Worksharp sharpening system

[chuckt]

Re: Worksharp sharpening system

Hey Dundee -

Sorry for the slow reply, but you asked how my Woodcraft horizontal wet stone is working out. Well, I haven't even unpacked it yet. <blushes with shame> My garage became temporary storage (despite having purchased a storage shed this fall) while the interior has been undergoing some rennovations. I haven't had time nor room to get it out and set up my sharpening area. <sigh>

I have actually been worried about setting it up in my garage since it is an unheated space. I am imagining that the use of a wet wheel in a space that could potentially freeze can't be healthy for the stone. No? So I may have to wait until I can get the "carving area" of the basement cleared enough to set it up there. This freezing problem (and the potential for mess) is why I am still interested in the Worksharp type system. I'll have to see once I get it set up how I like it.

Cheers
ChuckT

[Sam]

Re: Worksharp sharpening system

Hi Doug, others,

Here are a couple of the sites:

http://www.tools-plus.com/woodworking-mach---access--sharpening.html

http://www.mcfeelys.com/product/152979/Slotted-Wheel-Kit-150mm-Slotted-Discs-1-80g-2-400g-2-1200g-1-6000-Micro-Mesh

You can do a search in Google or Yahoo and find more. Just look for '150mm abrasive slotted disc' or '6" abarasive wheels'. I think the WS2000 and the WS3000 take the same wheel, but maybe you can check that out on the worksharp site.

[Doug Ridley]

Re: Worksharp sharpening system

Sam-- You said-
I found lots of companies online that sell slotted wheels and slotted paper for the machine at extremely good prices even considering shipping.

Clue me in on some companies that sell slotted wheels and sandpaper
that will fit the WS 2000.
Doug

[Doug Ridley]

Re: Worksharp sharpening system

Doug, did you buy any extras with the machine or just the basic machine. It looks like some extra plates would be nice to keep form changing the sandpaper when you want to change grits.

Herb--I didn't get the extra wheels but they would be nice to have. However, once you get all your tools gone over you won't have to use the 2000 very often, just strop.

Doug

[Doug Ridley]

Re: Worksharp sharpening system

ChuckT-- I tried the 2000 on some knives and was less than excited about that. You have to hold the right side of the blade tangentially to the wheel and even then I found it difficult to get a good job. That said, I love it for my carving chisels. At $100 it is hard to beat. I still have to strop after the 2000 but that is probably going to be true on anything.

[buckbeans]

Re: Worksharp sharpening system

I guess most of the sandpaper based sharpeners whether it is a wheel or a belt type are only supposed to be used with the edge facing away from the direction of rotation. It would be nice to have it run in reverse.
How fast does the Jool tool run? I bought the 2000 at at for 94 dollars at ACE Hardware.

[grampabatball]

Re: Worksharp sharpening system

Hi All, I have had the WS 3000 for about a month now and it is the best machine I have used. It lets me bring my tools almost to Rick sharp which is how I guage sharp. It lets me get my gouges sharper than anything else I've tried, and I've looked at most of them. My Tormek is gathering dust. My only complaint is, as some of you have pointed out, it is almost useless on knives. I have some good knives and honing is all they require so I guess I can live with this problem. For everything else this is a really good tool. Mike

[Sam]

Re: Worksharp sharpening system

I ordered the Worksharp ws3000 from Sears online. It was the best price available $189 with free shipping to my door. I also ordered the leather strop wheel but am not sure how well that will work since I think you have to do the left side of the knife blade on top and the right side underneather the wheel. I am thinking that the leather is only on top but will know soon. I wouldn't want the hassel of flipping the wheel over. I chose the WS3000 because of the slow speed (550rpm) compared to the WS2000 at 1750 rpm. I agree with Dave(Hi Ho) that the motors should be reversible and variable speed to be truly versatile.

I found lots of companies online that sell slotted wheels and slotted paper for the machine at extremely good prices even considering shipping.

By the way, I think the WS3000 is the one made for woodcarvers since that is the one specifically mentioned for woodcarving tools. I will let you know what I think once I have it in my hands - it is supposed to be here Tuesday.

[Dundee]

Re: Worksharp sharpening system

Chuck,

You would have to have the same grit on both sides of the disc. I just reach across to the other side where the disc is going in the other direction. How is the horizontal wet stone working? I don't like the high speed of the WS2000. I may try to get a motor controller to slow it down. You will also have trouble sharpening a #9 20mm using the underside. A 20 mm #2 to #7 is ok.

Chris

Hey Doug -

What's your experience with using the WS2000 for knives? Just curious if you are having any of the challenges with this tool that were reported for the JoolTool with sharpening the other edge of a knife where it faces into the rotation of the tool. Or is that not an issue for WS since you can address the edge from the botton AND top?

Thanks!
ChuckT

[Herb]

Re: Worksharp sharpening system

Doug, did you buy any extras with the machine or just the basic machine. It looks like some extra plates would be nice to keep form changing the sandpaper when you want to change grits.

Herb

[Herb]

Re: Worksharp sharpening system

Herb, I went ahead and bought the WS 2000 and I love it. Price was reasonable and it honed all my carving chisels in a very short time. Did a VERY good job with nothing left to do but strop and they were razor sharp. I like it.
Doug

Glad to hear that you like it Doug. What looks good to me about this and the Jool grinder is that you can sharpen your tools and not grind them up with a few sharpenings. The price is reasonable compared to the other options. Thanks for the answer.

Herb

[chuckt]

Re: Worksharp sharpening system

Hey Doug -

What's your experience with using the WS2000 for knives? Just curious if you are having any of the challenges with this tool that were reported for the JoolTool with sharpening the other edge of a knife where it faces into the rotation of the tool. Or is that not an issue for WS since you can address the edge from the botton AND top?

Thanks!
ChuckT

[Doug Ridley]

Re: Worksharp sharpening system

Herb, I went ahead and bought the WS 2000 and I love it. Price was reasonable and it honed all my carving chisels in a very short time. Did a VERY good job with nothing left to do but strop and they were razor sharp. I like it.
Doug

[Herb]

Re: Worksharp sharpening system

I've got the 2000...but haven't even had time to set it up yet...sorry! It's deadline time here for the next issue...and I'm swamped!

Bob

Bob has this review been run. I have not seen anything on it. What do you think of it for carving tools?

Herb

[BobD (Archive)]

Re: Worksharp sharpening system

I've got the 2000...but haven't even had time to set it up yet...sorry! It's deadline time here for the next issue...and I'm swamped!

Bob