• • The Sharpening Guide
    

    • A sharp woodworking tool can make the difference between fighting your project and enjoying it. Whether you're working with a hand plane, chisel, carving tool, or other edge tool, a properly sharpened edge cuts more cleanly, requires less force, and gives you greater control over your work. It can also help produce cleaner surfaces and more precise results. In other words, sharpening isn't just about maintaining your tools -- it's an important part of getting the most out of them.

      Rather than telling you there's one "right" way to sharpen, this video breaks down the different sharpening systems available and explains what makes each one unique. We'll look at the basic concepts behind the systems, how they work, and what you should consider when deciding which approach makes sense for your tools, projects, experience level, and budget.

First Things First

Here are a few concepts and tools that will apply to whatever system you use:

Whenever you set up a new chisel or plane iron, the first step is to first flatten and polish the back. While you'll only need to do this once, it does need to be done correctly. In our experience, this may require you to remove a significant amount of steel that might tax any of the sharpening systems we highlight on this page. That's why we recommend adhering 3M Cubitron discs to a piece of float glass to polish the back of your tool down to 1000 grit before using your sharpening system of choice.

Next, a honing guide is a simple tool that allows you to set a very precise sharpening angle and reproduce it time after time. It will take the guesswork out of your sharpening steps.

And finally, after you've polished your tool to the finest grit you have, we recommend you finish it off with a leather strop by polishing the back and also the bevel.

Scary Sharp System

The Scary Sharp system isn't a media per se. It's just a combination of high-quality PSA micro finishing film adhered to a very flat substrate, like a float glass. It comes in a wide range of grits all the way from 150 to 60,000, which can put a really incredible polish on a tool. While you can use it dry, the paper will clog up. We recommend that you use water or to even put a couple drops of dish soap in your spray bottle to help lubricate it. Some people like to use Windex, which reduces the possibility of rust developing on your tools. The long-term maintenance for the Scary Sharp system is just replacing the paper. And you can cut the glass and apply film to any size you need to meet whatever requirements you have for your sharpening.

Natural Sharpening Stones

These are genuine Arkansas stones, quarried from novaculite -- a unique natural stone found in the Ouachita Mountains of west-central Arkansas. They're prized by woodworkers and sharpeners for the exceptionally fine edge they produce and the consistent scratch pattern they leave behind.

Arkansas stones have a higher upfront cost than some other sharpening options, but there's a good reason for that: these stones can last a lifetime. They wear extremely slowly, and depending on how often you use them, you may only need to flatten one about once a year. Some users rarely need to flatten them at all.

Arkansas stones are available in four grades, ranging from softer to harder stones. The Soft Arkansas is roughly equivalent to an 8,000-2,000 grit synthetic stone, while Hard Arkansas falls around 1,500-2,000 grit. Translucent and Surgical Black Arkansas stones both fall roughly in the 2,000-6,000 grit range, depending on the individual stone.

And yes, the name Surgical Black has a history behind it. These stones were traditionally used for sharpening surgical instruments, including scalpels, where a precise, refined edge was essential.

You'll also find Arkansas stones in a wide range of sizes. A small pocket stone is ideal for touching up a pocketknife, while larger stones - up to 12 inches - give you plenty of surface area for wide plane blades and other woodworking tools.

They're well suited to many of the steels found in the woodworking shop, including O1, A2, and PM-V11. They're less effective on high-speed steel and aren't suitable for carbide.

Sharpening speed is one tradeoff: Arkansas stones are slow compared to some modern sharpening systems. But if you value a refined edge, consistency, durability, and a sharpening stone that can become a permanent part of your shop, they're hard to beat.

Man-Made Sharpening Stones

Unlike natural stones, man-made sharpening stones are manufactured by combining abrasive particles of a specific size with a bonding agent. That mixture is pressed into a mold, baked, and then lapped to create the finished stone.

The big advantage of this manufacturing process is consistency. Because the abrasive is controlled during production, you get a predictable cutting action throughout the entire stone.

There are a number of manufacturers making excellent synthetic stones. One of our favorites are the Shapton stones from Japan, and they're available in an impressive range of grits. You can go all the way from a coarse 120-grit stone for repairing a damaged edge to a 30,000-grit stone capable of putting an incredibly refined polish on a blade or chisel.

One of the biggest advantages of synthetic stones is speed. They cut quickly, which means you can remove metal and establish an edge much faster than you can with many natural stones. The tradeoff is that faster cutting also means the stones wear more quickly, so you' need to flatten them periodically. For that, you'll want a good diamond flattening plate.

The initial investment can add up, especially if you want a complete sharpening setup. You might start with a coarse stone for repairing damaged edges, followed by 1,000-, 4,000-, and 8,000-grit stones for establishing and refining your edge, along with a diamond lapping plate. But once you have that setup, these stones can serve you for decades.

Diamond Sharpening Stones

These are made by bonding industrial-grade diamond particles to a flat steel plate. The result is a sharpening surface with a very consistent abrasive and an extremely fast cutting action.

