Diamond hone block?

[Alan Heffernan]

I went to a demo yesterday and the instructor had a diamond hone block about 3" x 5" to touch up his spindle gouge. You could see the impact of a touch up immediately. Only a few swipes was necessary to get the tool freshened up and going at its best again. I wished I had asked him what it was and where he bought it.

Looking for insights and recommendations. (size, grit, sourcing, experience, . . . )

[Grant Wilkinson]

Trend makes a very good one. James Barry is the owner, I think. You can look on trend-uk.com to see his products. Here, in Canada, Busy Bee carries some of his stuff.

[Peter Lamb]

Also available at Peachtree, very effective tool

[David C. Roseman]

Penn State Industries has a simple double-sided flat diamond hone for $15 that's held up fine for me for about three years. There's another listed on Amazon for $7, incl. shipping. :eek: Suggest you try an inexpensive one to see how much you like and use it. A few swipes is all it takes to hone an edge from a CBN or good aluminum oxide wheel, but for all but the lightest finishing cuts, I don't bother. To knock of any fine wire edge in the gullet of bowl and spindle gouges, I just keep a conventional slip stone (with radiused edges) handy. For finishing cuts, I find that's actually more effective than honing the ground surface.

You can pay $100 to $200, but all the diamond hones use diamond abrasive adhered to an inexpensive substrate. You'd probably never wear the diamond out on any of them, but it will eventually scrape off. Durability of the adhesion process is presumably what you're paying for at the higher end. However, if you want a flat diamond hone with radiused edges to use as a slip stone to remove a wire edge in the gullet of gouges, you'll need to pay more for that. Alan Lacer has a very nice, radiused one on his website that is highly regarded.

[Wendell Steele]

DMT makes the cards http://www.sharpeningsupplies.com/Diamond-Card-Sized-Sharpener-P19.aspx?gclid=Cj0KEQjwlLm3BRDjnML3h9ic_vkBEiQABa5 oeXB3h4v9GCUY0dCTQe8cfZoQf21r3kP5XG9UdQbTSj8aApw78 P8HAQ

[Rich Aldrich]

Alan Lacer offers one on his website. I took a skew class with him last spring and bought this one.

http://stores.alanswoodturningstore.com/diamond-hones-by-alan/

[Michael Schneider]

I have been tempted by this cbn at craft supplies. Anyone use it? https://www.woodturnerscatalog.com/p/96/6156/Honestar-CBN-Honing-Stone I have the CBN plate from d-way and it is great for skews.

[John K Jordan]

Alan,

I have a bunch of different sizes and shapes of diamond hones I use, some to touch up turning tools. Some are easier to hold than others, for me. I first saw a card size (about 2x4 I think) used at a demo. I bought some and found they worked fine but the size made it harder for me to see exactly where I was honing.

This is what I use now, hands-down favorite: http://www.amazon.com/EZE-LAP-LSF-Super-Fine-Diamond/dp/B0001WP21O/ref=sr_1_5
I hold it with my forefinger behind the diamond surface which gives me more control than a larger block.

The only problem with these is the cost! However, years ago I found I could order directly from the manufacturer for a fraction of the price so I bought a multi-lifetime supply, mostly of the blue extra fine but some of the coarser sizes. The set with several grits is good for sharpening other tools, such as Forstner bits, pen mills, etc. The sharp, square edges get into corners better than other types.

I have tried another brand that looked more like sheet metal bent around a plastic paddle and I did NOT like them nearly as well as the EXE-LAP.

For who asked about CBN hones, I bought a couple from Ken Rizza at Woodturners Wonders, where I buy my CBN wheels. http://woodturnerswonders.com/collections/unique-tools/products/hand-hone
These come with two grits, one on each size and they are larger than most, 2.75"x8". Too big for woodturning tools but perfect for knives and other tools.

JKJ

[Vince Welch]

This guy has the DMT products! He has a cool 3 pack (325, 600, 1200) or buy them individually. http://vinceswoodnwonders.com/dmt-sharpening-products/ Why does this look familiar... oh I know why!

Vince

[Vince Welch]

Seriously, what most people do not know is that DMT products are made here in the USA and always have been. They have been in business for 40 years and much of what you see out there today is a direct result of DMT technology. I had a long conversation with the owner of DMT within the past year and what was explained to me was how most all hones are take offs from DMT technology and are made outside of the USA. DMT's slogan is they are the leader in Diamond Hone Technology and I believe they are absolutely correct! Today I use hones more than I ever have in my turning career. If you need more details feel free to contact me. 877.284.8969.
Vince

[Kyle Iwamoto]

[QUOTE=Michael Schneider;2544492]I have been tempted by this cbn at craft supplies.QUOTE]

I bought one. I actually wanted the Alan Lacer hone, as a friend of mine has one and I was VERY impressed with it. That was a reasonable substitute I think, since the Lacer stone was unavailable for a very long time. Maybe I should buy one now since it's back.

The CBN hone works great too, its thin and light, which is good and bad... The "small" radius is too big I think. I don't think you can hone the Thompson V gouge flute. I can't remember. I still use a regular slipstone, so I probably tried and it didn't fit. I use the CBN hone at the lathe for touch ups, and the slipstone at the Tormek when I sharpen.