Work Sharp Knife Sharpener

As long as the blade is wide enough to reach the belt, blade thickness really isn't an issue. I've done 1/4" thick blades with no issues. For example, my Potbelly is 1/4" thick, but the blade is just at 1.5" wide from spine to edge at the widest point and is able to reach the belt, even in the narrow 20 degree guide. The 25 degree guide would allow a thicker, yet narrower blade to still reach the belt. I can get results as good with the guide as I can without the guide.

I use the guides to do my first sharpening on any blade to make sure the angle is as close to perfect as I can get it, especially if I am doing a serious reprofile of the edge with a coarse belt. Once I have the edge set on a blade, the only time I use the guide is if I have to repair damage to the edge. For touch-ups, I just pop the belt on and freehand it.

Has anyone had any problems with not being able to remove the burr on a blade at the 20 degree angle, with the guide or without it? I've had the problem twice, both on stainless steel blades. Both were large fixed blades, one in semi-custom in 440C and a Ka-bar Next Gen. in 440A. I set the edge at 20 degrees and just absolutely COULD NOT get rid of the wire edge. I tried old belts, new belts, etc. I had a beautifully polished edge but just couldn't drop the burr. I tried cutting cardboard, pulling the edge through wood, stropping on leather, just about everything I know or have read about.

I went to the outdoor guide (25 degree) both times and had ZERO problems working up a burr, removing it, and getting an edge that would push cut newspaper within a couple of minutes.

I've only had this happen with those two stainless steel blades. Both had very obtuse edges on them and I had to do some serious grinding on them. The 440C blade had to have an angle close to 50 degrees per side. The Ka-Bar wasn't quite so bad, maybe 30+ degrees per side but the edge wasn't consistent at all.

Just curious if anyone else has experienced something similar.
 
Folderguy said:
Free handing is the way to go. Just practice on other knives first to get the hang of it. After awhile, it'll be a piece of cake (at least for me, YMMV).
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I'm hoping the flexible belt makes it more forgiving as opposed to the stiff and somewhat flat Paper Wheels. I seem to have problems holding the knife at the exact angle as my previous passes.
 
Noctis3880 said:
I'm hoping the flexible belt makes it more forgiving as opposed to the stiff and somewhat flat Paper Wheels. I seem to have problems holding the knife at the exact angle as my previous passes.
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Hmmm..., you're not old, are you?
Yeah, yeah..., me too, LOL!!
Not so steady any more.
 
Was an Instructional DVD included with your Work Sharp Knife and Tool Sharpener?

It is listed as being supplied on one side of the box. My unit did not include it, but I called Customer Support and they are sending one to me. The unit is fast, versatile and produces good results. It does not work as well as my Edge Pro Apex or Wicked Edge for producing the absolute best quality edge.
 
billcushman said:
Was an Instructional DVD included with your Work Sharp Knife and Tool Sharpener?`
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LOL - I had to find the box & check. Yep, white disk with black writing in a white CD envelope. I'm just using mine freehand and getting a feel for the way to get best results, I figure I'll get sharper edges as I get better with it.

It is good for taking a sharp V-grind blade and quickly knocking the shoulders off it for a semi-convex grind. But I'm keen on getting the hang of getting scary sharp convex edges from scratch.
 
waynejitsu said:
Hmmm..., you're not old, are you?
Yeah, yeah..., me too, LOL!!
Not so steady any more.
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Old? No, but I feel pretty old at 23:D.

It's just that my hands aren't very steady, which has given me quite a bit of trouble when I took welding classes(rod kept sticking to the plate:mad:).
 
I still haven't bothered with that instructional video.

But I have been playing with some of the Micromesh belts and it is nice to have a bunch of different grits to choose from. I wouldn't expect that Work Sharp would want to include a dozen different belt grits with their tool - that would be unnecessary for most users and also confusing. But I really do think that their should be a 4th belt grit included with the tool.

What the tool comes with:
80 grit - hard core repair/re-profile belt
240 grit - course sharpening belt
6000 grit - polishing belt

what's missing?
800 grit - fine sharpening belt
why?
A blade in decent condition doesn't need something as aggressive as 240 grit to sharpen it and a 800 grit belt would be less aggressive and more forgiving. It would take more to screw up the blade with 800 grit than with 240 grit and for frequent sharpening there would be less steel removed. The 6000 grit belt is too fine for sharpening, it is better for polishing the bevel - when you need more abrasive then it is a BIG leap to jump to 240 grit, an 800 grit belt would offer a nice intermediate step.

