason, I just don't like it, even though I got good edges with it.

If you can accept, intellectually, that your oil stones are just as good as other systems, save your money. If you are going to be haunted by others whose systems are "better," pick one and dive in. Try them all. You may well find something you like better than your oil stones, but I doubt you'll get a better edge with any of the others. Read this post again in a couple of years and let me know what you think.

Hank

P.S.,

I absolutely agree with Bob Smalser's recommendation that you learn to sharpen free hand. Nothing speeds up the process more. Not having to fiddle with a jig means that you will go to your bench stone much more frequently to touch up your edge while you work. This in turn means that your edges will be more consistently sharp while you work.

[Don C Peterson]

Hank,

Interesting observations... I'll speak for myself here and say that I developed my preferences based on how I like to work with some pre-wired biases thrown in.

I can't make a real distinction in the quality of the edges I got when using Shapton or King waterstones and now that I'm using natural oil stones and a strop, either method produces a very usable edge. I do know that I hated the idea of flattening waterstones, it just felt very wasteful, the same goes for using abrasive sheet goods. Conversely, I liked the idea of using a stone that would rarely, if ever, require flattening and would, with care, outlive me. I liked the idea enough to try it and the results were good enough that I have continued to use it.

I too agree with the suggestion to learn to sharpen freehand with one caveat. Jigs and guides are very helpful when establishing or changing the basic geometry of a tool, but once that is done, the basic honing and maintanance can be done much easier without the fuss and bother of jigs.

[Hank Knight]

[QUOTE=Don C Peterson;865076]Hank,
I too agree with the suggestion to learn to sharpen freehand with one caveat. Jigs and guides are very helpful when establishing or changing the basic geometry of a tool, but once that is done, the basic honing and maintanance can be done much easier without the fuss and bother of jigs. /QUOTE]

Don,

I probably overstated my objection to jigs. I use them too for redefining the geometry of an edge and sometimes for reestablishing a bevel. As you said, once this task is done, the jig goes into the drawer and doesn't come out again unless there is more heavy work to be done.

Hank

[Mike Henderson]

[quote=Hank Knight;865148]

Hank,
I too agree with the suggestion to learn to sharpen freehand with one caveat. Jigs and guides are very helpful when establishing or changing the basic geometry of a tool, but once that is done, the basic honing and maintanance can be done much easier without the fuss and bother of jigs. /QUOTE]

Don,

I probably overstated my objection to jigs. I use them too for redefining the geometry of an edge and sometimes for reestablishing a bevel. As you said, once this task is done, the jig goes into the drawer and doesn't come out again unless ther is more heavy work to be done.

Hank

I agree. I use a jig to establish the bevel. It's impossible to produce a flat bevel "by hand" - the bevel will always be rounded because you can't hold the chisel or plane blade exactly and consistently in the proper position as you stroke it across the stone.

But once I establish the bevel, I do my "during work" honing by hand.

Mike

[Bess Kilmaren]

I have definitely decided to stick with my oil stones for now, although I have added a leather strop and that strange green Veritas honing compound to my latest LV order. Possibly in the future when I no longer feel the need to spend my money on planes (will that day ever come?) I will dive into a new sharpening technique.

And I already do sharpen free hand! Possibly not very well, but I'm practicing.

[Wiley Horne]

Hi All,

Just like to add one other thing, especially since Bess is going to stick with oil stones for now. This is a quote from Larry Williams on the same matters we've been discussing here. Larry gets great edges from oil stones. The quote is from a month ago, or so:

Larry Williams said: "...I use three stones in sharpening. A medium India, a Translucent Hard Arkansas and a coarse diamond stone that's only used to maintain the other two. The two oil stones, contrary to what people say, do wear but they also get dull. Very briefly using the coarse diamond stone on both oil stones before each sharpening keeps the oil stones flat and fast cutting. First dress the fine hard Arkansas then the coarser India stone. Leave the resulting slurry on the stones, it only makes them cut faster. I also use a leather strop to remove the final wire edge."

The main reason I bring this back is because Larry touched on a really important matter, which received little attention at the time. And that is 'how do you keep your oil stones cutting?' Water stones will glaze over and get dull also, but since you're always having to flatten them, they get refreshed in the bargain, and are always presenting new cutting crystals.

Oil stones get out of flat much more subtly, so it's easy to just kinda live with them, even as they get dull. I think Larry's suggestion of the coarse diamond stone to maintain oil stones--flatten them and restore their cutting performance--might make a difference for Bess. In addition, the coarse diamond stone is good for back flattening and fits well into all blade maintenance schemes, so it's money well spent in any case.

Great discussion.

Wiley

[Jim Powers]

Hi Bess,
I can't say that the cost of sandpaper is prohibitive. I have the same grouping of paper for at least six to ten months. You do have to be careful with the edge and the force you use across the paper. Using the honing guide, it becomes a trade off into how much pressure you use. Reading all the posts, one may decide that stones are the better fit, but for me it keeps my plane blades and chisels sharp. I am a hobbyist at best. Good luck!
Jim

[Mark Singer]

There is a lot of discussion about sharpening...its really about what you do with the edge once you have it. I think if you find a technique that works stick with it. I like waterstones. I like to sharpen quickly so I can do it often if necessary, but I bring a few chisels and planes to the bench so I can keep going....I hate to stop!

[Phillip Pattee]

Possibly in the future when I no longer feel the need to spend my money on planes (will that day ever come?)

No, it will not!