OK, I'm having a difficult time searching older threads for the keywords to my question, so please forgive me if this is now asked once too often...

I've got a couple of Japanese Naturals on the way. These will be my first J-nats, and I'm looking forward to learning them. (I'll post photos this weekend.) However, most of the videos and photos I've seen of the barber-sized, hand-held stones show the sides lapped smooth. I imagine this would feel better on the hand. Is there any reason I should'nt do this to my 5"x3" (-ish, irregular-shaped) naturals that have the raw, rough sides? (I'd probably keep the bottom raw, but I'd prefer the sides to be smooth.)

Thanks,
Christopher