Work Sharp (belt grinder) Knife Sharpener

I apologize for the off topic post in advance, but has anyone seen the price Sears is charging for these things? $198.00!!!!!!!!

Thank you all for the reviews, looks like an amazing product put out by a great company. I will be getting on soon thanks to you all.
 
srberus said:
I apologize for the off topic post in advance, but has anyone seen the price Sears is charging for these things? $198.00!!!!!!!!
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I think that you'll find that is a different product.
Work Sharp make several sharpeners - some a much more expensive than the Knife & Tool sharpener that we are discussing here.
 
Anyone notice that one side of the sharening belt is more taught than the opposite side, and wouldn't this cause the edge angles to be inconsistent?
 
Just received mine today. After trying to sharpen 6 different beater knives with the guides and completely sucking at it, I decided to try it "freehand" ........... Worked like a charm and I am very please with my purchase. I was intending on using it this way anyway so im not let down by the fact that the guides are useless (for me). I was even able to completely re-profile a really old folder and bring every single knife I sharpened to shaving sharp.

I read somewhere that if you register your new product they will send you some free belts. Does anyone know if that is still going on and how to go about it?????
 
jball1125 said:
I read somewhere that if you register your new product they will send you some free belts. Does anyone know if that is still going on and how to go about it?????
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Yes, I did my warranty registration a couple of weeks ago and they sent me 3 extra belts (1 of each of the "standard" belts). I can't recall where on their website I did it, but I imagine it was here: http://www.worksharptools.com/index.php?option=com_chronocontact&Itemid=113

BTW, if you are thinking of also getting some "in between grit" belts, ask them if they will include them with the free warranty belts, saving you the shipping charge.

Andrew
 
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so I haven't seen a clear answer yet in reading 6 pages...

is there in between grits???
All i see people speak of is 80/220/6000

where are the in between grits offered, why is noone using them?
 
There are other grits offered on the Worksharp website. I have ordered some and will see if they are helpful. Thus far, the 220 and 6000 have done a fine job for me. Hope this helps.
 
robino said:
so I haven't seen a clear answer yet in reading 6 pages...

is there in between grits???
All i see people speak of is 80/220/6000

where are the in between grits offered, why is noone using them?
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This thread has pretty much the whole story: http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/765050-Work-Sharp-Knife-Sharpener Plenty of people are using additional grit belts.

You can find them directly from WS here: http://www.worksharptools.com/index.php?option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=116

or from Micro-Mesh here: http://micro-surface.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=273_197&products_id=91

Andrew
 
That's a Buck Nighthawk, I think.

Nice review. I just got the "cheesey" Harbor Freight $40 1x30" belt sander, and it beats everything in the shop for quick, simple, effective sharpening.
 
Rib Salad said:
That's a Buck Nighthawk, I think.
Nice review. I just got the "cheesey" Harbor Freight $40 1x30" belt sander, and it beats everything in the shop for quick, simple, effective sharpening.
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Ah! that's it - Buck Nighthawk.

Thank you so much for jogging the memory.

Nice to see that the Harbor Frieght would do the job well too.

Thank you all round.

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Does anyone feel the need to strop after finishing off with the 6000 grit belt? There is no burr I can feel.......
 
jball1125 said:
Does anyone feel the need to strop after finishing off with the 6000 grit belt? There is no burr I can feel.......
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On most knives I've "Work Sharped", I've found that I can get a little smoother and sharper edge by finishing with a few strokes on a hone with green compound. I've also sometimes finished with a few passes on the ultrafine stones on a Sharpmaker.

Andrew
 
AFAustin said:
I've also sometimes finished with a few passes on the ultrafine stones on a Sharpmaker.
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I think the Spyderco ultrafine stone is rated at 4000 grit
(ref: Sticky Thread: The Grand Unified Grit Chart - latest chart in Post #28)
that is coarser than the 6000 grit belt -
also at the same grit - high speed machine polishing always gives better finish than hand honing/polishing -
so how does that polish better than the 6000 grit belt?

Unless what you are saying is that you are setting your final edge with the ultrafine stone -
(understandable as that's what I used to do when hand sharpening convex edges -
But that was because I didn't trust getting consistent angles with my manual freehand sharpening) -
so does that mean you don't trust the final edge from the Work Sharp?
- are the angles from the WSKTS not precise enough,
or leaves something to be desired?

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UnknownVT said:
I think the Spyderco ultrafine stone is rated at 4000 grit
(ref: Sticky Thread: The Grand Unified Grit Chart - latest chart in Post #28)
that is coarser than the 6000 grit belt -
also at the same grit - high speed machine polishing always gives better finish than hand honing/polishing -
so how does that polish better than the 6000 grit belt?

