Work Sharp Knife Sharpener

[JackHammer]

Got my delivery from Woodcraft Supply today and when I openned the box, this is what was inside. So I called, the 45 units that were in stock are gone, and their next shipment isn't until 1/11. The wait continues.

 

[stuffgeek]

Jackhammer - that is a bummer....i hope my shippment has the right stuff in it!

 

[Folderguy]

Got my delivery from Woodcraft Supply today and when I openned the box, this is what was inside. So I called, the 45 units that were in stock are gone, and their next shipment isn't until 1/11. The wait continues.

Might be a bit easier to get it from Amazon.com (that's where I got mine...)

Here's a link: http://www.amazon.com/Work-Sharp-WS...5F14/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1294292498&sr=8-1

 

[Work Sharp]

Thanks for your patience waiting for your tools to arrive guys.
This product has far exceeded our expectations and capacity thus far. A great problem to have during these tough economic times, though I sincerely apologize for your inconvenience and long wait. We are working feverishly to build these tools as fast as we can here at our facility in Oregon. The production lines are a blurr of hands building these tools for you. Your wait will be worth it.

You are creating work for hard working Oregonians who are building these tools for you.
Thanks for your patience and support, we appreciate it.

 

[Noctis3880]

Has anyone been able to get an edge that could easily pop hairs? I've been practicing for a while, but I believe the best I got was tree-topping. After I got my Manix 2 back from Ankerson, my bar has been set much higher as I could hold one of my leg hairs in my fingers and easily cut all the way through it in one go.

Specifically on high carbide steels like M4, S90V, M390, and ZDP-189.

Also wondering about that burr that never seems to get mentioned, as I typically feel it on any belts below 600MX. Just wanted to know if I was supposed to leave it there and let the lower grit belts remove it rather than forcibly removing it between each belt on my felt pad.

But in all seriousness there's probably no reason to have it so sharp, as my edges can already split tomatoes and various other fruits and vegetables simply by dropping it on the blade, and further sharpness might push the blade all the way to the bone the next time I cut myself:thumbup:. I just want to know if it can be done.

My attempt to put Veritas chromium compound only seemed to dull the edge and fog up the mirror polish on the edge(which probably means it isn't 0.5 micron like everyone thought it was). Stropping on DMT paste only seemed to add a toothy feel to the edge, which would snag on the hair but not cut it.

 

[stuffgeek]

Got sharpener last night and have been running around the house and shed looking for things to sharpen. Not ready to take my "nice" knife to it yet.

I look forward to improving my skills.....

 

[KenOnion]

Great information. A couple more question if I may. I will try exacly what you've described. Does it matter which side of the edge should have the bite and which the polish, say for a right-handed knife. Would this same technique be suitable for kitchen knives? Finally, do you think it would work to load a worn belt with the Tormek compound and use the Worksharp for those last light passes? One again, very cool that one of the masters is taking the time to educate us to get better, sharper edges. Thanks.

Thanks Ben, No it doesn't matter which side you strop just make sure it is the side that has the burr. I use a 14 x1 inch plated leather wheel spinning at 1700+ rpm. To break in the wheel I spray mineral oil on it and let it soak in for a few minutes . Then I squeeze a bit of Tormek honing compound on my finger and rub it in the wheel making sure to get a thin film of it all around the wheel. Then I stand clear of the wheel and turn the buffer on to keep from getting racing stripe of compound on my face and clothes. then I just lightly strop the one side of the edge of my knife across the wheel at the same approx angle I sharpened it . I make one or two passes and check my edge . This is usually all I need to make my knife super hair popping . So sharp in fact that I can cut the hair on my arm without touching the knife to my skin.I can usually hone 20 or so knives on one charge. This method works great on every kind of knife just use a coarser belt to get a coarser/toothier edge or a finer belt for a smoother edge .
I' don't think the compound would work as well on a worn belt but have never tried it so I couldn't say with any authority. I would think it would be pretty simple to make a leather wheel by cutting some leather with a circle cutter and glueing them together with some contact cement until you get approx 1 inch of thickness. just make sure not to glue to close to the edge. I would make it at least 8" diameter but prefer 14 inches. Or you could use one of those paper wheels that folks are raving about on this forum . Either way you go the Tormek honing paste works wonders on just about any honing wheel and it is a relative small investment to keep your knives that we all love so much scary sharp.

