KO Worksharp mod - horizontal sharpening

[Pendexter]

I've been reading up and watching videos on the KOWS because I wasn't satisfied with my results.

Based on the @bgentry youtube video, I removed the guides and started freehanding.

But I wasn't a fan of holding the knife vertically, it seemed like horizontal would have been more comfortable. I have an 8 month old at home, so money for hobbies has gone to diapers and such. So no blade grinding attachment for me

I saw another youtube video, and I can't find it so I can't attribute this to that person. But what he did is cut a notch so that the cassette would lock in place at a point of your choice.

That's what I did and now I'm able to grind horizontally, just like with the BGA.

NOTE: when cutting the notch (I used a dremel) do not make the notch too wide. If you do, the cassette will pivot a little, thus messing up your angle. Cut out a little at a time, and when the cassette clicks in snugly, you are good.

You can set your angle at whatever you feel comfortable with, I put it at about 15 degrees below horizontal so that I can hold the blade flat. It's up to you.

Think of it as freehanding without having to move the blade up or down the stone. You need to figure out the angle for each blade on your own.

Got my 0562 sharp enough to slice words off of a piece of paper...

EDIT: I finally figured out what I was doing wrong with posting photos. I was using the BBCode for the imgur album, instead of individual photos.

 

[cbwx34]

Looks like a good idea... thanks for sharing!

Edit to add: In fact, liked the idea so much, I went and did it to mine.

I set mine to 0°... I'll set the angle with the blade.

Works well! Maybe a bit more flex in the belt than I'd like, but easy to deal with.

Thanks again. Simple idea, but effective!

 

[mycough]

Good stuff Guys! I need to think about it before I take the plunge.Is it stable enough that you can hold the knife with 2 hands? I like mine, not love it. Kitchen knives are a breeze, not as jazzed about the performance with folders.
Thanks for sharing Pendexter, pretty darn slick for a new guy...


Regards, Russ

 

[Pendexter]

mycough You can try it out without cutting the notch. There's enough tension in the cassette that I was able to sharpen a practice kitchen knife without notching it. It was only after I played around with the angles that I was comfortable with notching and setting the angle.

The stability of it depends on the angle of the cassette. The way I have it set up now, the cassette release lever is on the table, so I don't even need anything else to keep it stable. Two hand operation is a must.

cbwx34 Looks good! If I were to do it again, I'd probably raise the angle a bit. There will be more flex than with the BGA due to the increased distance between the rollers, but this just forces me to use a softer touch. We should be doing that anyways.

I'm already thinking about the next step which will mitigate the flex issue:

I love the Hinderer nightmare hollow grind and wanted to see if I could do one myself on the worksharp.

I got this idea from a website that was making air and water cooled plenums that were machined and way out of my price range.

Here's what I'm thinking:
Thin piece of steel, 3/4" wide with multiple tiny holes drilled into it. This would be curved to mimic an 8" or 10" contact wheel.
A fabricated/sealed plenum that would fit just underneath the belt. Probably made out of wood.
A hole drilled into the plenum, with a bike tire valve sealed into the hole.
A car tire pump, which will pump air into the plenum.

With this setup, the pump will push air into the plenum via the bike tire valve, through the tiny holes on the top of the metal piece, against the bottom of the belt. It will effectively be an 8" or 10" hollow platten to practice grinding on. The air flow reduces friction and cools the belt.

And I should be able to salvage junk from home to make it.

I'll write a post about it if it ever gets built.

 

[Wowbagger]

Did you read the book ?

 

[Pendexter]

LOL I'm assuming you're just kidding... I read the book, watched the youtube videos of the old guy sharpening the bowie outdoors and in some warehouse, read the reviews, read through a bunch of troubleshooting threads here on BF. Also read up on sharpening stones, Marray Carter, steel structures, heat treat, etc. I am a giant nerd.

I were to follow the book, my EDC would be at 25 degrees per side (50 degrees inclusive). I have my 20cv edc at about 14 degrees per side (28 inclusive) and am loving it.

When I thought of the WorkSharp as a complete tool by itself, it was very limiting. I didn't like the way the belt went up one side of the blade and down the other, I didn't like the way the angle guides didn't help out on the last third of the knife. I didn't like having to hold the knife vertically.

Now that I view the WorkSharp as a motor and pulley system, it's been very liberating because it allows me to modify it to my own needs.

It's more convenient than using a DIY power drill belt sanding setup...

 

[Wowbagger]

LOL I'm assuming you're just kidding...

No. I was dead serious. I was curious to know if you read the book that you shaved the word off of. (I HAVE read it).

 

[Pendexter]

Wowbagger Oh that makes way more sense! I thought you were asking if I read the work sharp instruction manual.

I read it a long time ago. An imperfect person who was incredibly skilled at his position. Long read though lol.