Work Sharp WS3000 Wood Tool Sharpener
by Work Sharp
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List Price: Our Price: $199.95 You Save: $50.00 (20%) Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Buy Used: from $181.50 (click here) Category: Tools See more product details |
Product Details
Manufacturer: Work SharpModel: WS3000
Product features:
- Complete air-cooled, dry sharpening system for chisels, plane irons, spoke shaves, carving tools, and lathe tools
- No jigs required--sharpening port has precise and repeatable bevel angle settings of 20°, 25°, 30°, and 35°
- Powerful 1/5-hp motor with 580 RPM speed has routed air flow and heat-sink cooling system
- 2-year warranty only valid for North American 110V power source applications
- Use of power converters for 220V not recommended
- Work Sharp WS3000 Belt Sharpening System Replacement Belt Kit
- Woodworking Basics: Mastering the Essentials of Craftsmanship
- This Old House
- Grizzly G7870 Half Mask Respirator - Oil/Organic Vapor
- Grizzly H3631 Low Maintenance Respirator Facepiece - Medium
Tools and Hardware Reviews of Work Sharp WS3000 Wood Tool Sharpener
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).
Description of Work Sharp WS3000 Wood Tool Sharpener
The Work Sharp WS3000 Wood Tool Sharpener is an easy-to-use dry sharpening system for chisels, plane irons, lathe tools, carving tools, and other woodworking tools. Designed for the serious woodworker, this sharpening system is packed with unique features that make it easy to achieve consistent angles on flat blades and contoured tools.
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 Before and after shots show the way Work Sharp renews dull, rusty tools. View larger. |
 Tools with larger blades can be safely sharpened on top of the wheel. View larger. |
 Edge-Vision lets you look through the wheel and see the surface you are sharpening. View larger. |
 Everything you need is included. View larger. |
Sharp tools mean you can cut through tougher materials and create more precise details. They reduce the amount of strain work puts on your body and make you much less likely to damage your work surface or hurt yourself. But stopping to sharpen tools interrupts the flow of work, and with some systems it's quite difficult.
With the Work Sharp WS3000 Wood Tool Sharpener, you can sharpen blades quickly, consistently, and easily without making a mess or delaying a project.
Quick, Consistent Sharpening
Precision tools like small chisels are extra tricky to sharpen freehand on large, rough wheels. That's why the sharpening port on the WS3000 is so innovative. This port, which handles blades from 1/8 inch to 2 inches, makes it incredibly easy to sharpen the bevel on small tools from underneath the wheel.
Angles of 20, 25, 30, and 35 degrees are set in the machine, so you don't need an extra jig or a special tool to ensure that you are creating a bevel edge with a consistent, effective angle. You can also achieve a perfect five-degree micro-bevel for fast re-honing.
An adjustable fence in the port keeps the tool square during sharpening, and when you pull the tool back out of the port, a ceramic oxide lapping abrasive automatically removes the burr on the back of the tool for a clean finish and a sharp cutting edge.
Convenient Sharpening Options
When you are working with bigger tools, a conveniently placed tool rest makes it easy to hold larger blades in place as you sharpen them freehand on the top of the wheel. Also available is a wide blade attachment that enables you to sharpen and hone blades up to three inches wide with the Work Sharp 3000 (not included).
And when it comes time to sharpen contoured tools, you can slip an innovative slotted Edge-Vision wheel onto the WS3000. This lets you look through the wheel to see the edge of the tool you are sharpening from below, taking the guesswork out of maintaining lathe tools and other curved or v-shaped blades.
Durable Glass Wheels Provide Consistency
In addition to the Edge-Vision wheel, this sharpener comes with two tempered glass wheels. The big advantage of tempered glass is that it maintains its flatness and won't wear down like a traditional grinding wheel.
You can attach a wide variety of standard six-inch, adhesive-backed abrasive disks to these wheels, making it easy to select the grit you need for rough grinding or fine honing. And with two disks, you can always have four different grits ready to go (one on each wheel surface), making it easy to move from task to task.
 Click to view more features of the WS3000. |
In order to avoid the hassle and mess of expensive wet sharpening systems, this dry system uses routed airflow from the motor and a special heat-sink design to keep your tools from overheating. This means you don't have to worry about damaging the edge you just created or ruining the temper of steel tools.
To make all this possible, Work Sharp uses a quiet 1/5-HP motor that produces a high torque max wheel speed of 580 rpm. This low-rpm wheel maintains speed regardless of load for improved consistency, so whether your specialty is custom furniture, cabinetry, or old-fashioned wooden toys, you can rely on the WS3000 to keep your tools sharp and ready for use.
This award-winning Work Sharp tool is backed by a full two-year warranty.
What's in the Box
Wood tool sharpener, two glass wheels, one slotted Edge-Vision wheel, a crepe stick (for cleaning abrasives), an instructional DVD, and 16 abrasives: 11 solid abrasives and 5 slotted abrasives with grits ranging from P80 to 3600 Micro-Mesh
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