EZE-LAP sharpening stones worn out after flattening a couple of plane irons
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Hi everyone,
I purchased a couple of EZE-LAP sharpening stones: single sided 8″x3″ 250 grit and double sided 8″x3″ 150/600 and 400/1200 grits. I tried to flatten a few plane irons for Stanley #4 and #4 1/2. At first they cut the metal well but after some use they became finer and I had to apply more and more pressure to cut any metal at all. It is a known issue with EZE-LAP that they became finer after some use so I expected that. EZE-LAP advertises, that after they wear our a bit they should cut even better but the opposite is the truth: the 150 and 250 grit stones became a polishing tools and my irons just glide over them and now they barely cut any metal at all. The 250 single sided is now a bit finer than the 400 double sided (I suspect it is not 250 at all). What is your experience with these stones? Should I have been very gentle with them all the time? I remember I was in the beginning but they were wearing out even then. Now I ended up with more or less useless stones after just a couple of days of use and I flattened only about five irons near the edge (combination of Stanley and Record Tungsten irons). I can still use them to sharpen bevels so they still work a bit but I think the flattening is over.
Martin
I have no facts for you, just wanted to say I was concerned about the same thing with my new diamond sharpeners. I have no idea if it is necessary, but I’ve continued to use 240-320 grit wet/dry sandpaper on a granite tile to do any rough or heavy sharpening / flattening, saving the diamond stones for everyday refining of the blades.
That sounds bad if they have worn out that quickly! If the stones are genuinely worn out in a couple of days I would be asking for money back. Maybe a poor batch or something.
I’m sure this is a silly question so please forgive me, but you are using some kind of lapping fluid to float off the swarf as you use the stones?. If not then the stones might get progressively more clogged and wouldn’t cut well – just as you described. Even if the particles wear and become finer, they should still be cutting!
I’d ask the same question as Mike I — is there a chance the stones are clogged? Maybe take a brass bristle brush and some 3-in-1 oil and scrub them really good, then try again, being sure to use oil or soapy water or etc to float away the swarf as you sharpen.
I had a similar Problem with my 250 Grit, got clogged up after i forgot to clear the oil of a Plane Iron. I’d try to wash them off with some Dishsoap, hot water and a stiff brush, if that doesnt work you can still try Alcohol, paint thinner or some kinda solvents.
on a Sidenote personally i wouldnt use EZE-Laps to Flatten irons, chisels etc., mine at least arent as dead-flat as id like them to be, dont get me wrong i still love them to sharpen with but the tolerances of DMT’s in terms of flatness are just better
How many soles did you flatten?
By the way, if there is much to take off, I start on sandpaper as coarse as 80 grit.
And, as Mike pointed out, clogging is a serious issue with any abrasive surface. It might be the real reason for your plates to stop working. I have never cleaned any diamond plates, because I don’t have any, but the others gave advise. I had serious trouble with sharpening stones for the same reason. Water or oil also works well as a lubricant, so use plenty. And remember to clean the iron as well, before changing to the next grit.
Dieter
Hi, thank you all for your reactions. Here are my answers and some additional info.
- I’m using plain water as a lapping fluid. I always spray a film of water over the entire stone or the place where I’m going to sharpen. I do it pretty much the same way as Paul Sellers in his videos with the only difference being him using the glass cleaner instead of water. I don’t use oil.
- Were my stones clogged? Only slightly – I could tell that by some amount of visible rust when the stones got dry. I’ve been washing the metal waste from the stones with warm water regularly during my sharpening once it visibly accumulated. I tried to follow your advice and washed the stone in a warm soap water (haven’t tried the alcohol or other solvents yet) and brushed it with a light metal bristle brush. I took some more waste out but unfortunately, it didn’t make any difference, the irons still just glide over the plates when I try to flatten.
- My EZE-LAP stones are unfortunately far from flat, I checked them with the Starrett combination square. I wasn’t pursuing dead flatness here really, I just wanted to have a flat surface a few millimeters along the edge.
- I’ve tried the sandpaper on a plate of glass method before on my plane soles and destroyed many sheets with a little effect so I wanted to switch to a more durable abrasive. I haven’t tried to flatten the plane soles on my diamonds yet though.
I’m inclined to send the stones back but I’m not quite sure whether this is my fault, maybe I was pushing too hard but once again, the stones were gradually cutting less and less so I pushed more. I never used any brutal force or anything close to that but I wasn’t very gentle either (in the end, they are diamonds, I thought). I also thought that they can be used for flattening plane irons or chisels, only requiring more time to spend on them.
