Well...I wanted to sharpen my steak knife...

COPIUOS

COPIUOS

Joined
Dec 24, 2015
Messages
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And then this...like having new knives all over again, some were convexed from V, some were already convexed and stropping was not doing the trick any longer for my liking...sharpening is like buying to me, except much cheaper!!! Got some more to go as well, flattening out some grinds, and other such stuff! If you cannot set up a 1*30, this is the ticket!!! Can't say enough and on this unit I have learned to free hand and add secondary convex bevels and blend by hand when I want to...has taken some practice and video watching, although I do my best to keep grinds even and knives sharp all the way from choil to tip...I hate it when the last few mm are not sharp...I like to use that part of the blade, or start there on certain cuts...tons of fun with that unit!

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I have a KO Work Sharp too! Is that the "blade grinding" attachment? Can you post some links to the videos you watched? I'm still a total n00b with mine and have only sharpened a couple of my knives on it. I mostly use my Sharpmaker.
 
Yep - grinder attachment...I even did those pocket knives on the grinder attachment...I don't feel like i have enough visual on the regular attachment.

on the videos...just type in ken onion grinder attachment and whatever topic you want including recurves, serrations, etc in youtube...lots of "experts" out there using this unit to show what it can do...I watched all the videos from the company as well which are mostly good ti understand the unit and how it works, how to adjust angles, lock in at the speed you want, speed adjustment, etc...good to know the tool. The best vids are from the said "experts" out there that obviously know what they are doing as they walk through each step, talk about the burr, what you get out of the different belts, how to retain tip, etc...you can even bring a tip back if you round it a bit, although that takes some feel and practice...now if you grind the tip off, that is another matter and you will have a shorter knife!

Then I just started practicing on a few cheap-grade henckels (spelling) and then on some nicer high carbon stainless Sabatier's and then jumped into INFI. I have sharpened INFI, M390, AEB-L, S35VN, S30V and up to a NMSFNO length wise. I could go a little longer, although anything over 10 inches that is heavy would be a little hard to keep even...10 inches and thin stock, not a problem...
 
StoneAndSteel said:
The Blade Grinding Attachment makes it a new machine! I didn’t really care for the regular KO until I got the attachment and now I love it. Definitely worth the investment!
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Okay. That's it, I'm ordering one. I really like the edge I got on my CTS-204P PM2 but I didn't like that I couldn't really see what was going on and the tip didn't come out great.

The blade grinding attachment sounds like the ticket
 
[QUOTE="WatermanChris, post: 19547326, member: 503121"I didn't like that I couldn't really see what was going on and the tip didn't come out great.[/QUOTE]

That was why I didn't like it at first. For sure watch a few videos and use a couple of "sacrificial knives" before going for you top selves, but once I massacred an Izula and another cheap(wish) knife on it, I started sharpening my nicer knives with great results.
 
WatermanChris said:
Okay. That's it, I'm ordering one. I really like the edge I got on my CTS-204P PM2 but I didn't like that I couldn't really see what was going on and the tip didn't come out great.

The blade grinding attachment sounds like the ticket
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The trick to keeping the tip needle sharp is to NEVER bring the tip past the center of the belt.

I use a Kalamazoo 1x42, but the principles are the same. I like to have LOTS of light, and a readily available tub (I use a length of 4" PVC pipe), and a soft clean cloth for wiping the blade. Use very light pressure and smooth steady movements. Other than that, it just takes some practice to get scary sharp edges. Once you have the hang of it, experiment with different grit progressions to find what you like. It's not always necessary to use every belt in the smallest increments every time.
 
I had a KO with the grinder attachment, then I got a HF 1x30......now I have a 2x72
 
clampdaddy said:
I really wish there was a way I could slow down my HF 1x30. That thing scares me. Lol!
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See if you can find a smaller drive wheel.

You could get a VFD for it, but it will be worth more than the HF sander. Low cost you could wire a rheostat into the power cord. It's pretty hard on the motor, though anecdotally I have read of guys that have gotten away with it for a long time. Up to you if the risk of letting the smoke out of it is worth trying.
 
Nice, you got one now as well! I am very glad you gave it a chance.
This blade grinder attachment makes the WorkSharp actually work. Way better control than without the attachment.

I never bring the tip even close to the center of the belt but that all depends on pressure and how flexible the belt is (the 12.000 for example is way less stiff and it is easier to round the tip accidentally with it).

Do you also have a little side movement of the belt or does it run absolutely straight? Maybe I have to send mine in.
 
I've got the HF 1X30 and have gotten pretty good with it. The thing is stupid fast, but effective. Have read the HF motor doesn't respond well to attempts to slow it down.

Realized that there are a few belt sander angle grinder attachments on the market that look similar to the KO one. Might be a good alternative to use with a variable speed angle grinder. Little worried about the quality of belt selection in an odd size though. Would help if the KO belts are the same size.
 
Tyrade83 said:
See if you can find a smaller drive wheel.

You could get a VFD for it, but it will be worth more than the HF sander. Low cost you could wire a rheostat into the power cord. It's pretty hard on the motor, though anecdotally I have read of guys that have gotten away with it for a long time. Up to you if the risk of letting the smoke out of it is worth trying.
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Yeah, that is what I have heard. I practiced on a couple cheap kitchen knives and found that I just had to use a very light touch to keep from removing too much metal too fast. I used it to good effect on my DTBM but there's a lot of meat there to work with. I'm not confident enough to put one of my smaller blades to it yet.
 
Plus it scratches the satin blades up more from running it along the guard when sharpening. That's perfect I'm getting one also thanks Copiuos! :):thumbsup::thumbsup:
 
Panthera tigris said:
Really nice work! Once you get the hang of sharpening you can really dial in the blades for your needs.

I am reminded of this thread however: https://www.bladeforums.com/threads...out-heat-with-a-ken-onion-work-sharp.1257780/

Personally and in no way a reflection on your work here, I would be hesitant to use one or bring one home that had been worked on this way.
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I use a really slow speed and I am fine with it...no sparks are flying, blades are not overheating - they get much, much hotter sitting in the south Louisiana sun than on this grinder (which is not at all)...sure different kind of heat or whatever, although I have sharpened on this unit to great user effect, edge retention and sharpness. There is always another perspective, and I appreciate yours. I hand sharpen as well (primarily Japanese cutlery), and I appreciate the benefits of both. I like to keep up my hand sharpening skills on whet-stones (not just the Japanese water stones) and I enjoy "grinding" on my little unit as well. I will be buying a set of replacement belts soon for the grinder attachment.

C
 
As much as I love my KO Worksharp, I only use it for my kitchen knives. I much prefer the precision of the Wicked Edge for my nicer blades.
 
Chrisinzky said:
Stop the presses!
View attachment 1280460
We have the same beer snake.
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This is nuts! My uncle gave that to me years and years ago - like probably a decade ago! I wish it was magnetic, and it is used for root beer these days! Still does the trick. So glad you posted that! I found it in a drawer and it was laying out and so i just included it in the pic "for fun"...
 
Varmithunter said:
I had a KO with the grinder attachment, then I got a HF 1x30......now I have a 2x72
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I'd love to be able to implement that with variable speed and get into leather belts as well, just don't have the room in my NOLA APT at the moment. That kind of set up would be great for hand smoothing handles as well, not it is pretty much all with sandpaper, except to knock out the deep grooves with a flap wheel on a drill motor...
 
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