A NO BS GUIDE TO THE BEST TOOL SHARPENING METHOD
Every sharpening system—from sandpaper to diamond stones to high-end machines—works on the same simple principle: rubbing abrasive against steel until the scratches become a polished edge. The “best” method isn’t universal, but understanding the pros and cons of each system helps you choose one that fits your budget, workflow, and sharpening style.
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Over the last several years we’ve made many videos about tool sharpening. Rather than focusing on just one product or method, I’ve tried to include a wide variety of sharpening tools and techniques, because we have a wide variety of viewers with different budgets and preferences.
However, whenever I make a sharpening video, I get comments from folks who just want to know:
“What’s the best way to do it?”
They want to be told, “Do this or buy that and your tools will always be sharp.”
I wish it were that simple. But personal preference plays a big role in choosing the right sharpening method.
Still, I’m going to try to give you a quick pros-and-cons list of the methods I’ve used, so you can narrow down your search for the perfect sharpening system.
First, How Sharpening Actually Works
Before we get started, let’s get one thing out of the way.
No matter the tools or methods, all sharpening is basically the same.
You’re rubbing rocks on steel.
Those “rocks” may be:
Natural stones or minerals
Diamonds
Abrasives attached to paper
Compounds mixed into pastes
Stones formed from synthetic materials
You might rub the steel on the abrasive using muscle power, or you might use electric power.
The abrasive is harder than the steel, so it scratches tiny bits away. As you move to finer abrasives, the scratches get smaller and smaller until the edge becomes polished.
That’s sharpening.
Everything else—the machines, jigs, stones, pastes, and films—are simply different ways to rub the rocks on the steel, with varying levels of efficiency and convenience.
They all work.
It’s just a matter of finding the method that works best for you.
Let’s look at eight sharpening approaches I’ve used over the years.
Sandpaper (The “Scary Sharp” Method)
Often called the Scary Sharp method, this is where many woodworkers start because the startup cost is low.
All you need is:
Despite the name, this method does not produce a sharper edge than other sharpening systems.
And while sandpaper may seem cheap at first, the cost adds up over time as you constantly replace worn sheets. The spray adhesive can also be messy.
Pros
Low startup cost
Simple to understand
Cons
Ongoing cost of sandpaper
Messy adhesive
No sharper than other systems
Oil Stones and Water Stones
Oil stones and water stones have been used to sharpen tools for centuries.
In the past, woodworkers relied mostly on natural stones and didn’t obsess over extremely fine grits the way we sometimes do today.
Soft Arkansas stones were the most common and are roughly comparable to 1000-grit sandpaper. Harder stones were available but were rarely found in the shops of ordinary country woodworkers.
Today, water stones are available in grits up to 30,000 if you want to chase the ultimate polish.
However, stones require regular maintenance to stay flat, and they can be messy.
Oil stones produce oily slurry.
Water stones often require pre-soaking and can leave water everywhere.
Pros
Traditional and effective
Available in extremely fine grits
Cons
Require flattening and maintenance
Can be messy
Diamond Stones
Diamond stones work much like oil or water stones, but with one major advantage:
They stay flat with almost no maintenance.
They also come in relatively coarse grits, which are useful when you need to remove a lot of steel to repair or reshape an edge.
However, the manufacturing process makes it difficult to produce durable diamond stones in extremely fine grits. Most top out around 1000 grit, so you typically follow up with a strop. You can get sharpening systems that come with a strop, like this MPOWER’s sharpening kits.
Diamond stones require lubrication as well, though they’re generally less messy than traditional stones.
Quality also matters. Poorly made diamond stones may:
Have inconsistent grit sizes
Lose their diamonds due to poor electroplating
Warp if laminated improperly
That’s why good diamond stones aren’t cheap.
Pros
Stay flat without maintenance
Excellent for repairing edges
Cons
Limited ultra-fine grit options
Quality varies widely
Honing Pastes and Compounds
Sharpening pastes aren’t usually used for sharpening, but for honing—the final polishing step after sharpening.
