# Work Sharp and chisels



## BrianS (Nov 7, 2004)

Had occasion to take my chisels to Mike's a while back. They were in pretty sad shape... 3 I had owned since new weren't bad, not very sharp, but not bad. The others were ones I picked up at a yard sale one day and were in pretty bad shape. Some looked like they had been used to cut nails!! Wish I had taken some "before and after" pics. 

We spent some time on them with his Work Sharp. The results were pretty impressive as the pics can attest too. Some pretty thin shavings. I had to adjust the fit of a drawer runner did this by hand, no hammer. Not the cheapest route perhaps, but one that does a REALLY good job.


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## vindaloo (May 30, 2009)

I agree. I have one and it's the easiest way I can find to sharpen chisels other than to pay someone else to do it. Works great on plane irons too with little to no effort. The only problem we have here in the UK is getting replacement discs.


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## JFPNCM (Dec 13, 2009)

I invested in the Work Sharp and spent many a quiet winter evening in the shop bringing a very badly abused set of chisels up to snuff. A relaxing time and a positive outcome. I accept the old schools approach of stones etc, but being a bit on the lazy side I'll vote Work Sharp any time.


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

JFPNCM said:


> , but *being a bit on the lazy side* I'll vote Work Sharp any time.


I vote Tormek...


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## gmercer_48083 (Jul 18, 2012)

Impressive!


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## Mike (Nov 22, 2004)

Tormek - $665 / Work Sharp - $194.


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## senebraskaee (Apr 29, 2012)

Mike - what model Work Sharp are you using?


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

Mike said:


> Tormek - $665 / Work Sharp - $194.


plus disks..
use both for an extended period of time...

shopping w/ your wallet doesn't apply...


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## Mike (Nov 22, 2004)

Mike, I have the WS3000 and it is mounted on a plate so it pops into my router table for stability in use.


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## schnewj (Nov 18, 2013)

Stick486 said:


> plus disks..
> use both for an extended period of time...
> 
> shopping w/ your wallet doesn't apply...


I'll play Devil's Advocate!

I agree that you should not shop with your wallet. However, let's look at reality. The Worksharp 3000 is <$200, the Tormec is ~$700. I agree with Stick on the fact that in the long run the Tormec is the cheaper buy. The reality is this.

For the average hobby woodworker how much sharpening is he really going to do? Chisels, and the occasional plane iron. If this is the reality, then Worksharp may be the realistic answer. However, if you are a turner, or are running any type of a commercial enterprise then Tormec is the cost saver in the long run.

If I was sharpening a tool every day to foster production, then hands down a Tormec. Lathe work, I have to say the same. Hobbyist, I would still want the Tormec, but I might settle for a Worksharp. 

In the long run...how many years of use are you going to get out of the tool? Both are fairly well built for their respective price breaks. If the use is years of constant weekly or monthly use, then I know what I would choose. For the less flush the WS may be more then adequate, giving the same years of use while only being used occasionally.


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## vindaloo (May 30, 2009)

I bought my WS3000 two years ago. Used it to initially sharpen all 4 of my chisels and 2 plane irons including flattening the back. Since then I replaced the discs and have just needed to top up the microbevel on the tip. I know for sure that I could not have justified the price of the tormek and I know, having seen the videos of both in action, which is the easiest to set up for correct angles. I also got the knife sharpener in the package. The WS3000 definately take the effort out of sharpening and once initialised is very quick to resharpen my chisels and irons.

Clean up is easy too, after finishing with the WS3000. I just move it to it's current storage area, clean under the grinding wheels any metal dust that is there, and cover with a piece of old t-shirt. Job done.


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## JFPNCM (Dec 13, 2009)

@vindaloo

I've thought about adding the knife sharpener. Have you found it good value for money?

I agree with your overall assessment of the WS3000. i'm happy.


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## vindaloo (May 30, 2009)

@JFPNCM

Jon, If I'd have saved money not getting it the I probably wouldn't have as I already had ways to sharpen knives, but it does work although it does take a little to get the movement programmed into the brain so it is consistant. The knife has to flow through the sharpener or you get a wavy edge  (don't need to ask how I know that)


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## JFPNCM (Dec 13, 2009)

@vindaloo

Angie: Appreciate the feedback on the knife sharpener add on. I'll pass on adding it.

Cheers
Jon


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## Bodger96 (Mar 18, 2014)

I have the WS3000 and it works fantastic. I never have to worry about water freezing. I have added some of the tormek attachments for my turning tools. I do some production work and have not found the cost of discs to be expensive. What I love most is how easy it is to change grits and how quickly I can achieve a scary sharp tool.

Regards Bob


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## Mike (Nov 22, 2004)

I just got the files transferred to this PC so here are the photos from the day we worked on the chisels. We started with a chisel in very bad condition. Brian colored the cutting edge with a Sharpie so we could see the problem areas. You can see the edge being sharpened with the look through wheels. I got extra wheels so I would not need to constantly change the abrasive disks. Now that the chisel was roughed in we switched to the glass wheels. I dressed the back side of the chisel which was in awful condition; you can see how bad it was from the partially done dressing. We used the guide chute to get the proper angles which took a while. The end result was this chisel being better than new.(It was a cheap one) It took a while to go through all the chisels but was well worth the time spent.


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## gmercer_48083 (Jul 18, 2012)

Mike, I've considered the worksharp and I would like to know about the heat it generates while grinding. Did you have to quench in water as you used it to flatten the backside as well as the bevel? What are the grits? How wide a plane blade or chisel can you grind? Will it work to grind a profile into a moulding plane iron? How fast does it spin?


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## Mike (Nov 22, 2004)

Gary, you do not have to quench but when working on the back of the chisel it would speed the process if you did. I let mine air cool. When using the side port to cut your angles you do so with an in and out motion that removes any burr at the same time. The cooling fan helps in the port.

Grits range from 80 to 3000 and may go even higher, those are the range I have.

The rail on the top side will let you sharpen up to about 5" with a steep angle. I can't think of the RPM off the top of my head but it is a slow speed.


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## beckchest (Nov 30, 2009)

*Worksharp 3000*

I have found that the Work Sharp does an excellent job on chisels, plane irons, and lathe tools using diamond discs that are sold by Amazon.com . I use a magnetic interface ($7.20) sold by DMT, but not their diamond discs as they are expensive. Using a Work Sharp tool bar attachment, a Tormek SVS-50, and a Tormek SVS-185 I can do lathe tools. I find this system is much faster then the Tormek. The diamond discs last many times longer then the sandpaper discs and cost $13.00 a piece including shipping. Using the SVS-50 and the Work Sharp gives you a flat grind which some say is superior to the concave grind given by wheel grinders. The diamond discs do not over heat the steel as much as sandpaper.

If you want a really long lasting disc, Woodturners Wonders sells a 6" Cubic Boron Nitride (CBN) discs coated on 2 sides for $125. I use both diamonds and CBN and have a Tormek which I very seldom use since I bought the Work Sharp and found the diamond and CBN system.


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