# Diamond Honing



## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

Question:when honing a bit (3/4" straight bit in this case) with a 1200 grit diamond lap, what's 'good enough' as opposed to perfect? 
It's a trade off, obviously, between removing a _lot_ of material, and achieving acceptable performance from the bit. 
I think I may have waited too long before deciding it _really_ needed a good re-honing,,,definitely still doesn't feel glass smooth if I drag my fingernail along the cutting edges.
Maybe just save this one for dadoing in common lumber, and buy a new one for cabinetry? 

Lee Valley Tools - Important Announcement


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

I've never been able to achieve a factory edge but it is always better than not honing. Maybe I just got tired of honing before I got to that point. Maybe go to a coarser hone first and then go to 1200. As a last resort maybe try a few strokes on the bevel. At a certain point there's nothing to lose by trying it.


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## MAFoElffen (Jun 8, 2012)

I wish Mike (Admin) would answer this... Talking with him (Skype) a few months ago, he was just raving about a credit card diamond hone he got with someone's honing oil (bundled deal). He swore by it. He hones his bits.

He said it was a good combination. That the honing/lapping oil was very, very, very light oil (about the viscosity of water) and carried the particles off the hone. He said his hone would not load up. He swore off water, as he found that using water on a diamond hone weakened the bond of the abrasives.

I'm hoping he jumps in and comments on this first hand. I forget who he got them from or what the were. And he hones his bits regularly... at least much more than I.

Me? By the time mine are dull, I have 3 credit card diamond hones, each of different grits. They take off a lot less than it would, than if I sent them out and had them resharpened... All I do is take the burs off the flat. I do not touch the profile at all. But it still takes forever and I usually get them to a point where just I say they are good enough... and give up there. They certainly don't take off enough to affect the balance!

I "think" I remember hearing somewhere that the factory edge on most router bits as being only 600 grit...

I'm afraid of hitting them with one of my diamond blades (i've seen there is a router blade jig for my blade sharpener).


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## bobj3 (Jan 17, 2006)

Router Forums - View Single Post - Router Bit Maintenance

http://www.amazon.com/Trend-DWS-CC-...80217&sr=1-3&keywords=trend+diamond+whetstone

http://www.amazon.com/DMT-D3F-3-Inch-Dia-Sharp-Sharpener/dp/B0001WP1J2/ref=pd_sim_sbs_hi_4

http://www.amazon.com/EZE-LAP-210-Credit-Diamond-Sharpening/dp/B002RL83IG/ref=pd_cp_hi_2


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MAFoElffen said:


> I wish Mike (Admin) would answer this... Talking with him (Skype) a few months ago, he was just raving about a credit card diamond hone he got with someone's honing oil (bundled deal). He swore by it. He hones his bits.
> 
> He said it was a good combination. That the honing/lapping oil was very, very, very light oil (about the viscosity of water) and carried the particles off the hone. He said his hone would not load up. He swore off water, as he found that using water on a diamond hone weakened the bond of the abrasives.
> 
> ...


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

Thanks, Guys. I couldn't find the Trend c.c. type up here so opted for the Lee Valley ones I linked to. I'm quite happy with their action, but as I said, I'm not sure when to stop the process(?)...
I must admit I was really hesitant to use the 600 grit; I thought it might be too aggressive, but your comments have changed my mind. I'll give it a go!
(I think they're pretty close to being sharp enough, but I haven't gotten all the nicks out of one edge.)


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## Mike (Nov 22, 2004)

When you are touching up your bits or blades you are in for a surprise. You do not need to use very fine grits to get excellent results. Trend recommends using 340 grit for HSS and 600 grit for carbide. Virtually no pressure is required with a diamond sharpener.

There are huge differences in the way that diamond sharpeners are made. For the purpose of this thread there is no need to go into theory of using polycrystalline versus monocrystalline diamonds. You only need to know two things: NEVER use water since this causes the steel substrata to rust and ruins your sharpener; a couple light passes is all it takes.

If your bit is chipped do not waste your time trying to sharpen it yourself. Odds are the bit should be replaced. If the bit has dulled over time you can touch it up 3 or 4 times before sending it to be precision sharpened.

There are many less expensive sharpeners available but you will find the cost of the Trend sharpener is justified. You are welcome to do the research yourself and I am sure you will come to the same conclusion that I did. There is no reason to buy a couple of less expensive sharpeners when one quality sharpener will last you many years.


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## TwoSkies57 (Feb 23, 2009)

How in the world did we manage before YouTube? 

Trend Diamond Whetstone - Choosing Diamond Whetstones - YouTube

Trend Diamond Whetstone - Care & Maintenance - YouTube

Trend Diamond Whetstone - Show Demonstration - YouTube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vk74YnSINms
Thought this to be a real good video!


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

Mike; the economics question.
For arguments sake lets assume a $25 good quality bit. By the time it's been touched up 4+ times, can the cost of a professional grind be justified, relative to the cost of replacing it? For myself original +4 touchups equals several years of use(?) probably. 
My 3/4" straight bit gets the most use (dados).


