Thread: Sharpening stone

A two sided sharpening stone in a wooden box, that will be a carborundum oil stone. Your friend has water stones. To use apply a little oil and work your tool back and forth. It is used as a prelude to fine honing on water stones where damage to the edge has been sustained.

Planes, they are many and various. Considering what you may consider normal shaped planes. Yes small ones fit in small places (look up luthiers thumb planes), large/long planes are used to shoot an edge. They ride over any ripples taking the tops of bringing the board edge down to a smooth (and more importantly) straight edge.

Thanks for the help.

So I suppose I need the proper honing oil or can I just use any oil?

The liquid is a carrier to suspend smashed abrasive particles and microscopic metal fragments. It is not a "lubricant" meant to reduce friction. Lots of people have their favorite oils. Above all, it needs to be non-drying so it can't set up and make the stone surface sticky gooey. That rules out vegetable oils. Me? if & when I have to resort to an oil stone, I use some lightweight automotive motor oil. Pennzoil 5W40 at the moment!
dr4g0nfly summed it up = ". . . where damage to the edge has been sustained."

OTOH, I have some axes/hatchets and the like that get a final sharpening with an oil stone. That's really all the 'edge' they need for what I expect them to do.

TJ,

Whatever you've got to hand, 3 in 1 is my favourite. If you've a oilcan with something in it, it'll do.

I don't recommend things like WD40 though!

Pictures please!

There are many types and qualities of old oilstones.
There is a thread on here on the options for oilstone oil ... https://www.woodworkforums.com/f152/w...oilstone-7085/

There has also been discussion on cleaning stones that are oil-clogged ... maybe the same thread.
(I have stuck one in a jar with metho for a week and shaken it every now and then)

Cheers,
Paul

I was always told to use Neatsfoot oil on oilstones, as - according to my old tech teacher - it helped to draw the particles out of the stone. Although, aeroshell w100 seems to work fine on my seldom used oilstone at work.

I can get a photo tomorrow but I did use the stone today with 3 in 1 oil as I forgot to check back here. The stone worked really well. I'm not that good at sharpening but I did get some sort of sharp chisels really sharp that could cut my arm hair which couldn't before.