Work Sharp WS3000 Wood Tool Sharpener
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Tools and Hardware Reviews of Work Sharp WS3000 Wood Tool Sharpener
Customer Review: Also Missing Parts
Summary: 1 Stars
Like another review, I have received an incomplete package. Only the motor and 3 wheels were in the box and this is my second delivery. Clearly there has been a packaging problem at the factory.
Customer Review: An excellent sharpner that needs a few changes.
Summary: 4 Stars
This is perfect for chisels and narrow plane irons. The design makes it easy for someone with little skill on a grinder to get the angle just right.
So what would I change?
First,make the area where you insert the tool large enough to handle even the widest plane irons. I just saw an add for an add-on that allows you to sharpen wider tools for around $50. Kinda pricy for what should have been part of the tool in the first place.
Second, sandpaper one grit more course for those tools that were really ground badly. Lastly for what they charge for sandpaper you think it's made of diamonds. Bring the price down to reality.
Customer Review: Best alternative to hand sharpening...
Summary: 4 Stars
Let me first say that I am a total novice when it comes to sharpening. I tried using oil stones and an angle jig but could not seem to get the hang of it. My results were horrible, probably because I was starting with some very dull blades that needed a lot of material removed before they'd be considered even close to sharp. Being a beginner/intermediate woodworker, I don't have too much need for a lot of sharp hand tools. However, the ones I have desperately needed help.
I started to look at my options and thought it best to go for a motorized sharpening solution. The competition is very expensive when you consider the initial cost and then the price of attachments to sharpen different tools. Even some of the manual methods would cost a lot when you figure in the different grades of stones needed to get the best results.
When I first saw the WorkSharp online I was fascinated by it. What a great idea! Being a skeptic though, I figured it was just too good to be true. After seeing some reviews I felt it warranted more looking into.
I bought it on sale at a local store that I go to all the time (used a promotion they offered for 10% off of anything) so I got a good deal. I have not used it a whole lot just yet, but here is what I found so far:
First, the price is very reasonable for what you get. The unit itself seems well made even though there is a good bit of hard plastic. The included accessories are well thought out and cover most of what the average user will need to use. I'm sure I'll find the need for some extras but for now it appears fairly complete for chisels and plane blades. The instructions are straight forward and well laid out.
My first attempt at sharpening with the device was on a 5/8 inch chisel that was terribly worn out. In fact, after I got started I realized that I was going to waste a lot of time fixing a skewed bevel and rounded back plane. So I squared up the edge on my bench grinder before continuing. Once that was done, I was amazed at how well the WorkSharp did on that old chisel. I used the P120 face up to flatten the back plane first. Then flipped the disk over and used the P120 to grind the bevel to 25 degrees. I then took the chisel through the other three grits (including honing on the 3600) both back and bevel. The result was a mirror polished surface on both after about 10 or 12 minutes. It won't take near as long on a well maintained chisel but this one is better than new now! By the way, I also added a micro bevel to the bevel and that only took about 30 seconds. This is recommended in the instructions as a "Master Tip."
Here are some tips that I think should help in initial setup: first, I found that when trying to stick the PSA paper disks to the glass plates, it can be very difficult to line up the holes. I had a brainstorm and used a socket wrench extension rod clamped in my vice to poke through the hole in the glass plate. This held the plate in place and gave me something to fit the hole of the sandpaper onto so the holes would line up perfectly. Second, I used a glue bottle roller to roll out the paper once it was stuck to the plate. It was easy to see there were no bubbles when only one side of the plate had paper on it but for the most part, I had no bubbles in any of the grits except the 3600. That one didn't matter much because it is cushion backed and the bubbles were very small.
I gave it only four stars because I found that the heat sink did not work as well as claimed. My chisel got pretty hot quickly even though I believe I was doing everything right (according to the directions). I simply dipped the chisel in a cup of cool water and wiped it dry every couple of runs through the machine. No problem at all. UPDATE: I would now give this tool 5 stars! I found that the heat sink works very well when resharpening because not nearly as much material has to be sanded away. This device is well worth the money and performs as described. The results are excellent and I certainly was able to shave hairs off my arm with the finished chisel! I'll add more info as I use it and find out more tips/gotchas.