So, yeah - 4 belts would be a big improvement. You can have the very course repair/reprofile belt, the course sharpening belt, the fine sharpening belt and the polishing belt. That would cover 99% of users basic requirements for the tool. The fussy 1% can go and buy more belts from Micromesh to give them more options.

This is just my opinion and really I don't know much about sharpening - but as I play with my Work Sharp I can see that the 240 - 6000 jump is just too big. In normal sharpening the 80 is not used and many users wont even polish the blade so the course and fine sharpening belts would be the most used by a lot of people and Work Sharp have somehow left out the fine sharpening belt!
 
Gadgetaholic said:
I still haven't bothered with that instructional video.

But I have been playing with some of the Micromesh belts and it is nice to have a bunch of different grits to choose from. I wouldn't expect that Work Sharp would want to include a dozen different belt grits with their tool - that would be unnecessary for most users and also confusing. But I really do think that their should be a 4th belt grit included with the tool.

What the tool comes with:
80 grit - hard core repair/re-profile belt
240 grit - course sharpening belt
6000 grit - polishing belt

what's missing?
800 grit - fine sharpening belt
why?
A blade in decent condition doesn't need something as aggressive as 240 grit to sharpen it and a 800 grit belt would be less aggressive and more forgiving. It would take more to screw up the blade with 800 grit than with 240 grit and for frequent sharpening there would be less steel removed. The 6000 grit belt is too fine for sharpening, it is better for polishing the bevel - when you need more abrasive then it is a BIG leap to jump to 240 grit, an 800 grit belt would offer a nice intermediate step.

So, yeah - 4 belts would be a big improvement. You can have the very course repair/reprofile belt, the course sharpening belt, the fine sharpening belt and the polishing belt. That would cover 99% of users basic requirements for the tool. The fussy 1% can go and buy more belts from Micromesh to give them more options.

This is just my opinion and really I don't know much about sharpening - but as I play with my Work Sharp I can see that the 240 - 6000 jump is just too big. In normal sharpening the 80 is not used and many users wont even polish the blade so the course and fine sharpening belts would be the most used by a lot of people and Work Sharp have somehow left out the fine sharpening belt!
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What I have found is that if I go the route that is proposed in the video, after a blade has been initially sharpened correctly, that the touch up of the blade requires a bit more than the 240 grit belt, especially if you're sharpening kitchen knives. What I do is use the 80 grit for 2 or three passes on each side of the blade, and make sure I've got a burr going. Then 2 or 3 passes with the 240, and guess what? I'm good to go, at least for sharpening kitchen knives.

If I'm working on one of my folders, and it has a good steel, say something like S30V... or M390... I'll probably only need a gentle pass or two with the 240, followed by 4 or 5 with the 6000, and then I'm using a worn out 6000 belt with the green compound on it to give that baby a hair popping edge... All in just a few minutes.
 
Folderguy said:
If I'm working on one of my folders, and it has a good steel, say something like S30V... or M390... I'll probably only need a gentle pass or two with the 240, followed by 4 or 5 with the 6000, and then I'm using a worn out 6000 belt with the green compound on it to give that baby a hair popping edge... All in just a few minutes.
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If it came with an 800 grit belt would that be good for a pass or 2 followed by the 6000 then the strop? Or am I the only one that sharpens a knife that has been barely used since the last sharpen?
What about the person lacking skill that will screw up a knife on the 240 grit - they might be better off removing less steel on the 800 to minimize their errors.

I'm also thinking that if the belts are worth 52c each then adding a 4th grit only increases the cost of the tool by $1.

BTW
This tool seems to work pretty well even on big blades like my ESEE Lite Machete which I just gave a touch up to. The ESEE comes convexed already so it didn't need much work - I just gave it a couple of passes on the 800 grit and then a little stropping with green compound. It shaves the hair off my legs easily enough.
 
Gadgetaholic said:
If it came with an 800 grit belt would that be good for a pass or 2 followed by the 6000 then the strop? Or am I the only one that sharpens a knife that has been barely used since the last sharpen?
What about the person lacking skill that will screw up a knife on the 240 grit - they might be better off removing less steel on the 800 to minimize their errors.

I'm also thinking that if the belts are worth 52c each then adding a 4th grit only increases the cost of the tool by $1.

BTW
This tool seems to work pretty well even on big blades like my ESEE Lite Machete which I just gave a touch up to. The ESEE comes convexed already so it didn't need much work - I just gave it a couple of passes on the 800 grit and then a little stropping with green compound. It shaves the hair off my legs easily enough.
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After some practice, I'm comfortable using the WS on any of my knives, even the "expensive" ones (expensive for me, that is). My knives are users and not safe queens, and if I think I can improve on something on the knife, even it it's an over $300 knife, I'll probably do it. I'm not planning on selling them, and if I do, well, my friends like what I've done to my knives, and selling them won't be hard at all.

