A Few Questions about Oil Stones

[Caleb Dietrich]

Hello Everyone,

I have been laying low, enjoying the forum for a few months. The discussions are great. This is my first post…

I’m looking for some feedback about the use and maintenance of oil stones. I have DMT diamond stones, Norton waterstones, and a set of Woodcraft’s 8x3 natural Arkansas stones (Washita, Soft Arkansas, and a Hard Black Arkasas Stone). The waterstones have become the ones I use the most. They work fast and produce an excellent edge. But it can be a hassle to flatten them. I also do not like putting my tools into water. There have been times where I’ve left a chisel out on my bench or reassembled a plane, without thoroughly wiping it down.

I think the answer to my problems is to use oilstones for quickly honing tools as I am working. However, I am not as familiar with them. My questions are:

Are the stones I have a good quality? Or will others work faster/better?

When I first got them they were not flat, at all. I used a DMT stone to flatten them? Is that ok? Should I continue to do so periodically?

I currently finish with an 8000 grit Norton waterstone. Can oil stones give me similar results?

I’ll appreciate any feedback. Thanks a lot.

[Robert Rozaieski]

I can't comment on the quality of the Woodcraft stones as I have never used them myself so perhaps someone else can chime in. I use Hall's soft, hard and black followed by a strop from Tools for Working Wood. You seem to have quite a selection so I would say to work with what you have as they will work. No need to get other stones. I would recommend adding a strop though if you plan to use the oil stones.

Flattening the oil stones with the DMT is fine. You should not need to do it again for a very long time. A few years for the Washita & Soft Arkansas and probably never for the black.

You can get the same results with oil stones as with the Norton 8000 (actually even better) if you finish up on a leather strop with green honing compound after the black Arkansas. The green honing compound is a finer abrasive than the Norton 8000.

[Larry Williams]

Can you find out who provides WoodCraft their oil stones? Better yet, how do they work?

I disagree with Robert--oil stones do wear and require maintenance. While not nearly as bad as water stones, oil stones go out of flat relatively quickly. I use a coarse diamond stone on my oil stones before each use. I use WD-40 as a honing oil (we buy it in gallons and use it for a lot of things) and spray the stones before each use. It only takes a few passes with the diamond stone to refresh the cutting surface and keep the stone flat. Leave the slurry created on the stone for use, it will aid the cutting action.

If you dress your oil stones before each use, they'll always cut fast and rarely require any other maintenance.