Thread: Best oil stone

Dengue. Sharpening and the right stone can become an obsession and this forum has borne out that statement. The trouble with oil stones is that over a period of time, you work a hollow into them.

Having to sharpen 90 odd chisels in the one session I have become a diamond stone convert. It is a 600 grit one and over a number of years is still sharpening well with a nice flat surface. I bought it from a hardware store starting with "B" and it cost about $60.

Originally Posted by Dengue

Can anyone please advise on the best oil stone for sharpening chisels, using a Veritas honing guide?

Or are water stones preferred?

Any ideas and suggestions are most welcome

how sharp to you want to get your tools?

Without debating the respective merits of alternatives to oil stones,
If you're wanting oil stones, Norton Abrasives are a palce to start have a look here http://www.nortonindustrial.com/uplo...ningStones.pdf

if you want something finer than the finest oil stone yu may need to go to diamond plate -- you can use light oil or keroscene on diamond plates or move onto a ceramic stone -- again light oil or keroscene will work
I have a Spyderco ultra fine ceramic stone which I use for honing catalogue page :: Spyderco Catalog ::

Many thanks for the above advice.

Are DMT Diamond Sharpening Stones ( mesh type) suitable for sharpening chisels and plane blades? If so, is it best to use water with them, oil, or do it dry?

Do these diamond sharpening stones last a long time, or need to be replaced regularly?

Are they also suitable for flattening water stones?

I searched the DMT site, and found this information, recommending water only as the lubricant

DMT.JPG

Back up a step or two.
a) what is that chisel intended to do?
b) if you've gone and done it, what condition is that beveled edge in?

I have several oil stones, automotive motor oil is as good as anything for carrying away the swarf.
I have several water stones where plain water serves exactly the same function.

I managed to seriously "ding" a 5/35 carving gouge. Maybe $50+? I forget. Held up to a strong light, I could see several BIG sparks of light reflected from the crushed bits of the bevel edge.
1. Joint/square off the entire edge on oil stones, beyond the damage.
2. Reshape the 20 degree bevel on the oil stones. Clean the oil off with detergent and hot water. Dry.
And for heaven's sake DON'T ram the new edge forward into the stone. Pull strokes will do.
3. Refine that bevel on a 1K water stone. Slip stone inside the sweep.
4. Finish on a 4K water stone. Slip stone inside the sweep.
5. To make that tool carving sharp for absolutely featureless cuts in soft or hard woods, a leather strop and chrome green honing compound (nominal average particle size 0.5 micron.) Folded leather inside the sweep.

If that sounds tedious, yes it was. The fact is, I can do it.

Originally Posted by Robson Valley

Back up a step or two.
a) what is that chisel intended to do?

That's so easy to forget. Carry sharpening to its extremes and you'll end up honing teeth on saws.

Thanks for your comments RV, much appreciated.

Yes, my chisels are for cutting jarrah and kwila and radiata and silky oak, and some ebony, so I need a reasonably good edge.

I impulse bought some water stones from Carbatec a few years ago on sale at their Grand Opening, so have got them out again. ( 300, 1200, 6000) Was never confident of using them, as they wore fairly quickly and I did not have anything to flatten them with at the time. Plus all that water was pretty messy.

After a couple of days playing around, I find that the DMT extra coarse ( 220 mesh, 60 micron) Duosharp diamond plate is good for both changing the angle of a chisel and removing the slight concave surface from chisels previously sharpened on a wheel. It is also good for flattening the 1200 and 6000 waterstones.

Found a metal baking tray at K-Mart that will take all three waterstones together without much spillage. I use a lot of water, pouring it on frequently from a bottle to remove the slurry - not sure if this is the right thing to do - is the slurry the actual cutting agent?

So now, it looks like the best way to go for me is to use the DMT Duosharp for cutting away lots of metal or reshaping a chisel, and using the three waterstones to put an edge on the chisel and a polished finish with the 6000 stone.

I did try a coarse oil stone to remove a lot of metal on a chisel, but found the DMT Duosharp XC plate was much easier and quicker to use.

Water stones wear fast because they are very soft and fine particulate abrasives. Give up the idea of handing them down to your grandchildren. Gee-Whiz = I have to buy a new water stone. . . what was to be expected?
Yeah, mine get marked/cut/grooved/banged up. I scrub one water stone against the other to flatten them.
Rinse them off and I'm done for the day. I can scrub the 1K stone with 1,500 grit automotive W&D paint finishing sandpaper, as if I cared.

Swarf = the water carries away the metal and the smashed abrasive particles. If you go really easy for the last 10-20 strokes, you can use the smaller abrasive particles like the next grade up in stones. Don't be too quick to flush the swarf away. Like who the Hello will notice the result with a 6K stone, huh? I can't see an incremental value beyond 4K before I take my carving tools to the strop.

But I know that there are woodworkers here that need less than 1/4 wavelength from their stones being optically flat.
I'm amazed that they don't measure for Newton's Rings. What ever floats your boat.

I've never had the opportunity to play with diamond plates at all. My GF likes the ceramic kitchen prep knives of all sizes (and prices). I keep hoping that Santa will bring me a couple of diamond plates so I can sharpen her favorite knives. No such freakin' luck, so far.