My woodshop is rather small, so I’m always looking for ways to save storage space. One such way is this compact holder, made for two diamond sharpening plates. Now I have four sharpening surfaces in a single block. This holder makes it quick and easy to switch sharpening surfaces for whatever I need, and the holder itself has the same footprint as just one plate.
Aluminum channels keep plates from slipping (below).
Counterbored magnets keep plates secure in the holder (below).
The plates are held by aluminum channels on one end and secured by a rare-earth magnet counterbored into the base, as you can see in the photos above.
I used my band saw with the fence to cut the kerfs that fit one lip of each channel (detail ‘c’). I slightly recessed each side of the kerf on the table saw so the end caps could be screwed flush to the base.
I used a 1" core box bit to create notches for finger grips in the side. I also routed a recess in the top and bottom of each end cap, as well as on the side of the base (detail ‘b’).
The recess on the base makes for an easy grip while the recess on the caps add some visual interest.
