Work sharp yeah I tried it!

tgreen812

tgreen812

Joined
Feb 2, 2013
Messages
251
So a guy at work told me he bought a new sharpener. I was like ok what did you get and he pulls out a work sharp! He picked it up on the way to work and wanted me to be the first to use it. At this point I was excited so before I broke out the good stuff I tried it on my sog flash II. Let me tell ya it put a wicked edge on that thing!!! So now it was time to get serious I pulled out the bk14( never leave home without it). This thing is a razor! So while sharpening the 14 he tells me it will sharpen any blade no matter how big it is and this got me thinking. So when I finished with the 14 I went out to the car and grabbed my bk2! (Its on the B.o.b. never leave home without it!) There's a blade!! So yeah now my 2 is a razor as well and now I'm buying one! When I get home I will take pics of my
Becker edges!
 
Did you use all 3 belts that come with it or just the medium and fine? Did you run the blades through once one side then once the other or did you do a few passes each side then a few passes the other side? No issues with the tips rounding etc?

Sorry for the questions, but I'm gonna get one and was just wondering what the best technique to use is.
 
I love my work sharp. I use it on every thing I own from my axes to my bk13. The first thing you need to do is throw the guide away though.
 
Very cool! My wife surprised me with one for Christmas. She told the guy She needed a present for her husband who is addicted to knives. The guy was like well he needs one of these!! I still prefer to do most of my sharpening by hand. I use a strop almost everyday. It's relaxing! I do however use the heck out of it for all kinds of sanding tasks. It's basically a mini belt sander. Works great for rounding off the micarta scales. Great sharpener especially if you need something sharp in a hurry!!
 
Been toying with getting one these. I've heard both good and bad things about them. Unintended recurves would be the worst thing I've heard about them.
 
I love mine, can't beat them for any knife. I have even sharpened single bevel Ulu's with mine.
 
JSM - I've had mine for about a year. There is a bit of a learning curve just like any new piece of equipment but it's pretty easily conquered. I can't imagine an "accidental recurve" unless you like to drink a lot before sharpening your knives or just placed the knife in the guide & fell asleep.
I started out with kitchen knives & a couple of cheap Chinese knock offs for practice but once I got it down it was the easiest & fastest way to convex a blade I've ever used.
 
I have one and it does work. I only manage to round my tips with the 40 degree guide (supposedly they sell a 40 degree guide separately that is identical to the 50 degree "outdoor knife" guide so that would keep me from buggering up my tips).

If you have a work bench save yourself some money and get a small benchtop beltsander. I think Harbor Freight sells one for about 1/3 of what a worksharp goes for.
 
The Work Sharp is a pretty cool tool. Great for work on G-10 and micarta. They do a nice job on knives as well as axes, machetes, lawn mower blades, Kydex, the list goes on.
For me it was a gate way sharpener for a 1x30 belt sander. Once you go there its hard to use anything else.
 
Bsmith - I don't use the guides anymore but they really help when you first start. I think the guides are considered to be a little like training wheels by some buy that may be more about ego than functionality.

I say use them if you want or not. It makes no difference to me how you sharpen your knives.
 
I'm really looking forward to getting one of these to bring my BK2 into action. I've just found out that there are two versions for sale. The standard and one called the Field Kit. The Field Kit comes with a soft carrying case and a retractable honing rod for touching up the blade in the field. Decisions, decisions. $20-30 difference between the two. And oh yeah, Cabela's has an exclusive green model (Hey now!).
 
Awesom-o-4000 said:
I still have mine I just never use them. most knives I have are to thick to fit in the sharpest angle guide. Also I think you get a better convex edge w/o them
Click to expand...

This.

Practice on some cheap knives you don't care about using the guides first, learn the angles and how to run the blade across the belt without damaging the point, then chuck the guides and sharpen your knives freehand. You'll be much happier with how your knives turn out. The guides are a crutch, necessary at first, but a hindrance later on.
 
I used all three and one pass per side. The point is good I just Tried to not linger on the belt too long. I used the guide but when I get my own belt sander I'm gonna do it free hand it did a good job!!!
 
sumtinfancy said:
Did you use all 3 belts that come with it or just the medium and fine? Did you run the blades through once one side then once the other or did you do a few passes each side then a few passes the other side? No issues with the tips rounding etc?

Sorry for the questions, but I'm gonna get one and was just wondering what the best technique to use is.
Click to expand...

I had an issue with the tip rounding a bit on my 14. I stopped immediately thinking it was the WS, it wasn't. It was because of my technique (yeah, it was shit). But it has a mean edge on it. I'm now looking to get a few more 14s and a 24 :(
 
18 posts and no pictures!
Here we have my BK2, sharpened on the work sharp. You will notice the tip has been rounded off. I did this using the 80 grit belt and not understanding where to stop pulling the blade. Also a slight wave near the handle. I think this happens when I hold too long and start the machine. The Work sharp is a great tool and does take some time to figure it out. Some say that the 600 grit belt does not last too long. This may be true, but I picked up some 400 grit belts to fill the jump from 220 to 600. Once a 600 belt is used up, Just load it up with some white stropping compound and use it for your final polish and for touch ups.

 
I use mine all the time - sharpening blades, and shaping scales. I use it so much, I already burned through one...

I still use the stock 6000 grit belt for final honing, most of the time, but I tend to use micro-mesh belts (150mx, 360mx, 800mx) to create the burr and for initial sharpening.

After more than a year, I try to go freehand on it now. Every once in a while I can't get a good edge doing that (laziness, lack of coordination, not enough concentration.) When that happens, I drop on the guide and bring the edge back to life. If you're really good freehand with stones, you probably won't need the guides. If you're not, particularly while learning the worksharp, they are very nice to have. Even when I stop using them, I couldn't imagine tossing them. May need 'em when my daughters take an interest in it. I have rounded a few tips, and my edges aren't as even as some I've seen. It's not the be-all, end-all in edge refinement. But if you have trouble freehand-sharpeneing, or need to get a useable (read shaving-sharp) in just a few moments, it is a great tool to have around. Also make quick work of convexing edges.
I'll be the first to admit it's not perfect, but I can't speak highly enough of the product, or the folks that stand behind it.
 
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