# Diamond Discs for Worksharp 3000



## Herb Stoops (Aug 28, 2012)

I thought I would start this new thread on a continuation of the discussion on the Worksharp 3000 and diamond discs.

Thanks to Bill @schnewj, and his Post # 41, p.5, Router Forums - Router and Woodworking Discussion Community

And all the research Bill did to find a way to do the diamonds discs, that used to try this method.

1, cut some 6"X6" pieces of 1/2" MDF.
2. Drill hole in center and cut rounds on band saw, a brad point worked better for the hole than the forstner bit.
3.I used the same jig to sand the edges on the oscillating sander.

4. Layed a MDF disc on top of the rubber PVA backed magnetic disc and marked the hole location, then drilled them wit a 1/2" brad point bit.
5.Peeled the backing sheet off the magnetic disc and cut a short 1/2" dowel to guide it onto the MDF disc. When both sides were attached, clamp it in the vise to press the disc contact adhesive to the MDF good and tight.
\6. Remove from vise and insert the short dowel into the hole to guide the Diamond coated steel disc into place.

Do this to all the discs both sides and you are good to go.

Sharpening:

I made up a 180/260, 360/600, 1200/3000, Also have a 60, 80, 120, discs which I may make up later, I will have to order more Macnetic PCA discs tho.

First thing I found was that the retaining bolt and Knob on the WS 3000 was too short for the new thicker discs. So I had to make a new longer one with a jig knob I had from Peachtree.

The sharpening went very good, it is 50% faster than the sanding discs gave excellent results. less pressure is required on the disc, instead of 10 plunges and retractions, it was 5. 

I did put the 3600 WS disc in to get a little more polish at the end.
Then I hand drew the chisel accross a smooth leather strop w/o any stropping solution and the improved the polish.

These are sharp tools ,folks. Thanks to Bill Scheider and all his excellent research. a real winner.





Here are some pictures


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## Herb Stoops (Aug 28, 2012)

Here are the rest.


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## DesertRatTom (Jul 3, 2012)

Nice!


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## coxhaus (Jul 18, 2011)

I wondered how this worked using the diamond discs on the Worksharp 3000.


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## LazurusLong (Jan 20, 2015)

Nice job Herb! About how much was the additional cost to bring it up to this level of excellence?


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## hawkeye10 (Jul 28, 2015)

Herb that is pretty neat. But then we expect that from you. :smile:


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## JohnnyB60 (Jun 15, 2009)

Herb, where do you get these diamond discs?


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## schnewj (Nov 18, 2013)

Fantastic write-up Herb.

I, too, found that the hold down know was a little short, however, there is enough engagement that the original holds. Due to the rotation of the disc, the knob will tighten itself and will not loosen. I may make up one similar to what you did, but I've been lazy...

After using these plates for a while, I have found that the 3600 grit diamond plate has had a groove worn in one spot. The rest of the plate surface is fine, but the higher grits may not last for this application. The rest of the plate is still very usable for topside use.

The question was asked as to how much this costs. I'll refer you back to the original post for the set-up (http://www.routerforums.com/tools-woodworking/84929-santas-present-work-sharp-3000-a.html). Basically, the DMT set-up is between $60-80. If you buy the mag plates and the diamond plates from the link source, the same set-up is roughly $35-40. This is for a two plate set-up. I suggest that you order five or more diamond plates at a time. The shipping cost is the same after five plates.

The diamond plates are true 6" plates. They are 1/10" bigger then the WS3000 glass discs...they work fine with no clearance issues.

I bought two additional glass discs off of eBay and applied the PSA backed magnet material. I then ran an X-acto knife around the disc to trim off the excess that was overhanging. I suggest that you do this, so, that, the magnetic material doesn't get snagged on something and get peeled back.

I have been meaning to cut out some MDF discs to try. I picked up the material the weekend before last, but have been "under the weather" (Springtime allergies). I plan on charging the MDF with buffing compound to act as a strop. I may even see about getting a piece of leather and gluing it to the MDF to make my own leather strop. Lots of experimenting to do, yet!

The whole downside to the WS3000 system is that it will not accept wider (2") iron. These have to be done on the top of the Disc. If you look at the stands (original linked thread) you will see stands that Desert Rat Tom and I each built. By leveling the disc to the platform, using a honing guide to maintain the desired angle, you can sharpen wider blades on the top of the disc. I have done this with great success. 

