Would I enjoy a Worksharp 3000?

[DaveLeard]

I'm a tool collector. Actually I thought I was a  tool collector, it turned out I am only a hoarder. I'm frequently trying a new grind on a second hand chisel or plane iron. I purchase cheapo chisels just to practice grinding, shaping and sharpening, and frequently find they are satisfactory tools. I'm also helping some up-and-coming woodworkers with their joinery and edge tool maintenance, frequently supplying tools. I've always got something that I want to sharpen and have plenty of stuff tucked away I plan to get to "someday".

I've gathered the Worksharp needs an add on to go over a 2 inch wide blade. It also seems sandpaper life would be  severely reduced used dry. How about putting camber on a plane iron? Will it handle combination plane plough and beading cutters? Would you use it to take a half inch chisel bevel from 30 to 20 degrees? How about skewed cutters? Any use squaring up and polishing card scrapers? What's the biggest disappointment or unexpected consequence? Are lathe tools all ground freehand using the perforated disk?

thanks in advance -

[museumguy]

Ok, I'll do my best to answer some of your questions. Yes, it needs an add on to do anything over 2" wide, or you can do it freehand on the top side. The life of the sandpaper is actually quite long. I found that if I start with 80 grit to get the initial angle correct and a straight line, then the rest of the grits go quickly and last longer. If you want to put camber on a plane blade, use the top of the disk freehand. It may be difficult to do plough and beading cutters, I have never tried. I would definitely use the 3000 to change and angle on a chisel, from 1/8" wide to 2" wide, I've done all of the sizes in this range. Skewed cutters such as a skew chisel are a little tougher but can be done with patience and practice. Card scrapers would be a waste of time IMO. I have not had any disappointments with mine so far and have owned it since 2009 and used it a lot. I used to take it to work and sharpen everyone's chisels every 3 or 4 months.  Yes, lathe tools are done freehand with the slotted disks.

Hope this helps

[rayknight]

Strong recommendation, near perfect for chisels, agree with starting with coarse grit for reshaping severely damaged chisel, other grits last long time, for maintaining an edge. touch on last few grits,(2400/3600) touch the stropping leather plate (minute or two), would add recommendation for foot pedal (especially important for flattening back)
b. i love the slotted paper underneath use for carving chisels
c. block plane blade -works as well as for chisels. can camber a bit by wiggling side to side in fixture
d. I found the top table of no value - so I don't use it for bench plane wider blades
e. skew - no help unless you are using other fixture on top, then just use water or oil stone.
one of the best tools I ever bought. I demo'd one at local woodworking club with challenge to bring gnarly chisels for testing. 5 minutes from piece of cr*p to shave your arm  hair sharp.  Ray

[DaveParkis]

Greetings, fellow hoarder. I also give a strong recommendation to the WS3000. Between rehabbing tools, sharpening donated "tools" for the woodworking club, and showing people how to sharpen, I use mine almost daily. As mentioned, there's little need for anything else for chisels and planes for "coarse" work. For irons wider than 2", I just get the iron square and then use my honing guide going through sandpaper grits 80-400 and then jump to my water stones. I have never tried the WS for skewed irons/chisels, gouges, or any other "non-straight" blades, so I can't speak about them.

[Steve N]

I absolutely recommend the WS 3000 as a sharpening tool for chisels, and plane irons. Fast easy to learn it's use, and doesn't require any odd coordination to Master it.


Stumpy Nubs has done a few variations of wide blade support/storage for them, they work better than what WS offers IMHO.





Instead of buying replacement paper from WS I suggest you get it from these folks Much cheaper, and a much wider selection of grits. Get 6" no hole PSA, because they sell quite a few different sizes, and options for hole, no hole, PSA velcro is a HUGE no no. For the rougher grits you can go through a lot of vendors, including Amazon to find 6" PSA in 60, 80, 120, etc etc. I like these folks for the coarser grits the best for a deal though.

Don't spend a fortune buying their glass disks to put your PSA paper on, you can make them out of MDF for a fraction of the cost, plus if you ever do drop one (guaranteed you will) it won't shatter to the tune of 29 bux.

You say Hoarder like it's a bad thing
 
 
 

[Mike Brady]

For the purpose of putting a new bevel on planes you have acquired, a machine like the WorkSharp  saves a lot of time.  Personally I wouldn't use one for edge maintenance however, and I don't know anyone who seriously uses hand tools who does.  My objections are: (1) power grinders remove metal very quickly and shorten blade life.  I would instead hand lap a microbevel on the machine-ground primary bevel and maintain that until the a new bevel needs to be re-established. The cutting edges from hand lapping on media such as waterstones will also be superior to those produced by sandpaper. (2) The cost of obtaining and resupplying the abrasive disks is very expensive in the long run and favors primarily the suppliers of the abrasives.  In other words, you never stop paying for a WorkSharp.

Our woodworking club has a WorkSharp that our 135 members can use for free.  It sits unused most of the time.  At our annual tool auction recently, a WorkSharp in excellent condition brought only $45.

You asked if you would enjoy a WorkSharp.  I'm not sure, but the responders above claim to like theirs.  I know the machine is not for me. I would advise you to look at sharpening options and decide what direction you think is best for you.  Everyone you ask is going to think their current method is best.

[Admiral]

I would advise you to look at sharpening options and decide what direction you think is best for you.  Everyone you ask is going to think their current method is best.

Ain't that the truth!  
  I'm guilty of that, having went through many jigs and methods in the past 30 years, eventually I just picked one and got good at it, so of course it's going to be the best!!  

[cputnam]

I use the WS3000 with table in the same manner as those are adept use a bench grinder; i.e., coarse grits for coarse grinding. I will take an edge up to 1000 grit and then go to waterstones, It was the WS3000 that 1st allowed me to achieve a truly sharp edge. I tend to keep the strop on the machine though.

[Steve N]

Personally I wouldn't use one for edge maintenance however, and I don't know anyone who seriously uses hand tools who does.  

Persons I know who actually got me started using one, and putting my Shaptons down were Glen Huey, and Bob Lang, when he got local it's been my understanding that Chuck Bender was a user as well. Now that he's away from the shop WS I don't know if he's gone back to stones? I know a bunch of other hacks like myself who have put down the expensive stones in favor of the WS. All I speak of are blended woodworkers, but use handtools every day they are in the shop.

[Steve N]

Curt, what grit are you going up to? If you already like how the WS works, check the first link I posted  SISWEB sells the highest grits I have seen, and on a few beefier tools that I don't double bevel I have a beautiful mirror on them with just the WS, Plus the grind will be set, so a retouch only takes a few seconds, and you are back at it.


6" micromesh found here to really high grits