EZE-Lap Diamond Stones
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I’m about to buy eze-lap stones (250g, 600g, 1200g) for around £190.
I was hoping for some feedback on them before I do though. Are they good? I believe Paul uses them.
I use eze-lap diamond stones and they are fantastic! Just make sure to use the whole surface to try and wear the stones down evenly and apply glass cleaner to help float the particles. Pay attention because these stones remove metal very quickly.
You are probably buying the same set-up that I have – bought it all about 10 years ago and its still going strong and I agree with Dave Kelly’s points.
They will do all you need unless you have some serious stress-marks needing grinding.
You will notice that the obviously aggressive initial cut wears off after a few times they are used – that’s perfectly normal – bedded in, they work even better though it may not appear so at first.
Don’t forget to clean them regularly….. abrasive kitchen cleaner and water is best (Vim or Ajax – the stuff that scratches polished surfaces) it gets all the krud out.The next stage up after the finest stone is a strop.
Leather strops are fine, but a good alternative is a thick ( 1 inch) piece of MDF about 10 inches square: oil the surface then smear a thin layer of stropping compound down one side about 3 inches wide, another layer the same width of ‘Autosol’ (chrome polish) and leave the same width bare. This, in successive strop-like applications will remove the wire strand lay the blade flat and polish the back of blades to a mirror finish.
Thanks both for the advice
If you buy them from fine tools it works out a bit cheaper, though delivery might not be as quick
https://www.fine-tools.com/ezelap-diasharpener.html
Thanks for the link Gavin
Fine Tools is one of my favourite tool suppliers, they never gave me a reason to complain and if you are in Berlin, their shop is worth a visit.
If you order your sharpening equipment from Fine Tools, then please read the note about flatness they give in the yellow box on the link by Gavin.
I use those Atoma diamond plates they recommend, if flatness of the sharpening plates is critical. After half a year of regular use (round about 3 plane irons (“regular” tool steel; A2 & PM-V11 by Veritas) and 3 chisels per week) the “fine” and “extra fine” plates begin to lose their initial aggressivity.E.
Ecky: “I use those Atoma diamond plates they recommend, if flatness of the sharpening plates is critical. After half a year of regular use (round about 3 plane irons (“regular” tool steel; A2 & PM-V11 by Veritas) and 3 chisels per week) the “fine” and “extra fine” plates begin to lose their initial aggressivity.”
I’ve not heard of Atoma diamond plates before. Are they better than the EZE-Lap diamond stones? I ask because I’ve never once heard Paul recommend them or even mention them.
I’m new to all of this but I would have thought that retaining flatness of a plate would be extremely important for any woodworker wanting to look after his tools. I’ve also read that the EZE-Lap diamond stones remain flat as well.
I would be disappointed if my EZE-Lap diamond stones started to lose their ability to sharpen after half a year. But I’m not sure what you are saying about the Atoma stones in this respect.
Wouldn’t both (EZE-Lap and Atoma) stones lose their aggressiveness after a period of 6 months? Or are you saying the Atoma stones remain just as aggressive for longer?
In short, why do you recommend the Atoma over EZE-Lap? I think I’m missing some piece of information here but I’m not sure what it is.
I’m also confused about what they mean by “replacement” plates. How do the Atoma plates/replacement plates function? I’m intrigued.
Thanks for the info.
Hi Mark,
I have the Eze-lap plates so can’t comment on the Atoma ones, but my experience of them is that they’re certainly flat enough. A few points:
1. They’re for sharpening and not grinding. If you need to grind new bevels or remove a lot of material then use a grinder or sand paper.
2. The coarse stone will probably “wear” the fastest – especially if, like me you find out point 1 on your own – but it will still be effective. As mentioned above they are very aggressive new and will lose this quite quickly with regular use. The wear rate is not linear, they remain effective for a long time.
3. You need to apply pressure, but you don’t need to press down very hard. You will wear them much faster if you do and you’ll probably end up sharpening out of square. Remember, sharpening not grinding.
My advice would be buy some, either brand, they’ll be fine and you’ll start getting the benefits. The Atoma ones sound interesting though…
Rob.
The Atoma plates are roughly 1mm thick stainless steel foils with electroplated diamonds on a 10mm thick flat milled aluminium base, glued together with double sided adhesive tape. There is at least one video on Youtube which shows the process of changing the foil.
All diamond plates stay flat in their initial flatness tolerances.
I don’t know the large (8″x3″) EZE-LAP diamond plates, so I have rely on the statement of Fine Tools.
They sell both brands, the plates are roughly in the same price range, EZE-LAP is widely used and have got the reputation of being recommended by Mr. Sellers. On the other hand, Fine Tools had tested at least one EZE-LAP plate with a 0.3mm deviation in flatness. And then there are DMT Dia Sharp (as far as I know with a similar reputation as EZE-LAP) and M. Powertools advertise their “Diamond Cross 8 Inch Bench Stone 300/1000#” within 0.044mm of flatness deviation: https://www.m-powertools.com/diamond-cross-8inch-bench-stone.htmlNot to mention the double sided plates sold eg. by Axminster, where it seems to be some kind of lottery to get a very flat one. But they don’t advertise “monocrystalline diamonds”, so I assume they use polycrystalline diamonds – which results in quicker wear. On the other hand, this plate costs roughly half the price of a plate by EZE-LAP, DMT or M. Powertools.
The loss of the “initial aggressivity” in my opinion is better described as “wear in”, not “wear out”. After that period diamond plates stay on a practically constant abrasive level for a long time.
In the very beginning of my woodworking hobby I had a flutter to order a double sided “Axminster Rider” plate and it turned out as good enough for my needs.
Even this “cheap” Axminster plate works fine after 3 years of constant use (and I have to admit that I worked with too much pressure for the first weeks), despite the wear in period was significantly shorter than on the Atomas.
I purchased the new plates because they cover a wider range of grit (140 to 1200 compared to 400 and 1000 of the double sided plate) and I can use them on a sharpening plate holder without having to flip them over to change the grit size.If I had to purchase new plates by a mail order company, I’d go for the Atoma, because for me the flatness is very important and I trust the reasonable recommendation of Fine Tools.
If I had the opportunity to select plates either of EZE-LAP or DMT in a local shop and check them with a straight edge, I’d go that way.
If I’d like to have a good double sided plate, I’d purchase the M. Powertools.
When I have tight budget constraints, want to get a double sided plate and the opportunity to visit an Axminster shop to check the plates, I’d choose that option.
This just my opinion, your mileage may vary.In other respects: what Rob wrote.
Hope that helps,
E.
That does help, thank you very much for the in-depth reply Ecky.
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