Unless what you are saying is that you are setting your final edge with the ultrafine stone -
(understandable as that's what I used to do when hand sharpening convex edges -
But that was because I didn't trust getting consistent angles with my manual freehand sharpening) -
so does that mean you don't trust the final edge from the Work Sharp?
- are the angles from the WSKTS not precise enough,
or leaves something to be desired?

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You are mistaken.

The UltraFine Sharpmaker stone is equivalent to 3 micron whereas the 6000 worksharp belt is 4 micron:
http://micro-surface.com/index.php?main_page=page&id=16

So it would leave a finer edge on paper, though I for one doubt I'd be able to tell the difference.
 
Noctis3880 said:
You are mistaken.
The UltraFine Sharpmaker stone is equivalent to 3 micron whereas the 6000 worksharp belt is 4 micron:
http://micro-surface.com/index.php?main_page=page&id=16
So it would leave a finer edge on paper, though I for one doubt I'd be able to tell the difference.
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Thanks for the correction -

Would you mind please looking at the latest version of The Grand Unified Grit Chart in Post #28 -
do the 6000 grit ratings for JIS & 3M-PSA = 2.00 microns, and Shapton #6000 = 2.45microns have no relationship to the 6000 grit by Work Sharp and/or Micro-Mesh?

I can see where the 6000 Micro-Mesh ought to fall on that chart - but it is not listed.
the Spyderco ultrafine is listed as 3.00microns but on the same line as the JIS and 3M-PSA 4000 grit.

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I don't believe the Worksharp belts correspond to the JIS or 3M-PSA ratings. It might simply be "mesh" ratings much like the DMT products(8000 mesh = EEF = 3 micron), though it's hard to say for sure. In any case, I doubt we can know much more without resorting to observing the scratch patterns under a microscope.
 
Noctis3880 said:
I don't believe the Worksharp belts correspond to the JIS or 3M-PSA ratings. It might simply be "mesh" ratings much like the DMT products(8000 mesh = EEF = 3 micron), though it's hard to say for sure. In any case, I doubt we can know much more without resorting to observing the scratch patterns under a microscope.
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Thanks -
of the 3 supplied belts the two - P80 and P220 are FEPA-P specs?
But the 6000 grit is noticeable by the absence of the "P" prefix - belts are supposed to be supplied by Norton or Micro-Mesh -
the 6000 grit is supposed to be specially made for Work Sharp - it is listed as silicon carbide, as opposed to the Micro-Mesh aluminum oxide -
I don't know enough about grits to know if that makes any difference -
I merely used the chart and the most "obvious" 6000 grit ratings which seemed to show that 6000grit is supposed to be finer than the Spyderco ultrafine rated at 3Microns but on the same line as (2x) 4000grits.

So it is patently obvious that I do not know enough :eek: to realize
that 6000grit can be coarser than 4000grit, because it could have a different "grit" rating(?) :confused: .....

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Though you guys might like this:
IMG_0167.jpg

IMG_0168.jpg

Sharpened up my Junglas because it wasn't sharp enough from the factory(just my opinion:D). It pops hair with ease, though it can't quite tree-top(either that, or my leg hairs are still too short:thumbup:). But guessing from the fact that it cuts through one of my longer hairs with ease, it's probably just because my leg is bald from all these edge testings;).

I also eagerly recommend wearing out a spare 6000 belt with some P60 sandpaper(do it slowly, don't want to strip the cloth too) and putting some of this on it:
IMG_0169.jpg


That stuff is magical. It'll shine up a cloudy edge in no time, yet it'll leave an edge that can tree-top leg/arm hairs and cut free hanging hair.

UnknownVT said:
Thanks -
of the 3 supplied belts the two - P80 and P220 are FEPA-P specs?
But the 6000 grit is noticeable by the absence of the "P" prefix - belts are supposed to be supplied by Norton or Micro-Mesh -
the 6000 grit is supposed to be specially made for Work Sharp - it is listed as silicon carbide, as opposed to the Micro-Mesh aluminum oxide -
I don't know enough about grits to know if that makes any difference -
I merely used the chart and the most "obvious" 6000 grit ratings which seemed to show that 6000grit is supposed to be finer than the Spyderco ultrafine rated at 3Microns but on the same line as (2x) 4000grits.

So it is patently obvious that I do not know enough :eek: to realize
that 6000grit can be coarser than 4000grit, because it could have a different "grit" rating(?) :confused: .....

--
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The 6000 belt is made by Micro-Mesh, it also corresponds with their color coding for the regular belts. The "regular" belts are made with silicon carbide until the 8000 and 12000 grade, which are made with aluminum oxide. The same applies to the MX series.
 
Noctis, that's a beautiful edge. Mother's Mag is indeed great stuff and I will give your suggestion a try. Did you apply just a small dab in one place or...?

Vincent, all the different grit grading systems are a constant source of confusion to me as well. The problem is compounded by the fact that, due to vague labeling, sometimes you can't tell what system the manufacturer is using when they slap a grit number on their product.

Andrew
 
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