I bet it would be pretty easy to make a leather belt to fit that Worksharp system.

 

[Folderguy]

Thanks Ben, No it doesn't matter which side you strop just make sure it is the side that has the burr. I use a 14 x1 inch plated leather wheel spinning at 1700+ rpm. To break in the wheel I spray mineral oil on it and let it soak in for a few minutes . Then I squeeze a bit of Tormek honing compound on my finger and rub it in the wheel making sure to get a thin film of it all around the wheel. Then I stand clear of the wheel and turn the buffer on to keep from getting racing stripe of compound on my face and clothes. then I just lightly strop the one side of the edge of my knife across the wheel at the same approx angle I sharpened it . I make one or two passes and check my edge . This is usually all I need to make my knife super hair popping . So sharp in fact that I can cut the hair on my arm without touching the knife to my skin.I can usually hone 20 or so knives on one charge. This method works great on every kind of knife just use a coarser belt to get a coarser/toothier edge or a finer belt for a smoother edge .
I' don't think the compound would work as well on a worn belt but have never tried it so I couldn't say with any authority. I would think it would be pretty simple to make a leather wheel by cutting some leather with a circle cutter and glueing them together with some contact cement until you get approx 1 inch of thickness. just make sure not to glue to close to the edge. I would make it at least 8" diameter but prefer 14 inches. Or you could use one of those paper wheels that folks are raving about on this forum . Either way you go the Tormek honing paste works wonders on just about any honing wheel and it is a relative small investment to keep your knives that we all love so much scary sharp.

I bet it would be pretty easy to make a leather belt to fit that Worksharp system.

Yes sir, very easy indeed. Had some calfskin strips that I purchased some time ago, cut out the leather to the appropriate length and width, skived the ends to try to equalize the thickness at the joint, used contact cement to hold it together, along with some duct tape on the back. The duct tape wasn't all that great an idea, as it is a bit too thick, but there certainly is some suitable tape available that would reinforce that joint. Mine lasted for a really good long while, used the green compound (chromium oxide?) on it, and got scary sharp edges from it. Right now, I'm using worn out micro-mesh belts loaded up with the green compound. Works well, but not as well as the leather belt. Need to make another one.

 

[Noctis3880]

I bet it would be pretty easy to make a leather belt to fit that Worksharp system.

Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to be easy enough for someone to capitalize on the idea and make some extra bucks from it:thumbdn:. It would be relatively easy to cut out the appropriate size for the Worksharp, but I think the tricky part is connecting the two ends securely and in such a way so that it doesn't interfere with the operation of the device.

I was scratching my head when two of my Micro-Mesh belts came apart and my pathetic attempt at gluing the two ends back together failed fantastically(and flew the belt against the wall).

Still, it seems like a pretty good idea to take the edge back to the Paper Wheels to see if it gets any sharper:thumbup:. I'm getting pretty jealous of the edge Ankerson put on my Manix 2, but the lazy part of me wants to do the same with power tools.

 

[Folderguy]

It looks, at first glance, as if Duck Filament tape, at 275 lbs. tensile strength per square inch may be the way to go.

Have to get some and try it out.

 

[Ben B]

I haven't looked into it but it seems like however they make 1x30 belts (like at Lee Valley) should be applicable to a 1/2 x 12 except on smaller scale.

 

[Noctis3880]

I've tried taking my XM-18 to my slotted Paper Wheel with no noticeable increase in sharpness. The edge kind of "snags" at my leg hairs but doesn't cut through or even whittle it. It could simply be because the obtuse angle of the edge puts an upper limit on sharpness, or it could just be the fact that I've never had any such luck using sub-micron abrasives to increase sharpness.

