Honing is an operation used primarily to give holes a fine surface finish. The honing tool consists of a set of aluminum oxide or silicon carbide bonded abrasives, called stones. They are mounted on a mandrel that rotates in the hole, applying a radial force with an axial motion, thus producing a crosshatched pattern. The stones can be adjusted radially for different hole sizes. The fineness of surface finish can be controlled by the type and size of abrasive used, the speed of rotation, and the pressure applied. A fluid is used to remove chips and to keep temperatures low. Honing is also done on external cylindrical or flat surfaces and to remove sharp edges on cutting tools and inserts. KEYWORDS for this category: sharpenin