These pastes suspend very fine abrasives—often diamonds—in waxes or oils so they can be spread onto:
Leather
Paper
Wood
Felt
They range from roughly 800 grit to extremely fine micron sizes capable of producing mirror finishes. You can read another article regarding honing pastes and compounds here.
Pastes can be used on manual strops or on power sharpening systems.
They’re also relatively inexpensive compared to ultra-fine sandpaper or honing films.
Pros
Extremely fine polishing capability
Affordable
Cons
Not useful for shaping or major sharpening
Honing Guides
The fastest sharpening method is freehand, without a jig.
If you can master freehand sharpening, you’ll be doing yourself a big favor.
But beginners often struggle with it, and many woodworkers simply don’t sharpen often enough to maintain the necessary muscle memory.
That’s where honing guides come in.
A simple guide works with:
Sandpaper systems
Oil stones
Water stones
Diamond stones
Some power sharpening systems like WorkSharp
My advice is to choose your sharpening system first, then pick a jig that fits it.
Bench Grinders
Bench grinders aren’t really sharpening machines.
They’re grinding machines designed to remove steel quickly.
If you’re not careful, you can:
Overheat your tool
Ruin the temper
Grind away too much steel
However, grinders are extremely useful for repairing or reshaping damaged bevels before finishing with another sharpening method.
Woodturners especially like grinders because their tools benefit from coarse-sharp edges, rather than highly polished ones.
Recently, CBN wheels have changed how grinders are used. You can learn about choosing the right CBN wheel here.
These wheels:
Stay perfectly round
Run cooler
Are available in finer grits
The WorkSharp 3000
The WorkSharp 3000 is a relatively affordable power sharpening system.
In many ways, it’s simply a powered version of the Scary Sharp sandpaper method.
The chisel port is convenient for small tools, but plane irons must be sharpened on top. In our shop you can find plans for a stand with an integrated platform.
These plans also show how to use MDF wheels with honing compounds, which can replace expensive sandpaper and films and make the system more versatile.
The WorkSharp can sharpen turning tools using special slotted wheels, but mastering that technique takes practice.
The Tormek System
The other power system we use is the Tormek.
If the WorkSharp is a power version of sandpaper sharpening, the Tormek is essentially a water and diamond stone system.
It’s a slow-speed, water-cooled sharpener, meaning you cannot overheat your tools.
Combined with the leather stropping wheel, it can produce an edge as fine as any other method.
The biggest advantage of the Tormek is its range of precise jigs.
Woodturners especially like it because they can repeat the exact same settings every time, which:
Speeds up sharpening
Extends tool life
My Sharpening Recommendations
So which methods do I recommend?
It depends.
Remember, all sharpening systems lead to the same destination: a sharp edge.
If you want a simple system, I recommend a double-sided diamond stone.
While the upfront cost is higher than sandpaper, sandpaper will cost you more over time. And quality water stones can cost just as much while requiring more maintenance.
Diamond stones may stop around 1000 grit, but that’s fine. After sharpening, you can polish the edge with paste on a leather strop.
If you already own a bench grinder, use it when you need to remove a lot of steel—such as repairing or reshaping a bevel. A CBN wheel can make that process even better.
But in my opinion, a grinder should supplement, not replace, your sharpening system.
The workflow I recommend is:
Repair or reshape on the grinder
Sharpen on the stone
Hone on the strop
If you prefer all-power sharpening, you can’t go wrong with either the WorkSharp 3000 or the Tormek.
Weekend woodworkers who mostly sharpen chisels and plane irons may prefer the WorkSharp because of its lower cost.
Woodturners or professionals who sharpen a wide variety of tools may prefer the Tormek.
I’m not saying sandpaper or water stones are bad. Some people love them.
Sharpening is personal, and everyone eventually develops a favorite system.
But for me, it usually comes down to diamonds and leather—or power sharpening.
Happy woodworking!
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