So, in sum, I'd say to get really comfortable with the capabilities of the sharpener, find out how the various grits work on different steels, and don't be overly afraid of ruining a knife. Truth be told, many knives that were "ruined" can be really made to look great and perform excellently.
 
I have to agree that the 240 grit belt is a bit too aggressive, as I easily rounded off the tip of my ZT 0551 with that belt(which took quite a bit of time and metal removal to fix). A P800 grit belt sounds like a perfect intermediate step between the P220 and the 6000 grit belt.

The P60 belt is something I'd never use unless I'm regrinding the blade, sharpening an axe, or drastically reprofiling the bevel. The P220 seems to be perfect for reprofiling. A P800 would be excellent for working up that initial burr.

The P220 belt simply removes too much metal too fast. If you think about the intended customers for this machine, people who regularly use their knives, need it sharpened fast, and aren't looking to make it an art, you can tell that this would eat up their blades inside of a year or less. Especially if the instructions of 5 swipes per side is followed.

That being said, this machine is actually pretty good at making perfect edges for those of us who are obsessed with that, provided that we go for the broad range of aftermarket belts. I felt confident enough to sharpen my Lionsteel SR-1 with it, and I plan to do the same with my Hinderer XM-18 3.5 inch flipper:thumbup:.
 
Keep in mind that as your 220 grits wear down, they are going to remove less metal, similar to finer grit belts. I used my most worn 220 just yesterday I my Kershaw Skyline. I had dropped it in a gravel driveway and put decent dent in the edge.

I tried a few passes with my 800MX first, and while it did help, the dent was still there. So I popped on the worn 220, and and 5 passes on each side had the edge profile perfect.

I put the 800MX back on and 5 passes on each side, followed by 1 EXTREMELY light pass on each side had the blade push cutting free hanging newspaper again.

I use a belt cleaner on my 80 and 220 belts regularly to keep them from becoming over-loaded and to keep them cutting cleanly.

Worn belts WILL produce more heat than a new belt will, so don't use them for extended grinding or profiling of a blade. But, for doing touch-ups and light repair work, the worn belts are a decent substitute for finer grit belts, if you don't wish to purchase extra belts.
 
cramsey3006 said:
Keep in mind that as your 220 grits wear down, they are going to remove less metal, similar to finer grit belts. I used my most worn 220 just yesterday I my Kershaw Skyline. I had dropped it in a gravel driveway and put decent dent in the edge.

I tried a few passes with my 800MX first, and while it did help, the dent was still there. So I popped on the worn 220, and and 5 passes on each side had the edge profile perfect.

I put the 800MX back on and 5 passes on each side, followed by 1 EXTREMELY light pass on each side had the blade push cutting free hanging newspaper again.

I use a belt cleaner on my 80 and 220 belts regularly to keep them from becoming over-loaded and to keep them cutting cleanly.

Worn belts WILL produce more heat than a new belt will, so don't use them for extended grinding or profiling of a blade. But, for doing touch-ups and light repair work, the worn belts are a decent substitute for finer grit belts, if you don't wish to purchase extra belts.
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Actually the 800MX belt is different from a P800 belt. The MX series is far finer than the sandpaper equivalent grit. I believe 240MX would be the equivalent of P800.

I find that my 320MX works just fine if a tad slow at raising a burr, though thorough use of that belt alone leaves a hint of a mirror finish.
 
I really wasn't comparing belt to belt. I'm well aware that the MX belts are completely different than the Norton abrasives.

The point I was making is that you don't have to buy a bunch of other belts if you want to keep it simple. You can achieve nearly the same results of the after market (for lack of a better term) belts with the factory belts. I've got my WS belts marked so show their level of use, so I know which belts are worn the most. You may not the extreme mirror finish, but when a blade will effortlessly push cut free hanging newspaper, I'm fine with that level of sharpness.
 
Yes, but I feel the Paper Wheels takes the cake for that quick and sharp edge without massive metal removal. While the grit wheel is officially 180 grit, the abrasiveness of the belt is easily controlled by the amount of wax you apply to it. And the slotted wheel seems surprisingly fast in making the edge razor sharp and much more effective at removing the burr.

As strange as it may sound, I feel the Work Sharp is quite gifted in making a beautiful edge, with such a short learning curve that after using it for all of 2 weeks, I already feel confident enough to do THIS:
PC200004.jpg

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Noctis3880, nice shine on the Sebenza! I’m Idaho born and fed; it feels good seeing so many Idaho knives on the forum, especially when they are sharpened on my sharpeners.