Source links (post #50): http://www.routerforums.com/tools-woodworking/84929-santas-present-work-sharp-3000-a-2.html

@Herb Stoops, thanks for following up.

Bill


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## aganser (Nov 10, 2014)

Thanks for all the info on this sharpening system. I too wonder where you purchased the diamond discs? and how expensive were they? I could be helpful for those who don't want to invest in the Worksharp system that is a similar DIY sharpening system was developed by Stephen Ogle using rigid diamond discs (see 



 ). They were purchased from an eBay company called Auctiva Emporium at ' - lau***''s Emporium - Home & Garden' and are of good quality and only cost $10-$20 each depending on size.


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## Herb Stoops (Aug 28, 2012)

I got the PSA magnetic discs from www.magnetking.com/store/peel-n-sti...rcle-006-peel-n-stick-outdoor-adhesive-magnet

The diamond discs from Jade Carver ? Diamond Tools Gems Jade (9250 689-8840

Herb


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## Herb Stoops (Aug 28, 2012)

aganser said:


> Thanks for all the info on this sharpening system. I too wonder where you purchased the diamond discs? and how expensive were they? I could be helpful for those who don't want to invest in the Worksharp system that is a similar DIY sharpening system was developed by Stephen Ogle using rigid diamond discs (see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWMhcT9ShAg ). They were purchased from an eBay company called Auctiva Emporium at ' - lau***''s Emporium - Home & Garden' and are of good quality and only cost $10-$20 each depending on size.


I wonder how fast the disc is rotating? It seems a little fast to me. Ideally it should be around 650 rpms. I like his ideas tho and think they are sound.

Herb


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## Herb Stoops (Aug 28, 2012)

I bought two additional glass discs off of eBay and applied the PSA backed magnet material. I then ran an X-acto knife around the disc to trim off the excess that was overhanging. I suggest that you do this, so, that, the magnetic material doesn't get snagged on something and get peeled back.

I have been meaning to cut out some MDF discs to try. I picked up the material the weekend before last, but have been "under the weather" (Springtime allergies). I plan on charging the MDF with buffing compound to act as a strop. I may even see about getting a piece of leather and gluing it to the MDF to make my own leather strop. Lots of experimenting to do, yet!



Source links (post #50): http://www.routerforums.com/tools-woodworking/84929-santas-present-work-sharp-3000-a-2.html

@Herb Stoops, thanks for following up.

Bill[/QUOTE]

I didn't measure the thickness of the glass, but it must be thinner than 1/2" , because the bolt would not engage the threads on the WS spindle, so I had no choice but to make a longer hold down knob. It only took a minute.
As far as the diameter of the disc they are exactly 6", the magnetic mat over hung the edge a whisker, and I sanded then flush.
The diamond discs are exactly 6" in diam.

I ordered the WS top side grinding device. it was $69. for the kit on Amazon,if I remember right. normally $85. I don't plan on making a stand for it, I want to just put it in the cupboard when not in use.

You stated a 3600 grit, the smallest I got was a 3000grt. which okay, if I want to go finer I will probably use micro mesh discs.

Herb


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## schnewj (Nov 18, 2013)

Herb Stoops said:


> I bought two additional glass discs off of eBay and applied the PSA backed magnet material. I then ran an X-acto knife around the disc to trim off the excess that was overhanging. I suggest that you do this, so, that, the magnetic material doesn't get snagged on something and get peeled back.
> 
> I have been meaning to cut out some MDF discs to try. I picked up the material the weekend before last, but have been "under the weather" (Springtime allergies). I plan on charging the MDF with buffing compound to act as a strop. I may even see about getting a piece of leather and gluing it to the MDF to make my own leather strop. Lots of experimenting to do, yet!
> 
> ...


I didn't measure the thickness of the glass, but it must be thinner than 1/2" , because the bolt would not engage the threads on the WS spindle, so I had no choice but to make a longer hold down knob. It only took a minute.
As far as the diameter of the disc they are exactly 6", the magnetic mat over hung the edge a whisker, and I sanded then flush.
The diamond discs are exactly 6" in diam.

I ordered the WS top side grinding device. it was $69. for the kit on Amazon,if I remember right. normally $85. I don't plan on making a stand for it, I want to just put it in the cupboard when not in use.