Hugo, I’ve flattened almost six plane irons and one or two chisel backs.
one thing that you could try is going to your local Stonemason and ask to take a look at his scrap heap, i got a polished Granite Window sill for free that way, its not absolutely dead flat either but with some spray adhesive and different grits of Sandpaper works faster and better then the compareatively smallish Diamondplates. Also you dont have the problem of the Glas breaking under pressure.
Doesnt fix the problem with the Plates i know but at least you get your Chisels, Plane irons, Plane Soles relatively flat that way.
Hi Philipp, my mistake, I should’ve said I destroyed many sheets of sandpaper, not sheets of glass using that method. Sorry for my English 🙂
martinanda, I think, that is not so much. My question was not really serious, I only wondered, how diamond plates could be worn down so quickly 😉 (I thought, diamonds were forever)
And I finally noticed, that you were flattening plane irons, not plane soles. In that case, even 6 irons and a few chisel backs don’t seem that much, unless you were flattening the entire surface.
Dieter
If they are wearing out that fast I suggest you contact the company. I never was a fan personally of diamond stones. I prefer naturals. I use Arkansas stones and they work great.
I don’t know what the life expectancy of a diamond stone is but an Arkansas stone will be something your grand children will use so I say its worth the upfront price.
If you think you will be doing lots more lapping. DMT makes a product especially designed to take the extra abuse.
Both Roy underhill and Chris Schwarz rave about DMT’s Dia-Flat lapping plate with Hardcoat Technology(TM) especially designed for heavy use and lapping planes. Apparently the coating is designed especially to hold the diamonds better. Accurate to +/- .0005″.
Standard size is 4×10″ underhill uses his in his wooodworking school, so it probably gets many time the use you would put it to. Available in most grits. I’d get one of the coarsest.
Chris’ review
I have no relation to the manufacturer.Hi, thanks for all your suggestions, I’ll definitely consider them. I’m still wondering if there is anyone who experienced the same thing as me or the opposite and I’d like to hear your opinions on my assumption that I could use the diamonds for flattening plane irons without risking wearing them out in such a short time. My expectations could’ve been false since I’m fairly new to woodworking.
I have a set of 3 DMT Diasharp single sided plates, 8×3″. Cost about $100 each when I got them. I was surprised at how aggressive they were when I first got them, but they’ve broken in now. I’ve been using them for years, having re-habbed several planes, and sharpened my plane blades and chisels numerous times on them. I use glass cleaner as a lapping fluid, even though the manufacturing instructions say to use only water. The reason for this is that the glass cleaner has things in it (mostly alcohol) that reduce the surface tension, making it flow better instead of beading.
My guess is that either you’ve glazed the plates, the EZE-Lap ones are crap, or you’re expecting too much from them based on how they cut initially. If you’re expecting to seriously reshape the blade with them, you’re using the wrong tool. Also if you’re breaking glass with scary sharp, you’re almost certainly using far too much downward pressure. You should be holding the blades in contact with the plates with a light touch, not jamming them into it. Press just hard enough to keep the blades in contact with the plates.
I’d suggest you break out the glass cleaner, give the plates a good clean, and try sharpening a chisel on them. If you can see the metal powder darkening your fluid, then they’re probably working, even if you don’t necessarily notice. Don’t expect to get any serious knicks out of a blade with the course plate after it’s broken in. You’ll be there all day. Once a blade is in a serviceable condition though, you should be able to bring it back to sharp with 10 quick strokes on each plate, and 30 strokes on a strop.
Hope this helps!
PS. It’s entirely possible that the EZE-LAP plates are crap, so if you don’t have any success with what I mentioned, try to return them.
PPS. If you’re trying to flatten the entire back of a plane iron, you’re probably expecting too much, and wasting time anyway. Firstly, only the first little bit of the plane iron actually needs to be dead flat. Even an inch is more than enough. Secondly, if the blade has a hollow, it’s ok to leave it in, so long as it doesn’t go to the edge of the blade. If it’s poking out, you have a lot more material to remove, but Paul mentioned a great trick at one point. Put the blade on a wooden surface, and smack the high spot as hard as you can with a soft blow hammer. After 1 or 2 decent strikes, it should be hollow, and easy to get back to flat!
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