CBN Honing Plates

[Jake Hillestad]

Anyone heard of and/or used them?

Was minutes away from pulling the trigger on an Atoma for heavy reshaping, getting passed nicked edges, and dressing Arkansas stones when necessary. Well, as often happens I wound up on an adventure through the internet and stumbled on these - https://woodturnerswonders.com/collections/unique-tools/products/hand-hone. They are 8" x 2 3/4" x 1/4" and come as combinations (350/600 looked attractive).

Anyone with experience?

If not, in theory are this better, worse, the same as a diamond plate? I understand CBN is slightly less hard than diamond but it's my understanding its also less brittle and wears slightly better - could be mixed up on that point.

Price isn't a huge consideration really, but at almost half the cost of an Atoma it is an attractive option if similar in quality and performance.

[John K Jordan]

Anyone heard of and/or used them?

Was minutes away from pulling the trigger on an Atoma for heavy reshaping, getting passed nicked edges, and dressing Arkansas stones when necessary. Well, as often happens I wound up on an adventure through the internet and stumbled on these - https://woodturnerswonders.com/collections/unique-tools/products/hand-hone. They are 8" x 2 3/4" x 1/4" and come as combinations (350/600 looked attractive).

Anyone with experience?

If not, in theory are this better, worse, the same as a diamond plate? I understand CBN is slightly less hard than diamond but it's my understanding its also less brittle and wears slightly better - could be mixed up on that point.

Price isn't a huge consideration really, but at almost half the cost of an Atoma it is an attractive option if similar in quality and performance.

Jake,

I bought a set of CBN plates from WW (Ken Rizza). I also bought a set of diamond plates the same size from Ken. I wanted diamond specifically to sharpen ceramic shearing cutters before shearing my llamas and alpacas this year. Both work as expected. On HSS and hardened carbon steel I can't tell the difference between CBN and diamond.

I bought double-sided plates with both the CBN and diamond, three plates each for six different grits. I think Ken is able to custom order any size, grit, and combination you want, give him a call.

As for CBN vs diamond, my understanding is CBN may be preferred on a bench grinder since diamond could degrade from picking up carbon from steel under intense heat. Seems like this wouldn't be an issue when honing by hand.

A google search for "CBN or diamond" provides a lot to read.

JKJ

[Jim Ritter]

I have several CBN honing plates from Woodturners Wonders and I like them a lot I haven't used them for flattening, just honing. He has some small credit card sized one too if you want try without spending much money and a small hone is just right for a travel kit.
Jim

[Allen Jordan]

How flat are they? I don't see a flatness rating on the page. My stupid trend diamond stone has a dip greater than 0.002" in the center, annoyingly.

[John K Jordan]

How flat are they? I don't see a flatness rating on the page. My stupid trend diamond stone has a dip greater than 0.002" in the center, annoyingly.

OK, after my evening rounds to check on the llamas and horses I got out a WW diamond and CBN hone and checked them on my granite surface plate. Both were 1200 grit on one side and 1000 (diamond) and 800 (CBN) on the other. I checked the height with a Starrett height gauge. Admittedly, this is not really checking the flatness but a combination of the flatness and the plate thickness.

Neither are precision made. I found both to be within .0025" over the 8" length, checking from the edge in about 1/2" and 1". I tried using a dial indicator as well to check in the center but I wasn't happy with the setup. My digital micrometer confirmed that the thickness varied down the length of both plates.

Unfortunately, with the grit only on the surface there is no way to flatten one of these as you could a stone.

How much of the variation I saw is due to individual "wild" grains on the one or both sides, I don't know. It is well known that the way the abrasive is applied (to CBN grinding wheels, for example) leaves some high particles that are knocked off with use. Woodturner Reed Grey has made extensive tests and recommends a break-in period for CBN wheels used for turning tools, indicating all wheels he tried are overly aggressive until used for a while. My own tests with my finest CBN wheels, 600 grit, confirms this. It seems that the WW flat plates, made at the same factory as his wheels, would take a long time to break-in with only hand use.

I did hold a straight edge against both plates both lengthwise and crosswise and eyeballed them for light underneath but the results were inconclusive. The grit itself, even the 1200, holds the straight edge off the steel surface enough that I can see light down the entire length. My old eyes couldn't see if some light was due to hills or valleys.

A better test for flatness than laying one directly on the surface plate might be to rig up two suspended precision parallels and clamp the hone plate to the underside, test surface up. Testing this way with the height gauge would eliminate the possible thickness variation and any effect of the grit on the back side. I think I have everything to do this but it would have to be another time. Tomorrow is moving more dirt and gravel with the bobcat, grading the driveway, working on the bees, spraying the peach trees, and prepping the garden. And hopefully, cranking up the sawmill.

JKJ

[Rollie Kelly]

John, what do you do in your spare time? (;<)
Rollie

[John K Jordan]

John, what do you do in your spare time? (;<)
Rollie

I've been goofing off all morning. I fed all the animals, put the expectant llama in the stall, released two of the peacocks from the big cage (if I let them all out they will wander off to the next county), mixed up the herbicide, checked on the guinea nests in the woods, topped off the feeder on the newest beehive, filled water troughs, started repair on the leather bridle of the little rocky horse at the suggestion of My Lovely Bride, picked a mess of morel mushrooms (she LOVES morels), rinsed and hauled a couple of dozen 5-gal buckets, checked on the aging and ill dog, changed a battery in a digital caliper, refilled a feed can with 3-grain scratch, watered a peach tree, checked on the baby chickens, cleaned up around the barn, put away some tools from last evening, drove the 4-wheeler around the trails to check on things, and read the wood forums while enjoying my second breakfast. My Wonderful Wife is the best cook in the southeast - today it is scratch-made banana nut muffins right out of the oven, hot coffee, bacon, and vegi/mushroom omelets from eggs fresh from the chicken house. Now I have to get back to work before I get lazy. Life is good. :-)

JKJ

[Wayne Taylor]

I've been goofing off all morning. I fed all the animals, put the expectant llama in the stall, released two of the peacocks from the big cage (if I let them all out they will wander off to the next county), mixed up the herbicide, checked on the guinea nests in the woods, topped off the feeder on the newest beehive, filled water troughs, started repair on the leather bridle of the little rocky horse at the suggestion of My Lovely Bride, picked a mess of morel mushrooms (she LOVES morels), rinsed and hauled a couple of dozen 5-gal buckets, checked on the aging and ill dog, changed a battery in a digital caliper, refilled a feed can with 3-grain scratch, watered a peach tree, checked on the baby chickens, cleaned up around the barn, put away some tools from last evening, drove the 4-wheeler around the trails to check on things, and read the wood forums while enjoying my second breakfast. My Wonderful Wife is the best cook in the southeast - today it is scratch-made banana nut muffins right out of the oven, hot coffee, bacon, and vegi/mushroom omelets from eggs fresh from the chicken house. Now I have to get back to work before I get lazy. Life is good. :-)

JKJ


Life sounds good, indeed!

[Jake Hillestad]

I contacted Ken and asked him his thoughts, here is the response;

"Hi Jake- thanks for your interest in our honing plates. Not sure what the tolerance is but we sell them to be dead flat. If they are not you will get a new one. CBN lasts longer and cuts better than diamonds in most applications with tool steel. Not sure about the Arkansas stone but don't think it should be any different. "

I'm thinking I'll pick one up and report back. Not much of a risk at $60.

[Jonathan Elliott]

Jake,

Did you ever end up getting that cbn honing plate? What do you think?