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| photo copyright Karin Corbin 2009 |
Diamonds, diamonds and more diamonds. I have lots of them and almost all of them are industrial grade and are not all that expensive.
From a large diamond coated blade in my wet cutting tile saw down to tiny diamond burrs I love them all for what they can do in the workshop. I use them to cut and shape, sand or carve and sometimes even drill stone, ceramics, glass, wood, metal and foams.
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| photo copyright Karin Corbin 2009 |
The items above are diamond coated files. I love these for sanding small details. Much easier than trying to use an emery board or a grit coated sanding twig and also good value as they last a very long time. Good at shaping metal although I tend to prefer the standard metal, swiss pattern needle files for that particular material use. You can purchase them in different grit sizes and a wide variety of shapes, flat, round, triangular and more.
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| photo copyright Karin Corbin 2009 |
The items above are diamond coated cut-off disk that I use in a Dremel Motor. They are not run at high speeds. You saw me cutting a window slot with one. I also cut small glass tubes with them and smooth the edges of cut glass with these. You can use the broad side front or back to sand items as well. They come in a wide variety of grits.
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| photo copyright Karin Corbin 2009 |
The items above are diamond coated burrs. I use them in a Dremel Motor and sometimes even a drill press to shape, sand, carve and sometimes drill.
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| photo copyright Karin Corbin 2009 |
The photo above shows a tapered diamond coated burr in an overarm router type of setup. I just used this to create the small bevel on the edge of the wood panels that line the box bed. I tried doing this task with the router but it wanted to splinter the wood so I turned to sanding the bevel instead. I made several passes and ended up with a nice smoothly sanded, beveled edge. There is often more than one way to get a job done!
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| photo copyright Karin Corbin 2009 |
The photo above shows using a diamond burr held in a pin vise for a handle. Now they be used as a sanding file for rounded shapes in tiny areas such as moldings on furniture.
Almost all of the items in this posting can be ordered online from Widget Supply, many can be found at your local hardware (iron monger) stores or hobby shops.
3 comments:
I love these tips and insights! Thank you for sharing.
groetjes Evelien
Karin, I've been so buried with work and travel that I've spent little time looking at other bloggers' sites. You have some excellent information on your site! I'm interested in the diamond burrs you recommend. What number of grit do you recommend for using on wood? I see on the Widget Supply site the grits range from 40 up to 600. I was also surprised at how reasonably priced they are - do they wear out quickly?
Geo.
The seem to last a very long time on wood. I have only worn them out when working on metal, glass or hard stones. It is the glue that bonds the diamond to the metal that gives way, the diamonds don't wear out.
As to grit, think of it as buying sandpaper. You will want coarse grit for fast removal of materials and fine grits for a smooth finish. I buy a range of grits when I can find them that way.
As you said they are reasonably priced, shipping often cost more than bits. I often find them locally in hardware or woodworking stores. Dremel tool displays often have them but at a premium price.
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