There is an internet’s worth of information and opinion about sharpening woodworking tools. I’ve made the move from water to oil stones and my reasons are probably not very interesting. But I thought I would consolidate the pros and cons of the two types of stones here. I also made a list of what I think each system requires from what I have experienced:
| Stone type: | Oilstones | Waterstones |
| Considerations: | Little need for flattening | Need regular flattening |
| Always ready for action | Need to store/soak lower grits in water | |
| Wear slowly | Wear fast | |
| Cut slowly | Cut fast | |
| Oily mess | Watery mess | |
| Sharpening sequence: | ||
| Nick removal | Medium or fine India | 220 grit |
| Intermediate step | Soft or hard Arkansas | 1000 grit |
| Polishing | Black or translucent Arkansas | 4000 grit |
| Fine polishing | Leather strop with green compound | 8000 grit |
I actually use my 150 grit grinding wheel for nick removal and primary bevel shaping. Forming a secondary bevel on the remaining stones means less metal to remove and therefore less time spent sharpening. The intermediate stone is optional, but if not used, expect to spend more time on the fine (read: more expensive) stone. Unless working with really tough woods, I only feel the need to finely polish smoothing plane irons, paring chisels and my straight razor.
T r i a l & E r r o r 
3 thoughts on “Comparing water and oil stone systems – Part 1”