UPDATE: I also want to mention that customer service has been excellent. My 3600 MicroMesh disk got ripped from one of the chisels I sharpened. I emailed customer support to ask for advice on replacing it and also complained that the system was not as good for very dull blades (too much material to remove). They advised me to clean the glass plate with IPA (isopropyl alcohol) to remove the adhesive. They also said they are sending me some 80 grit disks and a new 3600 MicroMesh disk to replace the torn one at no charge! This is great customer service!!!
I want to upgrade this review to 5 stars (but the interface won't let me change my rating, it just lets me edit my review). After using the machine further, I found that it really is all it claims to be. The heatsink works well for resharpening and customer service is awesome! One recommendation: if you have gouges and such that need sharpening, you will probably need to purchase extra slotted wheels. The system only comes with one and you would have to change the disks on it each time you want a finer grit to sharpen with. It would be much easier to buy additional slotted wheels (they are reasonably priced) and have one for each grit (you'd save money on paper this way too, because once you remove PSA paper you can't reuse it).
Customer Review: Best for backs of chisels
Summary: 4 Stars
Of all the woodtool sharpening steps the most time-consuming has always been the hours of drudgery flattening the backs of new chisels and plane irons. The bevels aren't a problem - I grind on a Tormek,then sharpen by hand on waterstones. Takes me only a short time to keep the bevels scary sharp. Even though the Workshop can perform a range of sharpening tasks, I'm too old to change my habits now. I bought this tool for the express purpose of cutting down the time it takes to bring the backs of tools to perfect flatness and a mirror finish. Using the fine and honing abrasive papers with the Worksharp I'm now able to do in minutes what before took hours.
While sharpening, be careful as you remove the blade from the spinning surface. Tilt the blade back first to avoid dubbing the edge.
Customer Review: Buy it and forget the rest - this will do the job you need
Summary: 5 Stars
I am a general contractor with great experience in a lot of fields. I consider myself a wealth of knowledge for those of you that need advice.
I have been sending out my chisels to get sharpened always with varying results. I do not leave feedback because of the lack of time I have for leisure - I am always working but felt compelled enough to do so because i was very impressed with this machine.
I have read and researched a lot of sharpeners - This will do exactly what you need - it will put the proper bevel and with a couple of clicks on the angle adjuster you can put the additional bevel on the very tip quickly and easily. I recommend ordering a couple of additional glass plates to put the different grit papers on to speed up the sharpening. Also would recommend writing with a marker the number grit just outside of the tightening knob for quick reference. I even got the leather strope which I don't think is necessary but you can put an additional heavier grit on the opposite side to start with. I put the same grit on the top and bottom of the glass so you can face grind and bevel sharpen with the same grit without flipping the glass over - if you do flip it it is quick and easy.
Peoples concerns with the machine not sharpening wide chisels there is a wide chisel adapter now that goes on the top of the machine and just as easy to work with.
If you should need a heavier grit than what is available or just ran out you can grab a sheet of preferred sandpaper, cut out with a razor blade using the glass plate for your template and use contact cement on both the glass and paper - using the spray contact on both sides is supposed to be permanent and one side sprayed is temporary but found it works just fine on the glass with both sides sprayed. This helped me to adjust the bevel to the machine since the outfit that sharpened them before coved the bevel. In other words rounded the bevel instead of a flat bevel
I just sharpened three of my workers chisels that were in horrible condition. They look better than factory new and i did not even use the 3000 or 6000 grit paper - its that good
Bottom line - buy it, additionally I would recommend buying the knife sharpener - the belt attachment that goes on the machine, also purchased the electric hand held. Watch the videos - after sharpening on some expensive sharpeners I tried the paper test and failed. Used this machines belt sharpener for knives and worked beautifully.
All made very well and in the USA / Ashland, OR