Do I need a WS3000?

Bert, I don’t think it will do anything for you that you couldn’t do another way. But for a lazy guy like me who does not particularly enjoy sharpening, the WS3000 is a really fast and easy method. Having played with mine for a few days now, I’m still not sure I would have ever spent over $200 for one, but at this price I am extremely pleased to have it in my shop.

-- Charlie M. "Woodworking - patience = firewood"

Gave mine a workout… “easy smeasy” as Tommy Mac would say.
Sharpened 7 chisels and 2 plane irons in an hour… and no heavy lifting or sweating.
They came out fine and I can touch them up any time I want by simply turning on a machine rather than pulling out wet stones… am I lazy… yes, about some things.

-- "Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good." Voltaire

Glad I got it at the price I paid…I wouldn’t have ever bought one for $200 either. It does make short work of changing angles, but on previously prepared blades/chisels I can get just as good results (if not better) with sandpaper and the Veritas jig. I have noticed that the coarse grit (120) leaves scratches that the next grit in the pack (400) cannot get out easily. Overall I feel like the tool could be more reasonably priced at $130-150. If I paid $200 I might be a little disappointed. I have yet to use it to sharpen any turning tools because I don’t use my lathe much. I could see that being a big benefit to some people.

-- some day I hope to have enough clamps to need a clamp cart!

I finished 7 chisels and 2 plane irons on mine – apparently, Ellen and I are psychically connected – and 3 of those chisels I wouldn’t have been able to do scary sharp with because of the condition…and I don’t want to buy attachments/wheels for my grinder to prep them for it. The other chisels (marples), were so bad from the factory that I had to re-grind the back and fix the skewed edge…again, not something I would want to do using scary sharp.

As somebody who doesn’t have a method other than scary sharp (I’ve had to free-hand it), the WS produces fast results without a lot of effort…and I anticipate simple retouchs will be a piece of cake.

If other methods work for you, and you have good tools with an already fine cutting edge, then stick with what you have, unless you are like Charlie and myself and would rather our time be spent doing things other than sharpening.

-- jay, www.allaboutastro.com

I’m sure if you’ve gotten cold feet about the WS3000, somebody on LJ would be glad to take it off your hands for the price you paid for it, plus shipping, especially if it remains unopened.

I have not yet used mine, so I can’t comment on the price/quality/value of the machine.

Even if you don’t use it toput the fine edge on your tools, it certainly sounds much faster for the initial cleanup stage of old or rough tools.

-- Jonathan, Denver, CO "Constructive criticism is welcome and valued as it gives me new perspectives and helps me to advance as a woodworker."

” unless you are like Charlie and myself and would rather our time be spent doing things other than sharpening”
I have found out lately that I would rather finely tune a plane than use it.
I would rather spend time building TS sled that use it.
I am in fact much more interested in wood working tools in than in building furniture and such.
I do not mind spending hours sharpening chisels or irons to obtain a “perfect” edge.
I have Aspenger syndrome and I am a perfectionist for this kind of things and I in fact enjoy the process more than the result.
What I would really like to do is to repair/restore tools more than actually doing wood working.

-- Bert

Once you have the initial tuning of your tools done, I don’t think these kind of “grinders” do anything for you. Basic sharpening is so simple and fast that adding paraphernalia like the Worksharp only get’s in your way.

Initial tuning of the tools is different and that’s where something similar to the Worksharp can be helpful for flattening the flat face of a tool. For most people I don’t see a way to justify the expense, it just doesn’t take that long to do initial flattening on sandpaper.

In my work, where I’m faced with flattening freshly heat treated plane irons in batches, I do use a similar machine. We use the LapSharp which is considerably more expensive but offers reversability, 8” disks, wet grinding, and a foot control so you’re not trying to place a flat face on a spinning disk. The LapSharp is a lot better machine but it also has its own issues centered around cleaning and maintenance.

I can’t imagine buying the LapSharp or any of the similar machines if I was just maintaining the tools I use.

Bert:

Like you, I’d rather build fixtures for my shop than anything else. I love tools and I am as obsessive about them as I am my astronomy hobby.

I just don’t like sharpening.

-- jay, www.allaboutastro.com

I just used my WS3000 to sharpen one chisel.
It did a decent job job gut i would never pay full price for this tool.
In addition the consumables are going to be very expensive, a grinding disk last just about one chisel.
If someone want to buy this WS3000 from me I open to talk

-- Bert

Sure, I need one for each hand. I like to get those pesky tasks out of the way quick ;-))

-- Bob in WW ~ "some old things are lovely, warm still with life ... of the forgotten men who made them." - D.H. Lawrence

You can buy aftermarket 6” PSA disks cheaper than those branded by WorkSharp. You won’t find the slotted ones, but the solid disks are available from woodworking or auto sources. I was surprised that WS mentions these other options in their manual.

-- some day I hope to have enough clamps to need a clamp cart!

Bert- I also spend more time tuning my tools, restoring them and cleaning them then I do making fine projects. I keep finding myself spending more and more time doing this and its because I have a lot of fun with it.

-- Dan - "Collector of Hand Planes"

I agree with lwllms ... I use my WS3000 to the do the initial setup on a blade. Once I get the back flattened/lapped and create the initial bevel, I don’t use it again in that blade.

I have a Veritas Honing Jig and a set of Naniwa Japanese waterstones that I use to (quickly) touch up the micro-bevel.

—Gerry

-- Gerry -- "I don't plan to ever really grow up ... I'm just going to learn how to act in public!"

Ah, deke, the bartering system at its best!

-- Jonathan, Denver, CO "Constructive criticism is welcome and valued as it gives me new perspectives and helps me to advance as a woodworker."

I also have a tormek clone that I use and that I love but I also use sand paper.
I have sand paper up to 9000 grit ( .03 micron) and this still is my favorite method to sharpen my tools on my granite table saw top.

-- Bert