Diamond sharpening stone

I use a set from DMT to get the blades to their desired angle, then I hone it with 1000-2500 sand paper and green honing compound, works great, the diamond stones remove material faster than other stones, but they will not bring the blades to a fine honed edge.

-- ㊍ When in doubt - There is no doubt - Go the safer route.

I have one of the larger DMT two sided “stones” . 2 5/8” x 11” with Fine and extra fine sides (800x and 1200x). Got it off Ebay for about $60.00 shipped. The larger size is necessary for bigger plane blades. I have some smaller diamond hones but it is hard to do anything large on a 1 1/2×6” stone. The diamond plates work real well and they stay flat.

You can get grits up to Extra Extra Fine which is 8000x.

-- Michael Murphy, Woodland, CA.

I use diamond sharpeners for all my tools. I learned to sharpen with waterstones and did pretty much all the sharpening for my grandfather’s workshop when I was a kid.

Now that I sharpen my own tools, I still will use waterstones for various reasons, but the majority of the time I go to the diamond stone. I have various shapes and sizes. Mostly though, I make my own sharpening jigs with them and have several “specialty” set ups for sharpening different profiles.

The difference between a waterstone and a diamond stone (other then the obvious – material) is that water stones use the water as a lubricant, coolant and to carry away the abrasive as it breaks off from the stone (so it will not clog the stone). The diamond stones, being a harder abrasive, do not crumble as a stone does, and therefore do not require water to carry away the used abrasives….water on a diamond stone is good for lubrication and heat reduction during different types of sharpening. It is also useful to clean off the residue left from the tool.

You can sharpen with any abrasive. The only differences are size of the grit (abrasiveness), durability of the material – Cutting ability – (silicon, diamond, aluminum oxide…etc) and the bonding agent (if any). All of these materials will sharpen a tool….but each one requires a different technique….and a different amount of time to achieve it’s results.

The real jist of sharpening is achieving the proper bevel. If you get that wrong…you will never have a sharp tool….basically, your tool’s sharpness lives or dies by the bevel. You can sharpen a tool without the proper bevel…but it will never stay sharp very long. The correct bevel is based on the type of cutting desired and the type of material to cut. (I could spend an entire blog on this, but this post is already way too long). Suffice to say – the best advice is to research the proper bevel for your tool first and then use the material you are most comfortable with in achieving it. Diamond is a rapid cutter….and is best for someone that has a bit of experience in that regards…waterstones are better for someone who is starting out or who is not comfortable with agressive removal.

-- Woodworking.....My small slice of heaven!

The greatest advantages to diamond stones is that they never have to be flattened, and are much lower maintenance than water or oil stones. I prefer diamond stones as an alternative to a grinder as well, since they tend to be better at removing more material. However, I have found that even the DMT stones do lose their effectiveness after some use. Water stones, on the other hand, are friable and therefore there is always a fresh layer of cutting stone on the surface. I tend to use water stones from about 2000 grit and higher, as I think it gets a much better finish. However, I will use the diamond stones to keep the water stones flat so they serve multiple purposes. All that being said, I’ve heard great things about the new Shapton glass stones. Basically the best of both worlds. They cost a bit more, but I’ve heard they are fantastic for quick sharpening, but with the great finish of water stones. I’m not endorsing them since I haven’t tried them, but have spoken to several woodworkers who are raving about them.
http://www.woodcraft.com/Product/2080994/29983/Shapton-Glass-Stone-1000-Grit-5mm.aspx?refcode=05INFROO