Here are a few more optional refinements that you can use with the regular sharpening system as described in the previous post.

Method #1

After finishing on the stones, I spend less than a minute with diamond compounds. I use 1/2µ, 1/4µ, and finally, 1/8µ. The diamond compound is from Beta Diamond Products, Inc. in the Medium Concentration, Oil Soluble.

The diamond concentration has simply been applied to leather fabric that has been lightly glued to flat wood. The stroke with the tool is pulling back at the correct angle (as discussed in the last post, most commonly 32.5°) just a few times.

I also add just a bit of back/diagonal pull on the back layer of the tool using the finer micron diamond surfaces. That is the same way as done with the final stone. (See the series “Ruler Trick” parts 1 – 5 for all the details. For this diamond procedure, I use the 0.015″ strip to make 1/2° (see Part 4) to accommodate for the width of the material.)

This “optional” bit of quick extra work refines the final edge.

Method #2

For some tools with  just mildly dulled edges such as in the middle of dovetail work using the great Japanese chisels, I very quickly resharpen by skipping the stones altogether and quickly using pull strokes on aluminum oxide films. These have been applied to a flat 3/4″ plywood base.

I use the same finishing angles as with stones, though only pull strokes for the angled side of the tool. I find it too easy to cut the paper by pushing.

I use the aluminum sheets of 1.0µ, then 0.3µ, which is even finer than the finest stone. I finish with back/diagonal strokes. (0.020″ strip. Again, see the “Ruler Trick, parts 1-5″ series.)

There are diamond sheets available down to 0.1µ but are many times more expensive than aluminum. The aluminum oxide 8 1/2 x 11 sheets by 3M are about 1/20 the cost of the equivalent area of diamond sheet. I have not found a great advantage of the diamond sheet.

You can also use an aluminum oxide sheet of 3µ in a stone-replacement routine. I do not do this but instead, I go back to the stones.

Method #3

This is the simplest, least expensive, easiest refinement of sharpening!

Use the 0.3µ aluminum sheet just to finish off your routine stone sharpening, instead of finishing it off with the fine diamond compound as described above in Method #1. It is a cheap, simple, and quick way to take a step beyond the stones!

Well, maybe I should have described this last method first, but I wanted to generate the understanding of my sharpening methods.

These are all very easy and fast refinements to your sharpening work that can increase the performance of your tools AND help your fine hand tool woodworking!