Worksharp 3000 vs. Veritas Mk.II

[Glen Blanchard]

I have had my eyes on the Veritas Mk.II power sharpening system for a while, but have not been ready to part with the cash. It sells for nearly $400. The Worksharp 3000 has been put on sale for 169.99 recently at both Amazon and Hartville Tools which gives me pause.

Is there anyone who has used them both and can comment? These will be used almost exclusively for chisels and plane blades.

http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=2&p=48435&cat=1,43072

http://www.hartvilletool.com/product/12501

[Dave Bonde]

Glen, I can't answer your question, but I got my Worksharp yesterday and sharpened a 3/4" 2 Cherries chisel and I can say I am very impressed with both the quality of the edge and the machine itself. Like others have said I was able to put the best edge on that chisel I think I have ever done - no practice no setup. I bought it for the same reasons you are looking for chisels and all the planes I use have a blade 2" or smaller. Unless the MK II will do something for you that the Worksharp will not I would take a close look at the WS. Dave

[Bart Leetch]

I have the WS3000. It works great. For wider blades you can make a jig that clamps on the blade & is set against the back side of the bar on top so that you keep the proper angle to get the bevel you looking to get on the blade. I have heard that they are coming out with a jig that will help with the sharpening of wider blades.

[Ben Cadotte]

I caught it on sale for the $160 price right as I was looking for water stones. For $160 I felt even if it is limited to 2" the price was right. I still got 3 of the medium water stones. Just the finers ones are a bit pricey. As for the Veritas, that was always out of the running just due to its price.

[Steven Herbin]

I used the Veritas when I was at a class and it worked nicely. However, when it came time to buy, I felt that the WS3000 was a better buy (for my use).

The Veritas machine seemed to be much more "heavy duty," but the WS3000 is great for a small shop (eventhough I paid the $199 price).

For $169, it's a steal.

BTW, the Veritas had a jig that would probably fit the bar on the WS.

[Mark Roderick]

I once owned the Veritas machine and returned it.

The problem with both of these machines is based on high-school geometry: the further you move out from the center of the spinning disc, the faster the surface speed of the disc.

When you're sharpening a 1/8 inch chisel it doesn't matter, but it matters quite a bit for a 2 1/4 inch jointer plane blade, where the surface speed of the disc at the outer edge of the blade is more than twice the surface speed at the inner edge.

By definition, the abrasive is cutting must faster at the outer edge, and my experience was that this made it difficult to sharpen the blade square to the edge.

If you're going to spend that kind of money, I would definitely suggest the Tormek or one of its clones. You can use that as your grinder, and then hone on waterstones either freehand or using a honing guide.

[D-Alan Grogg]

I once owned the Veritas machine and returned it.

The problem with both of these machines is based on high-school geometry: the further you move out from the center of the spinning disc, the faster the surface speed of the disc.

When you're sharpening a 1/8 inch chisel it doesn't matter, but it matters quite a bit for a 2 1/4 inch jointer plane blade, where the surface speed of the disc at the outer edge of the blade is more than twice the surface speed at the inner edge.

By definition, the abrasive is cutting must faster at the outer edge, and my experience was that this made it difficult to sharpen the blade square to the edge.

If you're going to spend that kind of money, I would definitely suggest the Tormek or one of its clones. You can use that as your grinder, and then hone on waterstones either freehand or using a honing guide.

You make a good point. It's true that the linear speed of the abrasive is proportional to the radius. But, the linear distance of abrasive applied to the blade edge is also greater as the radius increases. That would probably be more likely to cause difficulty in getting an edge perpendicular to the sides of the blade. As you imply, more abrasion occurs on the outer part of blade than the inner part (in relation to the grinding wheel). However, you can compensate for this by holding a slightly different angle on the blade. I have the WS3000 and that's what I do. Even with this issue, I think it's a fairly good sharpening device.

[Thomas Walker]

[quote=Bart Leetch;782506] For wider blades you can make a jig that clamps on the blade & is set against the back side of the bar on top so that you keep the proper angle./quote]

Bart, do you have a picture of such a jig? The biggest limitation in my opinion is that you can't use it for most smooth, jack and jointer planes. I have heard the rumor of an attachment for the Worksharpe, but the company responded like it is a myth when I sent them an email about it.

[Eddie Darby]

These will be used almost exclusively for chisels and plane blades.
Are you after the best possible edge, or are you trying to get the job done with the least sweat, and time?

I own a Tormek, and when I want the best possible edge on a plane blade, or chisel, I go to my Shapton Stones with the diamond lapping plate to constantly flatten the stones.

I love the job that I can do on the Tormek when it comes to gouges. I say 'I' because it still requires the user to put some degree of skill into play.