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Trend has always been on the cutting edge; they’ve even got products to keep it sharp. One of the company’s latest products is of particular interest to me. As someone who does a fair amount of carving, I’m always looking for ways to achieve (and maintain) a sharper edge. I’ve always used slips to prep my carving tools for buffing/stropping, until now. I got my hands on one of Trend’s new diamond plates and have been using it for the last few months.
At 1/16″ thick and about the size of a credit card (2″ x 3-5/16″) the double-sided stone is great for sharpening carving tools but also works on lots of other tools including carbide-tipped router bits. Trend has had a credit-card sized stone out for some time now but, frankly, it was a bit too coarse for delicate carving tools. This new stone is #600 grit on one side and #1,000 grit on the other (the previous stone was #300 grit and #600 grit, and is still available through the Trend web site).
What I Like about the Trend Pocket Stone
There’s a lot to like about a pocket-sized diamond stone. You can carve anywhere and still maintain a decent edge. There’s the added convenience of being able to hold the tool steady and move the stone across the edge. I find this to be more natural and as safe as using a slip. The best part is the diamond plate doesn’t wear like a slip.
The #1,000-grit side doesn’t give you mirror polish – but it isn’t meant to. It’s an easy way to handle small nicks in the edge when you don’t have access to, or just don’t want to, grind the edge of your tool. The #1,000-grit side of the stone is fast but leaves behind a surface that is easily and quickly polished up so you can get back to carving.
Another reason I like this stone so much is it’s small enough to use for honing most of the router bits I own. There’s nothing worse than realizing halfway through a run of moulding that your router bit has started to seriously dull. A few strokes with this diamond stone and some honing oil and you’re back in business. Sure, there’s nothing new about that, but with this stone, you can do that with the router bit still in the router while the router is in your router table (if you are so inclined).
There’s a lot to like about the new Trend carver’s diamond stone, and at just over $42 it won’t break the bank.
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