Every such attempt at stropping and whatnot just seems to dull my edge even more:grumpy:.

 

[Folderguy]

I've tried taking my XM-18 to my slotted Paper Wheel with no noticeable increase in sharpness. The edge kind of "snags" at my leg hairs but doesn't cut through or even whittle it. It could simply be because the obtuse angle of the edge puts an upper limit on sharpness, or it could just be the fact that I've never had any such luck using sub-micron abrasives to increase sharpness.

Every such attempt at stropping and whatnot just seems to dull my edge even more:grumpy:.

What kind of angle do you have on the edge?

 

[Noctis3880]

What kind of angle do you have on the edge?

Hard to tell precisely, but I would guess it at 20-25 degrees per side.

 

[Folderguy]

Hard to tell precisely, but I would guess it at 20-25 degrees per side.

Any particular reason you don't want to narrow that bevel down?

 

[Noctis3880]

Any particular reason you don't want to narrow that bevel down?

Just concern that my rookie hands will eff up the edge along the way:thumbdn:. Of course, I would need to be able to reach that hair popping sharpness on another knife with a lower angle before I consider removing that much metal.

I think I'll practice on my Endura first:thumbup:.

But really, does the edge angle have that much of an impact on the final sharpness of the edge? I just figured once you get into the sub-micron abrasives, any edge can pop hair if done correctly.

 

[Folderguy]

Just concern that my rookie hands will eff up the edge along the way:thumbdn:. Of course, I would need to be able to reach that hair popping sharpness on another knife with a lower angle before I consider removing that much metal.

I think I'll practice on my Endura first:thumbup:.

But really, does the edge angle have that much of an impact on the final sharpness of the edge? I just figured once you get into the sub-micron abrasives, any edge can pop hair if done correctly.

I bet Ankerson can better answer your question, but getting an edge down to the 20-25 degree inclusive range seems to make it WAY easier for me.

 

[Ben B]

I was sharpening a few knives today. So far, I've been sharpening "freehand" (no guide) with the belt traveling in the direction from spine to edge. This time I tried a couple in the opposite direction (belt coming up into the edge). Qualitatively I felt the edges were sharper this second way. I've seen videos from knifemakers doing it both ways. It is certainly the direction that I sharpen with a stone ie. cutting into the stone. I'd be interested to hear if anyone else has found this to be the case. It was only a quick experiment on 320 MX followed by 1000 MX.

 

[mobenzowner]

I was sharpening a few knives today. So far, I've been sharpening "freehand" (no guide) with the belt traveling in the direction from spine to edge. This time I tried a couple in the opposite direction (belt coming up into the edge). Qualitatively I felt the edges were sharper this second way. I've seen videos from knifemakers doing it both ways. It is certainly the direction that I sharpen with a stone ie. cutting into the stone. I'd be interested to hear if anyone else has found this to be the case. It was only a quick experiment on 320 MX followed by 1000 MX.

Thats a good question. I am anxious to see what others say in this regard.

 

[Noctis3880]

I was sharpening a few knives today. So far, I've been sharpening "freehand" (no guide) with the belt traveling in the direction from spine to edge. This time I tried a couple in the opposite direction (belt coming up into the edge). Qualitatively I felt the edges were sharper this second way. I've seen videos from knifemakers doing it both ways. It is certainly the direction that I sharpen with a stone ie. cutting into the stone. I'd be interested to hear if anyone else has found this to be the case. It was only a quick experiment on 320 MX followed by 1000 MX.

That would actually make sense given that the belt wouldn't flex over the very edge as much(and if it did, the belt would be cut), which in theory should mean less chance of the edge rolling. Still, I sincerely doubt that the difference is that significant. While my final edge doesn't quite pop hair, it does whittle it and it'll split a tomato clean in half when you drop it on the blade. As far as regular use is concerned, I doubt you'll need a sharper edge. I'm also pretty sure you can avoid rolling the edge "the usual way" simply by easing off on the pressure on the final belts.