Anyone familiar with these

Sorry I have not Rich.

For plane irons and chisels I use the WorkSharp 3000 (not the 2000). It is the fastest, absolutely repeatable, unit I have used. The edge looks like a mirror and (I repeat) extremely fast. In two minutes I can do, what takes me 30 minutes on my Jet Slow Speed. I cannot sharpen a plane iron and come back and hit the same angle exactly by hand. I am not a machine. However, I can come back to the exact same spot with the WorkSharp 3000 (the 2000 does not have that capability).

It takes me about as long as it would take you to flip a light switch up and down 3 times to set up my exact previous angle if I had changed it since last time with that tool. It takes another 2 or 3 seconds to put the tool into the machine and about 10 seconds more to re-polish the edge.

For wood turning gouges I use a home made unit that works like a Wolverine. This works very well. I seldom go to a mirror finish. If I do, I have to switch from the Wolverine like unit I made and go to the WorkSharp top section. There are many advocates of going directly from the grindstone of a Wolverine unit to turning wood. They claim that the microscopic "teeth" on the edge work better for turning than a smooth edge. The other group can give you good arguments for going to a mirror finish for a turning tool.

I don't know if this helped you at all. I do know going from the hand setting the angle and holding it---like most systems. Setting the angle in a clamp that has a roller under it and using a stone is not accurately repeatable by me. I have used those two systems for over 60 years and still cannot attain the sharpness I want. I purchased the WorkSharp and within a couple hours I was turning out the sharpest tools of my life.

As you can tell I am a real WorkSharp affectionado. No, I am not involved with the WS company nor do I own any stock. I better shut up.

Enjoy,

JimB
 
Thanks Jim,
I have looked at the worksharps online but never seen one up close. I've heard good things about them. Maybe when I am ready to make the jump I'll pick one up. Right now I am using the Diasharp steel plates and the Veritas system. I have seen what you mean with regards to inconsistencies in the edge. (I thought it was just me) with this system. Even using it on my bench grinder I get inconsistencies.

I just bought Eddie Castelin's "Blackhawk" which is the same set up as the Wolverine for my turning tools. I am still re-organizing my shop and shuffling things around down there. I am going to set up a dedicated sharpening area near where I set up my lathe.
Definitely a work in progress.......:rofl:
 
I got one of those guides, that holds the chisel at the correct angle and rolls on the sharpening stone. But not that brand.

I found it helpful to get the correct angle and set the micro bevel for the chisel. I may have used it also for plane irons but that was a while ago.

I have found that if you have a tool that can hold things at the correct angle every time then that tool is a useful tool.

Whenever I sharpen my chisels, I use my guide to make them right.

Jim Rogers
 
+1 on the worksharp 3000. It does all of my chisels and the results are perfect...for me anyway. As for Lathe tools. I have the PSI kit, which is like the Wolverine. Once I got the PSI dialed in, The results have been acceptable
 
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