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## TwoSkies57 (Feb 23, 2009)

professionally done: I believe these to be good ballpark prices..

Professional Sharpening Service

Here are Rocklers offerings...scroll down the page a bit to see the DMT double sided sharpener..thats not a bad price..

Rockler - Router Bit Sharpener

Trends sharpening page: 

http://www.trend-uk.com/en/US/productlist/3/54/diamond_pocket_stones.html


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

Thanks, Bill! That sort of seals the deal, eh? $20 to sharpen a $20-25 bit?
Plus, in my case the cost of getting it down to Vancouver and back. That diamond hone will pay for itself if I only get 3 sharpenings out of a bit...then chuck the bit. Literally.


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

So, there I am, looking for router bits and what's buried in there?
Trend Credit Card Sized Diamond Sharpener [TRE-DWSCCFC] - $36.99 : KMS Tools & Equipment from Vancouver BC, Largest selection of tools in Canada
Not in with the sharpening tools, where I'd diligently looked.


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## Mike (Nov 22, 2004)

Dan, the situation will vary for each individual so there is no set in stone answer as to the value of sharpening or replacing. Some bits cost close to $100 for a matched pair so that changes the value. HSS bits require constant sharpening so that is an easy answer.


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## whimsofchaz (Jun 6, 2013)

Great thread. I learned a lot on this one. Is there an equivalent diamond system for hand planes? This seems so inexpensive and stones are so expensive and wear out quickly. Great stuff though


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## whimsofchaz (Jun 6, 2013)

I saw the video duh!


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## TwoSkies57 (Feb 23, 2009)

Having done alot of research on sharpening over the years, Diamond stones are considered a very good way to go. However, it comes at a cost. IMHO you get what you pay for. Shapton, Naniwa and DMT distribute high quality products. There are alot of folks who swear by diamond plate sharpening systems professionally. With 10" stones heading north of the 200-250 dollar price range, They are out of my ballpark. Thats not to say I wouldn't love to give them a try!!! Even the mid priced full sized plates do well. The big advantage they do have is they are extremely low maintenance when compared to whetstones/waterstones etc.. How well one type of abrasive/system works over another can be argued til the cows come home. 

Now I do have a few smaller and CHEAPER diamond plates and I have to say that they do perform well enough. I use them for touchup's and for prepping my scrappers. The small handheld sharpeners work 'ok' on my router bits. Similar to the set below: 
3 Piece Diamond Hone Sharpening Set - Rockler Woodworking Tools
The Trend setup really seems to be the way to go. Reasonably priced and from what Mike has reported and what I've read the effort/time required and the results achieved make it the best value..
There's nothing more frustrating than trying to achieve superior results with inferior tools.
Just my opinion and of course YMMV

b.


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

I've been using these for lapping the bottoms of my plane irons and chisels and they have been working very well after getting them close with cheap diamond hones to about 600 grit. (Single) Wet/Dry Sandpaper 5.5" x 9" -2500 - Wet-Dry Sandpaper By the way, their router bits are decent and the the prices are the lowest anywhere. One other member says that the grinding wheels are also good value. 

I've also used some of these. Lee Valley Tools - Important Announcement they are a little better quality but also a lot more money per sheet.


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

Re Bill's link above; I just sent KMS a couple of e-mails regarding their online catalogue of router bits. I was complaining bitterly about the lack of organization to their listings and the number of errors...wrong pictures for described items etc. 
Looking at Bill's link, Rockler is almost as bad. Bits and sharpening items all mixed in together. No rational organization that I can see.
If Lee Valley can do it so can everyone else!
Lee Valley Tools - Item Search
Lee Valley Tools - Important Announcement
Three clicks and I have all the info I need in one spot.
(Two clicks using the above, because I already opened the splash page and typed in 'router bits').


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## TwoSkies57 (Feb 23, 2009)

Gotta agree regarding rocklers new look website.. not a fan!

Thats just one of the reasons LeeValley gets the bulk of my business..


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

+1 for LV. Not only is the catalog the best organized, it has the best descriptions for the items in it. The catalog is worth having just for the wealth of information in it.


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## Tiny (Aug 12, 2012)

Hello Dan. I started sharpening my bit's in 1999. I bought a cheap folding knife-like charpner. It was ok. The only problem was that the area with diamonds ended before the edge so I couldn't get to the corner. Then I bought a Victorinox diamond file which was exelant. It didn't have any problems with corners
Victorinox Swiss Army
I replaced it last year with an exelant Finnish-Swedish diamondfile 
Dianova Lapstone PROFESSIONAL teroitin Uittokalusto Oy 
The product information you can read in english in the next link
Assortment | Dianova | Worldclass diamond sharpeners
I'm very pleaced with it. If you are more confortable with a hand held charpner buy a smaler with a short handle. I have the one sided professional but I'm thinking of buying the classic with both fine and coarse diamonds. I can warmly recomend Dianova product's to you Dan. You want get disapointed!


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