Well, I heard what was being said in the recent sharpening threads and realized that a lot of people were very right: years and years ago, before wet paper, before jigs, before everything, there were oilstones and look at the craftsmanship that was performed. That made me realize how, I don't know, stupid I was trying to find some magic pill that would instantly make everything I own sharp without some work on my end.
So I sucked it up and grabbed the old combination oilstone a friend of mine gave me when her father died. This sucker has to be 50 years old and nothing has touched its surface except for the box it was in.
I took it out, put some oil on it, and grabbed a chisel that has been used and abused and attempted to sharpen it on the stone by hand.
No sandpaper. No jig. No, well, nothing. This was the first time I have ever tried this and the results were unbelieveable. I think, no, I KNOW the chisel came out sharper than any I have done in the past. And faster, too. I couldn't stop and I grabbed an old block plane blade and gave that a shot. (I admit I lapped the back with some sandpaper but there was a heck of a divot in the back of the iron.) After an incredibly short time, I had as sharp a plane iron as I ever had before.
I admit it. I was totally wrong. The "old" way was hugely better than any of the newfangled trinkets.