Got my Work Sharp Knife & Tool Sharpener today!

Noctis3880

Noctis3880

Joined
Jul 22, 2009
Messages
11,409
First, a picture of the Work Sharp next to my bench grinder & Paper Wheels(I clamp the thing down when sharpening, so don't give me lip about that):
PC130001.jpg


I have to say I'm glad I ordered the extra belts, as the 220 belt was WAY too aggressive and raised one hell of a wire edge. Sharpening was similar to the Paper Wheels, but it seems like it's much easier to round off your tip(should've practiced more before I moved onto my ZT 0551) due to the slack of the belt.

First impression is just WOW. I've never seen such pristine edges since my Edge Pro. If the edge was wider, I would literally be able to use it as a mirror.

Sharpness itself takes a little work, but I was able to take a swipe at my leg hairs and pop a couple off.

But enough talk, onto the pictures!

PC130002.jpg

PC130003.jpg

PC130004.jpg


It's probably a little premature, but I think I'll do my Para 2 in S90V next:cool:.
 
Really nice job on that edge. What grit did you use to mirror it? How do you like it compared to your paper wheels, and why did you think of getting the Work Sharp when you already had paper wheels?
 
I used Micro-Mesh grits 320MX-1200MX(which is different from regular grit systems). I mostly got the Work Sharp because the edges from my Paper Wheels were ugly as hell, like I sharpened the knife at 3 different angles on a guided system. But that was my only real issue.

My Para2 turned out nicely. There are still some factory grind lines(the steel is very tough to sharpen), but the parts that are mirror polished are very reflective, and the edge also pops a few hairs. I also managed to avoid rounding the tip:thumbup:. How's that for fast learning:p? The trick seems to be to lift the tip away at the very edge of the belt before it reaches the middle.

One of my 1200MX belts separated when I pressed the blade against the belt too hard. It didn't get cut, the belt simply peeled away from the adhesive tape that was holding the two ends together. I'll try to glue it back together, though I hope the stuff(Elmer's glue) isn't flammable.

I ditched the guide after the first knife, feeling much more comfortable doing it freehand. So long as the angle held is accurate to within 3 degrees, it mostly seems to match the angle. And holding the knife perpendicular to the table seems to be exactly 20 degrees, so it's relatively easy to get your bearings from there. The sharpener does tend to move around on a hard surface, but the DMT Non-Skid Mat seems to cure that easy. I'm hoping to move on to my katana within the week:thumbup:.
 
Tip for you guys who want to bench mount your tool.

Look on the bottom of the tool near the power switch / motor case, those half moons are actually bench mounting tabs!

Screw two taper head woodscrews at 2" apart (on center) into your work bench.
When the tapered head is nearly touching the bench, they should tightly engage the tool by sliding it into place. When placed near the edge of your bench they allow you to use the tool with the sharpening cassette in any position.

Hope this helps...
 
Just one question:
One of my 1200MX belts separated while sharpening(trailing the edge). The adhesive tape connecting the two ends became loose and eventually the belt just flew out. Is this caused by too much pressure, too much heat, or both?

I have yet to have it happen again, but I would like some tips to avoid that in the future, as it could make the belt replacements very costly.

Oh, and have you guys considered variable speeds or adjustable belt tension? Just a thought.
 
I think you just got a bad belt. I've got around 30 belts for mine and haven't had any separate. Several of them are just plain RAGGED out too.
 
Oh. Well it's a good thing I ordered 80 more belts(8 grits x 10 of each grit):thumbup:. I guess I can finally go nuts on my Kris Cutlery Katana.
 
cramsey3006 said:
I think you just got a bad belt. I've got around 30 belts for mine and haven't had any separate. Several of them are just plain RAGGED out too.
Click to expand...
Are these Micro-Mesh belts? Because I just had my 320MX belt pop open on me. It could just be me, but I get the feeling that the adhesive tape on my P220 belt is a lot stronger than whatever crap is holding my MX belts together.
 
Thanks for the info on this! One of the guys at Woodcraft tried to sell me this a few weeks ago and my first impression was "uhhhhhh, no thanks" (/sarcasm)

For 60 or 70 bucks it sounds like it's the real deal?
 
The MX you are using is not the same as what we are including with the tool. They are a different belt all togehter: backing, abrasive grain type, coating, seam, grit scale, etc. Sometimes the thermal tape on those belts releases. One of the reasons they did not make the final cut for inclusion with the product. You can try to heat the tape with an iron or a warm / hot piece of steel to reactivate the adhesive. I would guess that heat build up caused it to release, though we have seen them release upon installation when the spring tensioner is released. It was likely not too much pressure, since the guide and tensioner design only allow for a certain amount of load force against the belt (this assumes you were using the sharpening guide). All that said, this seam failure is very uncommon and we have had nothing but satisfation with this manufacturer and thier products. We simply chose what worked best for our very specific application.

The P220 we supply is from a different manufacturer (Norton) and has a more robust seam designed for heavier grinding. We can use this more robust seam since the heavy cloth backing so much more rigid. The 6000 grit belt needs to be very flexible, so the fine cloth backing and seam must be thinnner.

Variable speed and adjustable belt tension - Have we considered it? Yes.
Though through extesive testing we learned that this combination delivers the fastest, easiest, most consistent and most affordable results for novice sharpeners.
We realize that a more adjustable model for blade makers and serious / heavy users would need to accomodate expanded features and a longer duty cycle.
 
AaronJAnderson said:
For 60 or 70 bucks it sounds like it's the real deal?
Click to expand...

It is a mini convex sharpener - far more portable than a 1 x 30 or 1 x 42 belt sander and able to be used pretty much anywhere (I use mine on my lap in front of the computer). I don't actually have room to set up a full sized belt sander so this tool is great for me. If you want to convex your blades then this is the smaller option compared to a belt sander. Yes - it's the real deal!


Work Sharp said:
We realize that a more adjustable model for blade makers and serious / heavy users would need to accomodate expanded features and a longer duty cycle.
Click to expand...

And a much higher price. For what it is and what it costs I think that the Knife & Tool Sharpener is a great tool.
 
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