Work Sharp Knife & Tool Sharpener

[DIYknife]

I'm planning to buy this sharpener which is looking very good to me. I have u used it before and was very satisfied with the results. Any horrible problems or suggestion for use with this sharpener?

 

[Ernie1980]

I would suggest spending a little more and getting the Ken Onion version. The wider belts and variable speed make a big difference in my mind.
I have one, and use it frequently. It makes sharpening very quick, and puts a nice working edge on knives.

 

[atilano]

Concur with Ernie1980. Definitely get the KO edition. Additionally the adjustable guide gives greater flexibility in the angle of the edge. I love my KO Work Sharp. Bought one for my Dad last year for Christmas and he loves it too.

 

[Dirtbiker]

I used my worksharp for sharpening and shaping handles. Used it so much I wore out the bearings in a year. A KO is in my future.

 

[DIYknife]

Since I can get the regular version from a friend for $20, while the KO version is $131, I'll be sticking with the regular version. Only really looking for feedback on that model.

 

[dkb45]

It won't give you spectacular atom splitting edges, but if your knives are users it will do just fine. Cool thing about the belts is that if you use a belt cleaning bar as the belts wear they become finer grit and leave you with potentially sharper edges. My belts haven't been replaced and I have done over 50 knives.

 

[DIYknife]

So I just tried it, and it destroyed my knives. Uneven grinds and rounded tips everywhere. FML

 

[dkb45]

Remember it is a belt sander. There is a learning curve. You need to start with junker knives to get a feel for it first. The tips rounding is more complex, because you have to stop the belt or pull the knife off before you get the tip off the belt. I usually stop about half way across the belt. You also have to learn the pressure to use. High pressure will eat belts, build up a lot of heat, and make the convex very dramatic, but light pressure will do the opposite.

No offense meant, but it seems like you were expecting the Worksharp to be idiot proof, but just like every tool it can't just be grabbed and used without learning first. Sure it can work like how I did my first knife on my old belt sander by winging it on my most expensive knife, but I flat out lucked out. You didn't learn to drive by jumping in the car and taking off, and you can't do it with the Worksharp either.

 

[unklfranco]

The WS is pretty good. You have to experiment slowly and always start with cheap knives. You can press the on button in pulses instead of full on until you get used to handling it. Slow is good. The WS is very fast. That means lots of heat and lots of steel removal. Dont give up on it just yet. There are lots of people around here that can fix those round tips and other issue you ran into. No worries. I love the WS for the Mel Pardue Griptilian. No matter how bad I do it, it just cant fail. Machetes are also VERY easy to do with this system. For only $20, you got a steal.

 

[The Preacher]

I took my guard off and sharpen by hand. I get a much more consistent edge than with the guard. Make sure you do not pull the entire knife through. This rounds the edge. You have to stop the belt while the edge is still on the belt.

 

[bgentry]

I've only used the WSKO, not the original. Running the WSKO at full speed, it really does take off metal quick. Which is why I just about never run it that fast. I'm usually at the middle speed, which is comparatively quite slow. It's sort of exponential, where the difference between middle speed and top speed (going by the clicks on the speed adjustment) is something like a factor of 4 or so.

Like the previous poster, I used the WSKO freehand. I've never even tried the guides. I think that doing it this way gives me a TON more control. I can touch the blade to the belt for 1/8 of a second and look at where the grind marks are, and know what I'm doing. I can work on just one area of the blade if it needs lots more attention (which many blades do). It's also much easier to see how the tip is touching the belt when you're using two hands to guide it over the blade without anything in the way.

At the risk of over posting this, here's a video I made of me freehanding with the WSKO:

[video=youtube;ApyDcJzKBgk]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ApyDcJzKBgk[/video]

Good luck; let us know how it goes on your next try.

Brian.

 

[POCEH KOCEB]

I would also suggest KO edition, with this particular attachment, pictured here, used by the Benchmade guys in the this year's SHOT Show :

You can Google the attachment, they surfaced in the last few months and are all over Amazon and eBay.
It's called "Blade Grinding Attachment" for the KO tool. I got one for close to $80 or so, initially used it with a router but I'm purchasing the real thing this week because the RPMs on the router are too high and also the shaft isn't the one that it should be...
The attachment comes with 5 belts, there are kits with additional belts, cost you about $14-$16. I was primarily using the last two finest grits, the stropping-one is 12 000 grit if I remember right.

Here are some old, phone pictures from my attachment. Those are some inexpensive knifes for testing, a Chinese knock off of Tops knife and some RJ Martin Kershaw for testing the belts,
the edges look funky but in fact they are mirror like polished and very uniform, just the light falls in such way that they look like they have few angles on the bevel.

Hope this would help, keep us posted please, I'm curious to see how you find it.

IMHO: I would still use a fixed angle sharpener for my "good" knifes, but for fast fixing of a worn blade and for stropping this is great.
It works just fine with my working blades that are inexpensive and I'm using almost every day on cardboard, plastic and wood.
Little bit more on the expensive site but if you like to play with blades and reshape or do some projects, this will do it.

 

[Andy the Aussie]

So I just tried it, and it destroyed my knives. Uneven grinds and rounded tips everywhere. FML

.... did you read any of the instructions that abound on "How Not To Round Tips on a WSKT" ??? There IS a learning curve involved just like any power tool. My old shed blade has a bit of a recurve now but cuts like a razor... and is as pointy as wll get out....

 

[Rhinoknives1]

It won't give you spectacular atom splitting edges, but if your knives are users it will do just fine. Cool thing about the belts is that if you use a belt cleaning bar as the belts wear they become finer grit and leave you with potentially sharper edges. My belts haven't been replaced and I have done over 50 knives.

While I agree that a belt cleaner eraser is a must, worn belts really don't give you a finer grit and you run the risk of creating a lot more heat and ruining the temper. As a Knife Maker and sharpening for a livelihood. I say to you all if you want the best edges out of any belt grinder.

Use the belts like they were free!