The work sharp Ken onion edition

[Nomo4me]

I use mine with the blade grinding attachment and wouldn't use it otherwise. Ultimate control over angles with no scratching the blade. These gizmo's work great for everything but S90v and 110v in my experience.
Those steels are just too abrasion resistant for Alox belts to cut effectively and you end up with an overly convexed edge even with the lightest possible pressure applied so these blades just never feel very sharp as the edge is too obtuse.
On 55 -58 RCH steels these same belts produce scary sharp edges.

I too have the WSKO and use it to sharpen all of my knives as well as anyone at work who has a dull blade. One recommendation I give to everyone using it, if you don't want to scratch your blade, put blue tape on the blade everywhere except the edge. I have several Spyderco PM2's and a few others that have scratches on the blade from the guide. Metal dust got on the guide during the sharpening process and while pulling through left scratches where it contacted the guide.

Also for anyone wondering if many shops carry the belts, here in Houston all Northern Tool and the Ace Hardware closest to my house carry the belts.

I've seen the blade grinding attachment and am curious if anyone has one and uses it. I may be able to use it for shaping scales much like I do with my 1 x 30 belt sander.

 

[Bobby3326]

I use mine with the blade grinding attachment and wouldn't use it otherwise. Ultimate control over angles with no scratching the blade. These gizmo's work great for everything but S90v and 110v in my experience.
Those steels are just too abrasion resistant for Alox belts to cut effectively and you end up with an overly convexed edge even with the lightest possible pressure applied so these blades just never feel very sharp as the edge is too obtuse.
On 55 -58 RCH steels these same belts produce scary sharp edges.

Yea if using the regular ko on a polished blade definitely tape it off. I forgot about that and scratched one of mine up pretty good in 2 passes....it doesn't matter for coated blades thou.

 

[KBA]

Brett,

I don't have a Work Sharp, but your question reminded me of AFAustin's write-up(s) of using one with traditional blades-- because Work Sharp or no, I really appreciate the time he put into presenting the sharpener and his results on familiar-to-me knives.

His review, including comparison of original Work Sharp and the Ken Onion edition

A follow-up, with pictures of traditional knives/edges.

Maybe ask him to chime in?

Cheers,
~ P.

P, I really appreciate the links! It was better than any typed response and provided visuals

Thanks to Andrew for writing that and keeping the pics up for future reference. :thumbup:

Think I may try this out! Im going to getting some better stones as well.

Thanks Bobby for all your insight as well.

 

[AFAustin]

Brett,

I don't have a Work Sharp, but your question reminded me of AFAustin's write-up(s) of using one with traditional blades-- because Work Sharp or no, I really appreciate the time he put into presenting the sharpener and his results on familiar-to-me knives.

His review, including comparison of original Work Sharp and the Ken Onion edition

A follow-up, with pictures of traditional knives/edges.

Maybe ask him to chime in?

Cheers,
~ P.

Thanks for the kind words, Sarah. The WS KO is a good choice for small blades, and unlike with a lot of the guided systems, you can sharpen at 15 dps or less with it.

The KO really does have significant improvements over the original model. The variable speed is great, and by going at a slower speed you can minimize the amount of steel you're removing and maintain better control over your work. And with the softer steels that traditionals typically have, you can also stay away from the coarser belts, which can eat up a trad right quick. Additionally, the wider, stiffer Norax belts make it much easier to avoid one of the issues with the original model---rounding your tips. Along with the standard belts, Work Sharp offers a wide array of optional belts. I'd recommend getting a 16x, which fits nicely between the 22x and 4x in the stock belt set. I can often set the bevel of a trad just fine starting no higher than the 22x and sometimes the 16x, depending on how well they did with the factory grind.

As for the guide and small blades which Brett asked about, I recommend not using it and going freehand with the KO instead. Apply sharpie to your edge as you go through every belt in your progression and you'll be able to see and control where you're abrading. (That said, I don't use the sharpie if I'm finishing with the flexible 6000 belt, because in trying to remove the marker from the tip of the tip, you'll likely fold the flimsy 6000 over and round your tip a little.)

If you still want to use the guide with your small blades, try this: place your blade against the guide to set your angle, but then take it off the guide and move it a little higher on the belt, maintaining the same angle. That way it won't fall off the guide as you get to the end. This is sort of a cross between using the guide and freehanding.

Hope this helps a bit.

Andrew

 

[Andy the Aussie]

I posted this pic in another WSKO thread but I figured I would drop it in here as well.

Both these were done on the KO. I have an original WS as well.

The Bushwacker had some significant edge damage and about no tip when I received it (bought that way) and the BATAC was just in need of a good sharpen.

I did a slightly more obtuse edge on the 'Wacker as it is prinarily a chopper, it will still shave hair and make little curls out of phone book pages. The BATAC is a real cutter now...me included... !!



... that was just from an accidental touch on the edge when I was cleaning it after the sharpen..!

I just reprofiled another Busse (DSSF) last weekend.

