A cylinder hone is a tool, usually consisting of two, three, or four replaceable abrasive stones at the end of spring-loaded arms, which is spun around and moved up and down a cylinder's bore to remove light rust, corrosion, and built-up residue. Outward pressure is exerted on the stones, as a result of which they remove some material from the bore as they rotate. The spring tension is adjustable to maintain the proper stone pressure against the cylinder walls. The grade of stones to be used is normally specified by the manufacturer of the piston rings. Honing stones are classified by grit size; the lower the grit number, the coarser the stone.

Cylinder honing machines are available in manual and automatic types. The latter have the advantage that the exact required crosshatch angle can be dialed in. When honing a cylinder by hand it is important to use a slow-speed (200-450 rpm) electric drill.