There are plenty of diamond stones available, ranging from inexpensive options to premium stones. In most cases, the difference isn't necessarily the diamond itself -- it's how those diamonds are bonded to the plate. With lower-cost stones, the diamonds can begin to come loose after only a few sharpening sessions. With a quality diamond stone, the abrasive stays firmly in place and can provide years of reliable use.

Diamond stones are available in a range of grits, typically from around 120 grit for repairing damaged edges up to 1,200 grit for refining an edge. That's not as broad a range as you'll find with some other sharpening systems, but you may not need it to be. If you take an edge to 1,200 grit and then follow it with a good strop, you can achieve an edge that's comparable to what you'd get from many higher-grit sharpening systems.

One of the biggest advantages of diamond stones is their ability to handle virtually any steel in your shop. They work well with O1, A2, and PM-V11, cut high-speed steel with ease, and can even sharpen carbide.

They're also available in a variety of shapes and sizes. Small 1" x 3" pocket stones are great for knives and even feature grooves for sharpening fish hooks. Diamond paddles can handle router bits, while credit-card-sized stones are useful for carving tools and other small edges. For larger woodworking tools, you'll find stones ranging from 2" x 6" up to 3" by 11".

The initial cost can be higher than some other sharpening options, but diamond stones have a major advantage: they don't require flattening and have virtually no maintenance. A quality set can last for years.

And when it comes to lubrication, they're about as simple as it gets. Use them dry or give them a light spritz of water and start sharpening.

Fast, versatile, low-maintenance, and capable of handling even the toughest steels, diamond stones are one of the most versatile sharpening options available.

Sharpening Systems

G-Sharp Sharpening System

The G-Sharp is a portable, adjustable-angle sharpening system that uses diamond stones. It's designed to make sharpening simple: attach a stone, set your angle anywhere from 25 to 90 degrees, and you're ready to sharpen. The system comes with four diamond stones ranging from 200 to 1,500 grit. While that doesn't reach the higher grits of some other systems, following the 1,500-grit stone with a strop can produce an edge that rivals much more elaborate setups. It works with everything from narrow chisels to wide jointer plane blades and even timber-framing slicks up to 3" wide. The initial cost is also relatively low - under $100 - and the stones can provide hundreds of sharpenings before they need to be replaced. Perhaps the biggest advantage is the lack of a learning curve. Set your angle, put your tool in the guide, and you can get a consistent edge right away.

The tradeoffs are that it's designed for 90-degree edge tools, such as chisels and plane blades, and it's not intended for repairing heavily damaged edges. For the home-shop woodworker looking for a portable, affordable, and easy-to-use sharpening system, the G-Sharp is an excellent option.

Drill Press Sharpening System

If you already have a drill press, you can turn it into a surprisingly capable sharpening system. This setup uses mandrels with abrasive discs mounted to them. The discs use 3M Cubitron abrasives, which cut quickly without generating enough heat to affect the temper of your tools. A simple angle ramp lets you establish a precise bevel. You can use a coarse abrasive to quickly repair a damaged edge, then move to a finer abrasive and leather strop to refine the edge and add a micro-bevel. In fact, this is the only system we've covered that can quickly repair a seriously damaged edge while working across a wide range of steels, including O1, A2, PM-V11, and even high-speed steel. It can accommodate everything from narrow chisels to 2" wide jointer plane blades, and the abrasive discs can provide roughly 100 sharpenings each.

The biggest advantage is cost: if you already own a drill press, the initial investment is relatively low, and maintenance is minimal. If you have a drill press in your shop, this is an inexpensive and highly capable sharpening system worth considering.

Conclusion

This guide has covered a lot of ground -- from traditional Arkansas stones and synthetic waterstones to diamond plates and a few different sharpening systems. And if there's one thing we hope you take away from this video, it's this: There is no single "right" sharpening system.

Every system has its advantages and tradeoffs. Some are faster, some are more precise, some are easier to learn, and some are better suited to certain tools or steels. The important thing is to find a system that fits your tools, your shop, and the way you like to work.

Once you've made that choice, the real secret is simple: stick with it and get good at it.

Because at the end of the day, the sharpening system doesn't make the tool sharp -- you do. So pick a system, practice your technique, and before long, you'll have sharp tools, cleaner cuts, and a whole lot more confidence at the bench.

Comparison

• • Scary Sharp System
  • Natural Stones
  • Man-Made Stones
  • Diamond Stones
• • Sharpening Speed
  • Very fast
  • Slow to moderate
  • Fast
  • Very Fast
• • Wear Rate
  • Lower the grit, faster it wears
  • Extremely slow
  • Moderate w/ extensive use
  • Virtually none
• • Steel Compatibility
  • All common steels
  • O1, A2, PM-V11
  • O1, A2, PM-V11
  • All steels including carbide
• • Initial Cost
  • Low. Around $80
  • Moderate to high. $70-$320
  • Moderate to high. $50-$300
  • Wide range. $10-$150
• • Long-Term Cost
  • High for replacement film
  • Very low
  • Low. Stone will wear slowly
  • Very low
• • Available Grits
  • 150-60,000
  • Approx. 400-6,000
  • 120-30,000
  • 120-1,200