I designed the WSKTS here at Darex in Ashland Oregon. I’ve been following this forum and really enjoy the discussion. I appreciate all the thoughtful feedback and will keep listening and learning from you the experts. I figure my kids and I have done a few thousand hours of testing on WSKTS but I still have a bunch more to learn.

I thought I might be some help with belt selection. The 220 to 6000 jump is a big leap and there can also be a benefit from using an in-between belt. We originally field tested the tool with a 4th “tweener” grit. We found that it resulted in a lot of confusion with the “average” user.

The design is capable of producing a shaving edge in only 2 steps on most steels without an angle change in the guide. This is made possible by the combination of speed, pressure, abrasive grain, and belt mechanical properties. The 220 belt will thin the blade and establish the bevel angle. Then the 6000 belt target hones the cutting edge without having to polish out the scratch marks on the rest of the bevel. When used with the guides, this is a very quick/simple path to a shaving edge.

The 220 grit belt we provide is a very advanced abrasive. It is intended to be aggressive during the initial period of use to quickly change bevel angles or repair chips. The ceramic grain is friable so after some use, each grain (cutter) will fracture exposing multiple new cutting edges. This essentially allows the belt to cut at a high rate when new then “wear in” to a finer surface (between 400-600g cut rate/surface finish.) Unlike conventional abrasives, each grain can go through multiple fractures and expose new cutting edges to sustain exceptional life at the finer rates. (I can even re-dress the belt a few times using a diamond dresser to make it cut more aggressive again if desired.)

However, the 220 can remove more material than necessary on a blade that is only slightly dull and at the correct angle. For this reason we recommend only using 2 strokes, (one per bevel) when re-sharpening a blade that has already been shaped.

Alternatively, you can re-sharpen on a finer abrasive such as 800 grit as Gadgetaholic suggested. This can be a bit tricky when using the guides because the mechanical properties of the tweener belt will effect whether the honing belt can reach the cutting edge. If you’re sharpening free-hand, you can ensure that each belt reaches the edge. Free-hand sharpening with tweener belts will likely remove less material and make it possible to polish the entire bevel rather than just the cutting edge. This isn’t necessary for a sharp edge but it sure looks nice.

The general feedback so far has been that the solution we provide in the box is working very well for most knife and tool sharpening. However, the WSKTS has more potential than just making your EDC shaving sharp. So we plan on having a wide selection of belts available on our website next year. Again, I really appreciate the open discussion and all the feedback. This forum really gives us an opportunity to get quality input from experts who live sharp.
 
WorkSharpEngineer said:
The general feedback so far has been that the solution we provide in the box is working very well for most knife and tool sharpening. However, the WSKTS has more potential than just making your EDC shaving sharp. So we plan on having a wide selection of belts available on our website next year. Again, I really appreciate the open discussion and all the feedback. This forum really gives us an opportunity to get quality input from experts who live sharp.
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I'd agree that it works pretty well 'as is' and it does the job for an inexperienced person without much of a learning curve to worry about.

I do like the sound of the improvement of belt selection - maybe you guys can offer a set of belts for the more advanced user at a reasonable price that has more grits to choose from. Then the 'average' user can just buy the basic belt kit to replace their worn ones and us 'fussy buggers' can buy the advanced belt kit to provide more options.

Overall this is a great tool, in fact I don't know of any other power sharpening tool that I can use on my lap in my computer room - not everyone has a workshop to set up a 1" x 42" belt sander.
 
Thanks for the feedback Gadgetaholic. I'm glad the tool is working well for you.

I'm not sure of the details yet but I believe we'll have it set up so that you will be able to order specific belts or a pre-assembled kit.
 
WorkSharpEngineer said:
Thanks for the feedback Gadgetaholic. I'm glad the tool is working well for you.

I'm not sure of the details yet but I believe we'll have it set up so that you will be able to order specific belts or a pre-assembled kit.
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That's excellent news. I'm hoping for more belts from Norton as they seem more sturdy and durable than the Micro-Mesh belts.

Also, my Work Sharp has recently been making weird "scratching" sounds. I don't smell anything and all 3 sections are centered. Turning the machine on without a belt also seems to still result in that sound. Should I be worried about it:confused:?
 
You can isolate the sound by removing the sharpening cassette. Rotate it toward the 'park position' shown in the user's guide. With the belt removed, rotate the cassette to align the marks on the housing and the cassette, this will release the the two parts. Now power up your machine. Still making that sound? This should isolate the sound to either the power platform or sharpening cassette. Either way, we stand behind our products. After you dianose the sound, just call our customer service team and they will take care of you.
 
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