Bought one of the belt sharpeners

L

longbow

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Jan 9, 1999
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Ok saw this little hand held belt sharpener rev. in Tac Knives so yesterday scarfed one at a woodworking shop. It is made I think by Work Sharp or it is called work sharp. Did my wifes kitchen knives which are all flat ground and did them pretty decently. Pretty much ruined my Richter chizel grind cutsom with scrathes on the back of the flat but then again it is a user. Sharpened a very very big custom bowie I have and did it reasonably well but just not like it should, I mean it is sharp but I don't think any sharper than what I had save for now it has elongated scratches on the flats and it is a convex edge. :grumpy:

However as far as sharpener's go I'll stick to my Lansky or free hand. I think I can get a much better edge on a using knife with either the Lansky or free hand than this little belt sander can get. Puts a convex edge on most of the knives you use it on. I'll keep it around for the kitchen stuff but truthfully I think paper wheels if you know how to use them and have them would be much better. This thing needs refinement I think. So there ya go. keepem sharp
 
I like the results I've gotten with my 1"x30" Harbor Freight belt sander and sharpening belts from Lee Valley. The platen on the HF sander sucks, though, so if you don't want to convex everything you'll need to make your own replacement platen. With 3M micron belts I'm able to get mirror-polished edges if I take the time.
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
I like the results I've gotten with my 1"x30" Harbor Freight belt sander and sharpening belts from Lee Valley. The platen on the HF sander sucks, though, so if you don't want to convex everything you'll need to make your own replacement platen. With 3M micron belts I'm able to get mirror-polished edges if I take the time.
Click to expand...

If you don't mind me asking, what grit sizes do you use?
 
Started coarse at like 80, then 220 I believe and then a blue high polishing belt of like 3000 or 6000. I would have to look at the box and the xtra belts I bought for it but don't want to dig it out. keepem sharp
 
I use everything from a 40 grit for regrinding machete edges (before working up through finer grits) down to a 9 micron and a leather belt with chromium oxide paste. But my most frequently used belt for touchups is my 20 micron followed by the 9.
 
ok that's reassuring, i thought every belt sander user here used only 80, 120 and 320 belts ...

:D
 
Keep practicing with it. It's like any other power tool. You have to learn to make the tool work for you.

Once you master it, it's unbeatable. Small, portable, fast, and it WILL put whatever degree of sharpness on a blade that you desire.

Hair popping. Mirror finish. Toothy.

It does them all.

I sold my other sharpeners after I got my Work Sharp. I was a dedicated Lansky user for 20 years. There's no comparison between the two. By the time you get your Lansky set up to use, I'm out the door with a couple of newly sharpened blades. No joke.

It WILL sharpen just about anything and any steel. It's not best for scandi or chisel grinds, but it can do them well with practice.

Paper wheels may be faster, but not nearly as portable or versatile.

The Edge Pro and Wicked Edge are more precise, but much slower and much more expensive.

As far as I'm concerned, it the only failing with the Work Sharp is that it isn't cordless.
 
A cordless version would be something worth pursuing, as it would make sharpening large blades(say, a katana) even easier. On top of that, a carrying case would be nice too:thumbup:. I could go over to my neighbor's house to sharpen their knives when I run out of blades to sharpen, and then at work too:D.

However, practice is recommended with power tool sharpeners. There's been more than one occasion where I blunted the tip, ground the thumbstuds, distorted the curve of the blade, and ground the handles(most of which happened with my Paper Wheels).
 
You don't need the platen on it. Just take that crap off unless you are attempting a scandi. For chisel grinds, trying bringing a slight burr on one side, then strop the flat side, move to the next higher grit, repeat.
 
I posted about the Work Sharp a minute ago and then realized thats what your talking about here. If a moderator wants to delete my,(double,sorry again),post I can ask my questions here.
Did I read correctly that it convexes the edge? If that is the case then could I use a very fine strop for touch-ups. I think I would be ok with the convex.
How long do the belts last?
I dont think only having 2 choices of angle would be a problem for me. It seems that the 20deg angle would work for most of my knives. If I wanted something different I would use my Lansky.
http://www.kotulas.com/deals/Produc...d=rkg&affiliateId=rkg&ddkey=http:OrderItemAdd
Free shipping on this one
 
Yes, it puts a convex edge on a blade. Yes, you can use a strop to touch up the edge.

The belts have very good life. I have some belts that have seen 50 blades and still going.

The 80 and 220 grit belts that come with the tool are by Norton. As they wear, the abrasives on the belt continually fracture to produce a clean cutting belt. They do get finer with use, so a well used 220 grit belt will actually cut like a finer grit belt. Keep your old belts, mark them to show amount of use, and you'll end up with a set of varying grit belts. I use a belt cleaner on all of my belts, just like I would with any type of belt sander.

I use the 20 degree guide on almost all of my blades. The only time that I use the 25 degree guide is if the blade profile is too thick to allow belt contact using the 20 degree. Once I've set the edge angle, I don't use the guide unless I'm repairing damage to the edge like nicks, chips, etc. When I'm touching up, I just use it free hand, as pulling the knife straight up and down across the belt is 20 degrees.

After ordering and using some of the "aftermarket" belts that are available, I've found that the belts that come with the tool are the best ones to use. They will do anything that needs or wants to be done.
 
Thanks for answering my questions. I am definately going to get one. I just have to covince the wife that I cant live without it.:D
 
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Me again. With the finishing belt at 6000 grit, how fine,what kind of compound would you use on a touchup strop?
I think the Bark River white compound is 6000gr. To go a little finer it seems you would have to use one of the diamond sprays at .25 micron.
 
pwet said:
ok that's reassuring, i thought every belt sander user here used only 80, 120 and 320 belts ...
Click to expand...

I use 6 micron Trizact and a leather belt plus Flitz on those rare occasions when I use a sander to sharpen.

Also psyched to see Lee Valley now carries Trizact for 1"x30" (shipping from RS Hughes was a killer despite their excellent customer service) and, well, Sigma Power Select II stones and other goodies...
 
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