 

[KBA]

I look forward to trying mine out when it arrives. I order a few stones as well.

 

[orezona]

I'm absolutely sold on this tool. All I'm waiting on is to see if my family picked up the hints about me wanting one for Father's Day...!

I seriously can't imagine a power tool I'd get more use out of. I'll either get one this weekend or I'll be ordering one on Monday.

 

[Bobby3326]

I'm absolutely sold on this tool. All I'm waiting on is to see if my family picked up the hints about me wanting one for Father's Day...!

I seriously can't imagine a power tool I'd get more use out of. I'll either get one this weekend or I'll be ordering one on Monday.

You have no idea how awesome this thing really is until you're actually using it...It's seriously the best sharpening investment I've ever made. Using this and then hitting my strop (a brommeland gun leather 3x8 double sided strop, awesome strop btw) a few times and I have a scary sharp knife in minutes. I find myself using almost all my knives more now rather than just a certain one cause it's no longer a hassle maintaining several knives. Then generally once you sharpen with this and use your knife you typically only need to strop it to bring back a razor edge. (Providing your knife isn't completely dulled or chipped up) I also find myself playing with different angles and profiles on different knives to find what serves best for different jobs.something I'd never do by hand.

Last I seen Amazon had the best price, $129.99 free shipping. May check out fleabay as I've seen a few pop up here n there for around $99.

Btw just make sure you start out with an expendable knife. The learning curve wasn't that bad for me, but I also read tons of reviews and watched tons of videos. I watched the good ones where they were using it correctly and getting great results, and also watched the ones saying the work sharp sucks and could see exactly what they did wrong to round there tip, or put a recurve in the blade.

Start of slow, take your time getting a feel for it, and most importantly follow the directions regarding where to stop the tip, and starting and stopping the motor with each pass.(unless freehanding of course)

 

[Czechmate]

You have no idea how awesome this thing really is until you're actually using it...It's seriously the best sharpening investment I've ever made. Using this and then hitting my strop (a brommeland gun leather 3x8 double sided strop, awesome strop btw) a few times and I have a scary sharp knife in minutes. I find myself using almost all my knives more now rather than just a certain one cause it's no longer a hassle maintaining several knives. Then generally once you sharpen with this and use your knife you typically only need to strop it to bring back a razor edge. (Providing your knife isn't completely dulled or chipped up) I also find myself playing with different angles and profiles on different knives to find what serves best for different jobs.something I'd never do by hand.

Last I seen Amazon had the best price, $129.99 free shipping. May check out fleabay as I've seen a few pop up here n there for around $99.

Btw just make sure you start out with an expendable knife. The learning curve wasn't that bad for me, but I also read tons of reviews and watched tons of videos. I watched the good ones where they were using it correctly and getting great results, and also watched the ones saying the work sharp sucks and could see exactly what they did wrong to round there tip, or put a recurve in the blade.

Start of slow, take your time getting a feel for it, and most importantly follow the directions regarding where to stop the tip, and starting and stopping the motor with each pass.(unless freehanding of course)

I find a lot of the point you made to be true as well; many of my knives have much thinner bevels now thanks to the K.O Worksharp... :thumbup:

In terms of experimenting; I have been using a worn p120 belt as a start AND finish point. I reprofile and raise a small burr along the entire edge then buff the edge on my slotted paper wheel. Works quite well IMHO.

This spydie tuff was already scratched up so a few more from the K.O didn't hurt it much (small parallel lines near the edge)... Too high of an angle LOL!

 

[orezona]

You have no idea how awesome this thing really is until you're actually using it...

*snip*

Start of slow, take your time getting a feel for it, and most importantly follow the directions regarding where to stop the tip, and starting and stopping the motor with each pass.(unless freehanding of course)

Thanks for the advice, man! I'm okay to wait to pull the trigger although it is kind of agonizing...

I've got more than a couple "learning" knives to get the hang of the machine, I hope. Kitchen knives are probably the first since my wife takes zero interest in maintaining them. From there I've got a cheap axe that could use some love and a few other blades before I try it out on my "good" knives. I've got an stamped Becker BK2 that has a weird grind on the tip that I'd like to fix.

I really should invest in a strop, though.

EDIT: LOL, after doing a google search for "brommeland gun leather 3x8 double sided strop", your other post in this forum popped up!

Thanks for the good suggestions. It's heartening to hear of people working on stuff that aren't necessarily experts but have already been through the learning curve to and tell everyone honestly about your experiences.

 

[Bobby3326]

Thanks for the advice, man! I'm okay to wait to pull the trigger although it is kind of agonizing...

I've got more than a couple "learning" knives to get the hang of the machine, I hope. Kitchen knives are probably the first since my wife takes zero interest in maintaining them. From there I've got a cheap axe that could use some love and a few other blades before I try it out on my "good" knives. I've got an stamped Becker BK2 that has a weird grind on the tip that I'd like to fix.

I really should invest in a strop, though.

EDIT: LOL, after doing a google search for "brommeland gun leather 3x8 double sided strop", your other post in this forum popped up!

