Sharpening systems

I recently got a WorkSharp 3000.

Cathy,

There is a review of the Workshop here. This is a relatively inexpensive sharpening system. Like Rikkor I have a 3000 as well and it suits my purposes just fine.

-- Challenges are what make life interesting; overcoming them is what makes life meaningful- Joshua Marine

Cathy,

If you need a good sharpening system, get the Worksharp 3000!!! Better yet, hurry up and get it because amazon has it for $159 with free shipping. This is the cheapest I have ever saw it, but you better hurry, I don’t know how long it will be this price. Good Luck!

Jeff

-- Jeff, Indiana

Go for the Worksharp!

-- -** You are never to old to set another goal or to dream a new dream ****************** Dick, & Barb Cain, Hibbing, MN. http://www.woodcarvingillustrated.com/gallery/member.php?uid=3627&protype=1

Well I just ordered it from Amazon Jeff…good price plus was able to get extras. Now I have to wait a week! LOL
Thanks all now my tools will be kept good and sharp!

I use my belt sander and an old belt…...cheap and works for me!

-- "Good artists borrow, great artists steal”…..Picasso

I just got the Worksharp 2000. I am very pleased with the results. Does everything I want it to.

Cathy,
I use a slow speed grinder and Oneway’s Wolverine Sharpening System for my turning tools and it works great. Many aftermarket jigs were also made specifically with this system in mind. I have one of David Ellsworth’s side grind sharpening jigs and works like a charm for my bowl gouge.
Best.

-- S. Box --- "But a Constitution of Government once changed from Freedom, can never be restored. Liberty, once lost, is lost forever." - John Adams

I just got the 2000 as well for only $90 from Ace (oddly enough) and it has met all my expectations. I use it to do most of the hard work, then use my japanese water stones to finish them. The worksharp makes using the stones a WHOLE lot easier. Before I would work for hours to true a chisel initially, but now it is just a minute or two with each stone. Also, the edge comes out square each time, not angled as some of my early work with the stones did. I want to get the glass disk for the 3000 and use it on this one. It should fit okay, and the motor seems to be the same hp so it should work.

-- Rob McCune

Cathy,

While the WorkSharp is very good for chisels, it is nowhere near acceptable for turning tools. If you make bowls like I do, you want to spent 30 seconds total to sharpen the gouge. I have a slow speed 8” grinder from Woodcraft and the Wolverine system with the Ellsworth grind jig. I highly recommend this setup. Ellsworth, in his video strongly suggests that a 100-120 grit stone on a grinder does a much better job at sharpening a gouge than anything else. Turning tools are funny, especially gouges. If you get a very sharp edge, it is too fragile to survive more than minimal turning before it goes bad. The Woodcraft grinder comes with a 60 grit and a 120 grit stone. Use the 60 for tool reshaping and the 120 for the sharpening. None of the other tools can put a nice Ellsworth grind on a gouge.

The WoodSharp is useful for sharpening the skew but not for any of the gouges. If you mostly do skew work, it might be a solution to consider.

About the speed of the grinder, I am more comfortable with the slow speed. One way people sell some stones that work only at full speed and claim you should grind modern metals at full speed. I do get a perfect grind effortlessly with the 1750 rpm speed.

Alin

Alin

-- -- Alin Dobra, Gainesville, Florida

I also have the Woodcraft 1750 rpm (slow speed) grinder and the Wolvernine system. This is a near perfect system for sharpening turning tools. It is interesting to note however, that Wolverine strongly recommends the 3600 rpm grinders.

Woodcraft has their 8” slow speed grinder on sale for $79.99.

-- "Heaven is North of the Bridge"