Work Sharp 3000

I had been working with increasingly duller and duller chisels because I dreaded pulling out the Tormek. Yes I have already donned my fireproof suit. The whole process to touchup an edge was just to much. I sold it and got the Work Sharp.

I read just about all there was on the interweb and put together what I found that has worked for me. Thought I would share.
Attachment 414946 This is how I have it setup. A piece of ¼" ply with a stop on the back clamped to the bench keeps it from sliding around. Quick, easy, temporary and takes up no room in the tool box.

Attachment 414947 I never used any of the supplied abrasives. I used diamond plates from the beginning. 80, 150, 400, 1000 grits. Amazon search: 6-inch Diamond Coated Flat Lap. $10 each. After that I switch to leather wheels with honing compound. Amazon search: Enkay 150 Polishing Compound. Four different sticks $11. I use the black, brown, and white.

The honing disc are made from ½" ply. I used a shopmade circle jig on the plunge. Make the disc 5-⅞" not 6", you'll thank me. If anyone is interested I can post about the circle jig, or how to easily resize disc that are too big.

I sourced the leather from Crazy Crow Trading Post. Search: Leather Craft Discs - 6"

The diamond lap disc need to be backed with the glass disc. When in use, the retaining knob self tightens and I always needed pliers to loosen it. So I made an oversized knob. Also oversized is the part that contacts the disc. This larger surface is needed when against the leather side.
Attachment 414949

The Work Sharp comes with a tool rest. The only use I found for it is to use the chamfered end to help center the diamond lap disc on the glass plate.
Attachment 414948

There are post on the web about using adhesive backed magnetic sheets on the glass plate to hold the lap disc. I ordered some but came to my senses before the order shipped. First the screw clamp holds every thing down just fine, secondly think of the mess when all the sharpening grindings are attracted to the magnetic sheet. :eek:

Attachment 414942 This it a closeup of a honing disc. Mark the color of the compound on the disc because they all turn black once they get used.

Attachment 414943 When flattening or honing on the top, angle the blade slightly upward, gently lower the blade onto the edge of the disc then lay it down flat. Hold the edge of the blade perpendicular to the rotation of the disc.

Attachment 414945 This chisel had a huge ding out of the edge when I got it. I was profiling it to 25°. Even with the 80 grit it was taking foooorever to grind past the damage. Then I had the idea of a "macro" bevel. I raised the angle to 20° and ground the top part of the bevel off. Then finished it off at 25°. That went so much faster.

Attachment 414944This was the result of my sharpening marathon, 16 chisels and 3 plane blades.

I too gave up using my Tormek and went with the Work Sharp 3000. I also ditched the abrasive sheets and went with the diamond plates. I no longer dread when I have to sharpen chisels or plane irons. Your idea for the honing discs is one I will definitely steal.

Nice post Tipton. I also started with a wet wheel grinder and converted to a Worksharp with diamond plates. Which reminds me that I need to find a new home for that grinder and get it off the end of my turning bench. ;)

I have it and I love it. I also use the diamond plates.

When I took woodworking classes they had the Tormek and I used them. But they're messy (wet) and very expensive to purchase. I went with the WorkSharp, also, although I only use it to set the primary bevel on my chisels and then put a secondary bevel with a Shapton 8000 stone.

Much better solution.

Mike

I guess it might be safe to take off the fireproof suit. ;)

Interesting! I have a Work Sharp 3000 that I never use - CBN wheels and a couple of Tormeks sharpen my lathe tools. Maybe I'll try some of your tips instead of getting rid of it.

JKJ

Yep- another great post Tipton. Thanks for sharing!

Funny, I have a worksharp from about a decade ago I don't use. I was thinking of selling it to try a Tormek.

Good review Tipton. Thanks. Hope we start hearing from you more often!

My experience is a little different. Ive spent stupid amounts of money on sharpening and tried about EVERYTHING (except JNATS).
* The Tormek and it's clones are really for sharpening/honing. It takes a very long time to reset a plane iron's bevel on one.
* The Worksharp with diamond disks is faster at resetting a bevel and "good enough" at sharpening. But I dont use mine much. It still isnt aggressive enough for me.
* I've settled on a slow speed grinder with CBN wheel for resetting bevels and removing nicks. I use a couple Shapton stones for sharpening/honing. For me, this has been the cat's meow. YMMV.
Fred

There are always a lot of different perspectives on things like sharpening. I have a Tormek with a lot of the accessories and I love it. I use it for knives, scissors, chisels, plane blades, drill bits, axes, some garden clippers and planer blades. I do not do wood turning or carving, so no tools for those. I have never used a Work Sharp, so have no clue about how to compare the two.

Most folks do find the Tormek too slow for resetting bevels. I have worked through three different additions to the Tormek system to address the need for faster metal removal on those heavy jobs, such as resetting bevels:

1) a traditional 8" grinding wheels, bushed to fit the Tormek and used as another, albeit smaller, Tormek wheel, with the water bath. Does a great job, but it does entail a wheel change, so if speed is an issue, the little bit of time is annoying.

2) a "slow speed" bench grinder with the white grindstone wheels. Mine is a Rikon 8". Slow speed is still fast, at 1750 rpm, so avoiding overheating is a real issue, even with the slower speed and white wheels. Due to the overheating issue, I no longer use this for sharpening activities.

3) a belt grinder. Many knife makers use belt grinders and many use the ubiquitous 1x30" variety. I have one, but don't like it for sharpening due to its high speed. I have recently added a Viel 1x42" belt grinder, that I ordered without the motor but with a smaller drive pulley to reduce the belt speed a bit. I did order and mod into service a variable speed DC motor. With this combo, and adjusting the tiny pots on the circuit board, I can get the speed down to almost a stand still. This allows much better control of the heat generated but is still plenty fast. It took quite a bit to get it set up to use the Tormek jigs at shallower bevel angles for knives, but it is working great now. One really great benefit is that it requires no wheel changes on the Tormek and I can go from it to the Tormek. I am much more comfortable doing freehand sharpening, such as on garden tools and axes using the slack belt portion of the belt, which is another plus.

For those who have Tormeks, whether you use them or not, there are a couple user supported forums for discussing uses, issues, mods, etc.

Tormek User Forum: https://www.tormek.com/forum/index.php

Facebook user group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/272080627062383/

Personally, I think the Tormek User Forum is the better of the two Tormek groups.

There is also a Viel belt sander Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/180045696268538/

Rick

The turners here will confirm that CBN wheels are the way of the future for those hollow grinding and then honing. Even Tormeks have CBN wheels now, which are used without water. Tormek have introduced diamond wheels. All these change the game completely. No setting up or maintenance needed.

I have 80 and 180 grit CBN wheels on an 8” half speed, which provides the cool grind of a Tormek and many times its speed. Then onto ceramic waterstones.

Whatever floats your boat, I say. The important factor is not how you get sharp, but that you use your sharp tools.

Regards from Perth

Derek

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Derek Cohen

...Even Tormeks have CBN wheels now, which are used without water. ...

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I have used a 1200 grit CBN wheel on one of my Tormeks for several years now, hate to be without it for lathe tools. Too slow for reshaping tools but excellent for a sharp edge.

JKJ