Thanks for the good suggestions. It's heartening to hear of people working on stuff that aren't necessarily experts but have already been through the learning curve to and tell everyone honestly about your experiences.

My bk2 took an awesome edge with this machine...set mine to 25° per side and gives it a solid sharp edge for the abuse its designed to take, and for a sharpened pry bar it can still make feathersticks easily with the edge the wskt ko put on it.

 

[Tetsujin 140.6]

Oops. This is what happens if you hesitate with the coarse belts on.

 

[Bobby3326]

Oops. This is what happens if you hesitate with the coarse belts on.

I don't even use the course belts anyone unless I'm planning on removing allot of steel...this is something I learned early on after removing way too much steel a few times for general sharpening. Unless I'm sharpening a badly damaged blade I start on the x22 belt for basic sharpening and the x4 for touch ups.

I also don't even use the regular work sharp anymore since getting the blade grinding attachment. It much easier to use, yields far better results and is harder to mess up a blade like you've done.

 

[Tetsujin 140.6]

I was reprofiling all my kitchen knives to 15 degrees and got distracted on this one. It's scary sharp, just a little mishaped towards the rear. I'm a little hesitant to use it on expensive stuff.

And btw, I recommend reprofiling your kitchen knives to 15 degrees, they function beautifully at this geometry in the kitchen.

 

[Bobby3326]

I was reprofiling all my kitchen knives to 15 degrees and got distracted on this one. It's scary sharp, just a little mishaped towards the rear. I'm a little hesitant to use it on expensive stuff.

And btw, I recommend reprofiling your kitchen knives to 15 degrees, they function beautifully at this geometry in the kitchen.

I've done my kitchen knives to 24° inclusive with a 30° micro bevel on the blade grinder. Which belt were you reprofiling with? I'm drawing on a blank on the numbers for the 2 course belts, but there's the brownish one and the gray one. I typically use the gray one for reprofiling, it removes enough steel but at a slightly slower pace then the really course belt. The brownish belt will eat thru some steel and very quickly...first starting out I removed 1/16" off the edge in minutes on a cheap knife. I mainly only use that one for thinning out behind the edge, or ridiculously damaged knives.

 

[Bobby3326]

These are kinda results I get from the blade grinding attachment, can go from kinda sharp to hair whittling/splitting sharp in minutes.

 

[matt gold]

Hey guys I hate to open this thread up again, but I have a quick question...
Is there an easy way to tell if a belt is worn down enough to need replacing? (Obviously, when it doesn’t work anymore, but I was hoping for a visual cue).
I ask because I use the medium more then the others and it really feels smooth to the touch. But I honestly don’t know if it’s supposed to feel like that, and can’t remember if it felt like that new.

 

[AFAustin]

Hey guys I hate to open this thread up again, but I have a quick question...
Is there an easy way to tell if a belt is worn down enough to need replacing? (Obviously, when it doesn’t work anymore, but I was hoping for a visual cue).
I ask because I use the medium more then the others and it really feels smooth to the touch. But I honestly don’t know if it’s supposed to feel like that, and can’t remember if it felt like that new.

If you have a new one in the same grit, by comparing the two you can tell when the old one's become significantly worn down. Otherwise, you're probably stuck with judging it by its performance---which is the best gauge in any event.

You can also extend the life of the belt by using a belt eraser block (sanding belt cleaner).

Finally, don't toss that worn belt---it can now serve as the next finer belt in your progression.

Andrew

 

[Gunslinger686]

Matt thanks for opening the thread again because I have a question . The belt turns only in one direction so on one side (in the Guide)the belt is pulling against the edge ( seems dangerous )and on the other side ( in the guide ) the belt is pulling away from the edge ( makes much more sense ) . Is this an issue? Surprising that no one else has brought this up.

 

[AFAustin]

Matt thanks for opening the thread again because I have a question . The belt turns only in one direction so on one side (in the Guide)the belt is pulling against the edge ( seems dangerous )and on the other side ( in the guide ) the belt is pulling away from the edge ( makes much more sense ) . Is this an issue? Surprising that no one else has brought this up.

This has been a feature of the Work Sharp beginning with the original version and on to the Ken Onion. I've been using mine for several years and it's never been a danger or a problem.

But if it concerns you, you can buy the Blade Grinder Attachment, which sharpens with the belt always moving away from the edge.

There are even ways to use the standard model---freehand, without the guide---so the belt is always moving away from the edge. For example, when sharpening the right side edge, move the unit so that the belt faces you and draw the knife sideways from left to right. Also, IIRC, Brian Gentry positions his WSKO in a fixed front facing position, anchors it so it doesn't move, and draws the blade from left to right and then switches hands and moves it from right to left. That way, the belt is always moving down and away from the edge.

However you use it, I strongly recommend ditching the angle guide and using it freehand. By using Sharpie on the blade edge, you will be able to see and control where you're sharpening. And you will actually have much more control over your sharpening than with the guide.

Andrew