Power Sharpening with Work Shop Belt Equipment?

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VorpelSword

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Any body using one or another of the Work Sharp powred belt sharpening systems?

The videos are convincing. Is it worth the money to shift from my Lansky Kit?
 
I went from a Lansky to an Edge Pro, then to a Work sharp (with blade attachment, then a Rikon 1x30, then another, then a Wen, next was a 8"buffer with 2 10" slotted paper wheels and the latest addition was my T8 along with a few CBN wheels.
Each and every piece of equipment played a very important role in my abilities as a sharpener. I am now able to duplicate Vadims efforts in his "Knife Deburring" book getting edges into the 50's on my BESS tester. Soooooo rewarding....
The Work Sharp really moved me to the next level. I moved to a larger belt (1×30) to combat heat (and often use belt grease to further reduce heat). In the grand scheme of things, for a little bit more a slow speed or variable speed 1×30 or a 2x72 would be much more versatile and enable you to sharpen other things... mower blades etc. Many of them have adjustable tables and disc Grinders on the other end and you can use an angle guide with them if you want.
Stopping on a leather belt with various compounds is much faster and produce razor edges on any of the powered machines.
All great investments that will enhance your sharpening skills IMHO.
 
Have the Worksharp Ken Onion. I use it mostly on cheaper knives or when someone drops off dozens of knives for me to sharpen. I don't use it on any quality knife since I don't want burned edges or rounded tips. I use the Wicked Edge for anything of quality.
 
I have a lansky and a KO worksharp without the blade grinding attachment and use it, I find it works well for my older kitchen knives and beaters, and to reprofile some others. A couple of things to aware of, the guides need to be cleaned frequently. as grinding dust will build up on them and scratch your blade. The effectiveness of the tool diminishes as the belts wear, no duh! It takes a bit of practice to get right but not much, I did round off a tip or 2 when I was getting the hang of it. Basically the curve of the blade towards the tip needs to be flat against the belt, which means you have to raise the handle end to account for the curve, then you won't round off the tip. Also its not great on thick knives, you end up with a fat looking edge. The worksharp is definitely faster than the lansky. I find the lansky a bit clunky to use. I have never tried the other guided systems. I do have a 1x30 belt sander that I am getting better at using, it costs about the same as the new KO with blade grinder and does so much more, but requires more practice to master, and I am not there yety. I have recently reprofiled a few knives on the 1x30 and was impressed with the results.
 
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I generally advise against any type of power sharpening unless a cooling mechanism is used. It could be water mist, grease like on the paper wheels, or oil of some kind. I’ve not been able to sharpen with a small 1x30 without burning edges. No color shows, but the edge is still burned.
 
I am looking to sharpen our kitchen knives. Many are larger than I am comfortable using my Lanski set on . . .I just don't have the patience any longer.
 
I use the workshop MK2 and love it. I bought all the belts for the tool grinding attachment and use it a ton.
 
If I had to pick between a Work Sharp or a 1x 30, I would choose the 1x 30. The learning curve is about the same as a WS and you will find it more versatile. Then there’s the heat thing. The longer the belt the cooler it grinds… or so it would seem from the tests Knife Grinders ran. I also use a belt grease, I buy mine from Fomax. There are several brands to choose from out there. Kinda messy but not terrible. You might not need it but I prefer to err on the safe side… move the blade across the belt at least 5cm a sec. and you should be ok.
Australian Knife Grinders website has a ton of information…. They discuss and test the effects of heat in sharpening extensively. While your at it pick up the book “Knife Deburring”, if you’re new to sharpening it is a must read.
 
me2 said:
I generally advise against any type of power sharpening unless a cooling mechanism is used. It could be water mist, grease like on the paper wheels, or oil of some kind. I’ve not been able to sharpen with a small 1x30 without burning edges. No color shows, but the edge is still burned.
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I've always taken great care to protect the edges. I'm wondering how you were able to tell you damaged the edges?
When I first started with the Work Sharp and the 1x30 I was concerned with edge damage but honestly I have only verified that I burnt the tip on 1 knife, by the color change. I look at edges with a microscope and haven't seen anything that would indicate damage. Knives ground on the Rikon seem to retain thier sharpness as well as those ground on a Tormek.
What shows edge damage?
 
I only use a Work Sharp belt system on knives I I want a convex edge. Nothing beats it on that option. For a kitchen knife I would try it but make sure not to drag the tip away from the belt which makes all your tips rounded.
 
Gottagofishn said:
I've always taken great care to protect the edges. I'm wondering how you were able to tell you damaged the edges?
When I first started with the Work Sharp and the 1x30 I was concerned with edge damage but honestly I have only verified that I burnt the tip on 1 knife, by the color change. I look at edges with a microscope and haven't seen anything that would indicate damage. Knives ground on the Rikon seem to retain thier sharpness as well as those ground on a Tormek.
What shows edge damage?
Click to expand...
The edges were getting damaged in use. These were carbon and low alloy steel blades 10” or greater used for yard/brush work. I was getting dented edges when breaking down brush. I filled the edges down to remove the damage and sharpened with a file and stones and the damage went away. I could chop tie wire with no damage. Tie wire is the steel wire used to hold rebar in place while concrete is poured.
 
me2 said:
The edges were getting damaged in use. These were carbon and low alloy steel blades 10” or greater used for yard/brush work. I was getting dented edges when breaking down brush. I filled the edges down to remove the damage and sharpened with a file and stones and the damage went away. I could chop tie wire with no damage. Tie wire is the steel wire used to hold rebar in place while concrete is poured.
Click to expand...
I’ve always wondered what a good way to test edge stability would be…. Last fall I used the 1x 30 to sharpen my mower blades. I guess when I sharpen them this spring I’ll see if they took more damage than usual.
 
This isn’t really edge stability from the damage I saw. It was dents in the edge from trimming 1/2” and smaller branches. Edge stability is a micro-scale property. These dents were about half the depth of the secondary edge.
 
Thanks everyone.

A lot of good info both pro and con here.

Father's Day is coming, and I think I'll get something with a powered belt from WorkSharp for the kitchen knives.

Gotta re-view their videos to figure out which one.
 
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