Trend Grinding Stone, Up For Review

The extra coarse diamond whetstone from Trend is affectionately referred to as the grinding stone.  It’s a 180 grit stone that gets you outta trouble quick when you’ve dropped a chisel (I’ve never done this 😉 ) or need to change the profile of a cutting edge.

What’s Included?

This item ships with the 180 grit grinding stone, a stone cleaning block, a non-slip mat, and nylon storage pouch.

Use:

Repairing a Damaged Cutting Edge

It pains me to do this, but I’ve voluntarily dinged my chisel for your sake.  You’re welcome…

As you can see this damage would take a fair bit of time to repair even with Trend’s 300 grit diamond whetstone.  Just like with the other diamond whetstones, you need to apply lapping fluid to the stone before you begin sharpening.  This prevents the stone from clogging and not only speeds up the sharpening process, but it also extends the life of the stone.  Just a little dab will do ya.

Since I have a fair bit of material to remove, I’m going to use the honing guide.  Check out how to set this up in my article Trend Diamond Whetstone Kit, Up For Review.

Using light pressure, I’ll run the chisel across the stone until I have a uniform edge.  That nasty burr will be long gone before we strop the chisel.

From here on, I’ll progress through the stones as described in the article Trend Diamond Whetstone Kit, Up For Review.  Just for fun though this is how the edge progresses.

300 Grit:

1000 Grit:

Stropped:

Flattening a Plane Blade or Chisel

If you’ve ever flattened the back of a new chisel or plane blade, you know how long this can take.  Either you’re having fun enjoying the use of silicon carbide and plate glass or you’re working for what seems like an eternity on a bench stone that isn’t coarse enough.  Sure, you’ll get there eventually, but the 180 grit grinding stone really speeds the process along.

Flattening a Whetstone

Just like I showed in the article, Trend Diamond Whetstone Kit, Up For Review, this stone can be used to flatten either water or oil stones.  Here again, the punch line is that it’ll flatten those stones faster than the 300 grit stone and is a far cry less messy than working with loose silicon carbide abrasive and plate glass.  When you flatten another stone, absolutely use the lapping fluid!  This lubricates and cleans the diamond stone so that you get through the task faster.

What’s So Special About it?

The Trend sharpening products were developed by James Barry, a leading expert in the field of diamond abrasives with over 25 years of experience.  James acknowledges that his products are more expensive, but just like most things in life and doubly so for tools, you get what you pay for!  He has worked with American, Swiss, and Japanese diamond whetstone manufacturers and has amassed an extensive knowledge base of sharpening solutions and techniques.

The entire line of Trend sharpening products utilizes monocrystalline diamonds that are electroplated onto a steel substrate that’s been flattened within .0005″.  Just for comparison, the average human hair is .004″ in diameter.  We’re just going to say that this stone is flat!

So there was some technical mumbo jumbo in there…  Lemme clear it up if you’re sitting there like “whaaaa?”

There are two types of crystalline structure for diamond abrasives.  Monocrystalline and polycrystalline.  From your grade school days, you probably remember that mono means one and poly means many.  Polycrystalline diamonds have multiple cutting surfaces, which removes material faster initially, but they break down faster.  As this happens, the Polycrystalline diamonds become a increasingly finer grit. Monocrystalline diamonds hold up longer and will give consistent performance much longer than their polycrystalline counterparts.

The second contributing factor to the awesomeness of this product is that the diamonds are electroplated onto the substrate instead of glued on.  Think about it.  If  the diamonds were merely glued on, the glue could fail long before the diamond was actually dulled.  Not the case with electroplating, which forms a bond between the substrate and diamonds on a molecular level.

By using better diamonds and a superior adhesion process, Trend produces superior diamond whetstones.  They also offer a 5 year warranty on the stones, not that you’ll need it though.

Take Away

Maybe you’re still thinking, big whoop it’s a coarser stone.  Yeah, that’s what it boils down to.  If you have enough time and just really love profiling your tools with finer grit stones, then pass on this one.  However, if your time seems to be something that’s looking at you in the rear view mirror as it rides away, then pick up this stone and get through your sharpening projects quicker.  This stone is not a one stop solution, so if you’re just getting started with bench stones, I’d recommend any of the double sided diamond whetstones that Trend offers.

Bottom line, I’d highly recommend this product to professional and hobbyist woodworkers alike as a supplementary stone to their sharpening arsenal!

Other Trend Products WSM Has Reviewed

The Trend Diamond Whetstone Kit is a super product for all of your hand tool sharpening needs.  Check out the article, Trend Diamond Whetstone Kit, Up For Review where I walk you through the process of sharpening multiple items in your shop, even those pricey carbide inserts.

The AirShield Pro is a superb powered respirator for all things woodworking.  Be sure to read the article, Trend AirShield Pro, Up For Review where I discuss this product and Trend’s amazing customer support!

Questions?

As always, feel free to leave your questions or comments below.  If I missed something or lost you in the article, I’ll be happy to clear up any confusion!  Thanks for reading, y’all!

Full Disclosure: This product was provided by Trend for my unbiased use and review.  If I wouldn’t buy or use this product I’d tell you.  Rest assured, the Trend Diamond Whetstone Grinder is great!