You stated a 3600 grit, the smallest I got was a 3000grt. which okay, if I want to go finer I will probably use micro mesh discs.

Herb[/QUOTE]

*I was looking to provide a comparable set of grits to what was originally supplied with the WS3000. 3600 was the highest grit (micromesh). I'm curious how well the 3000 grit diamond plate is holding up.

Again, I'm not impressed with the 3600 plate for the machine. There is a definite wear spot on the plate after minor usage. A 3000 may hold up better.

When I'm feeling up to it I will make up some MDF discs and charge them with polishing compound. If a 3000 plate is adequate and I follow up with a "stropping" it will probably be more then adequate for plane irons and chisels.

Ideally, gluing a piece of rough out leather to a MDF disc and "charging" it would be perfect as a strop.

I really question the need to sharpen all of the way down to the higher grits. In watching Paul Sellers on YouTube, he only sharpens down to 220 and then strops the hell out of his irons. You can read through his plane shavings.

A Tormek wheel, I believe, is basically a 220 that can be redressed to around 1000 (@Stick486 help me here with the grits). If you are only dressing to 1000 and get the results that the Tormek gives then why should you have to go higher.*


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## Herb Stoops (Aug 28, 2012)

I really question the need to sharpen all of the way down to the higher grits. In watching Paul Sellers on YouTube, he only sharpens down to 220 and then strops the hell out of his irons. You can read through his plane shavings.

A Tormek wheel, I believe, is basically a 220 that can be redressed to around 1000 (@Stick486 help me here with the grits). If you are only dressing to 1000 and get the results that the Tormek gives then why should you have to go higher.[/B][/QUOTE]

On this link Dan Erlewine goes up to 2000grit on the diamond plates.

Sharpen your chisels so they cut like razors | stewmac.com


Herb


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## Herb Stoops (Aug 28, 2012)

I just made up and tried a wheel with a thick leather rough on one side and smooth on the other with green and white polishing sticks. The leather is 1/8" thick.
I think the white does a little brighter polish than the green,but so close it doesn't matter to me. the smooth side seemed to improve the polish a tiny bit too. Don't know if the polishing is any advantage, but they look nice. 

Here is the wheel , easy to do. A fellow woodworker gave me a piece of thick leather left over from a project he was doing,just enough for2 pieces. I made another MDF wheel and bonded the leather with a spray adhesive . Then the inside leather piece ran through my drum sander and roughed it up. The out side leather was smooth and polished ,so left it alone.

Herb


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## schnewj (Nov 18, 2013)

Herb Stoops said:


> I just made up and tried a wheel with a thick leather rough on one side and smooth on the other with green and white polishing sticks. The leather is 1/8" thick.
> I think the white does a little brighter polish than the green,but so close it doesn't matter to me. the smooth side seemed to improve the polish a tiny bit too. Don't know if the polishing is any advantage, but they look nice.
> 
> Here is the wheel , easy to do. A fellow woodworker gave me a piece of thick leather left over from a project he was doing,just enough for2 pieces. I made another MDF wheel and bonded the leather with a spray adhesive . Then the inside leather piece ran through my drum sander and roughed it up. The out side leather was smooth and polished ,so left it alone.
> ...


Perfect, Herb! Just what I had in mind.

Polishing doesn't really sharpen...it just polishes out the scratches and eliminates any "wire edges" that may be present to hang up the steel. There is probably no discernible difference between the green and white (rouge) polishing compounds. 

We used white to buff out the knife blades when I worked for Case Cutlery. Even when we "rough buffed" (pleated wheel) we used white.


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## Herb Stoops (Aug 28, 2012)

schnewj said:


> Perfect, Herb! Just what I had in mind.
> 
> Polishing doesn't really sharpen...it just polishes out the scratches and eliminates any "wire edges" that may be present to hang up the steel. There is probably no discernible difference between the green and white (rouge) polishing compounds.
> 
> We used white to buff out the knife blades when I worked for Case Cutlery. Even when we "rough buffed" (pleated wheel) we used white.


Thanks Bill, I might add that I did all the strop polishing on the top side of the WS3000. I didn't try the plunge slots

Herb


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## schnewj (Nov 18, 2013)

Herb Stoops said:


> Thanks Bill, I might add that I did all the strop polishing on the top side of the WS3000. I didn't try the plunge slots
> 
> Herb


This may help...


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