New to me Worksharp

A while back on one of Jim B's threads we had a discussion about his worksharp. Another member offered theirs for sale to me and it arrived today.



I have to say, he out did himself on the packaging, nicest box I've received in a while.


Came with a few extra plates and discs.


I finally got back around to getting the sharpening bench setup, so saved a place for it there.


Thanks Jim!

why the slots in the honing wheels darren? and that jim guy is good at making boxes for shipping, did yours have instructions to open or just destroy to get in?

larry merlau said:

why the slots in the honing wheels darren? and that jim guy is good at making boxes for shipping, did yours have instructions to open or just destroy to get in?

Click to expand...

Larry,
The slots are so that you can 'see through' the disc and see what you're sharpening.

As for the box, I was kinder to him than to you - - I put screws in the bottom of the box. For those that wonder what I'm talking about, I once sent Larry a box of 'goodies' in a wooden box that was carefully mitered at every joint, and then glued shut - no fasteners of any kind, and no clues how to open it. I think he used a sawzall on it.

larry merlau said:

why the slots in the honing wheels darren? and that jim guy is good at making boxes for shipping, did yours have instructions to open or just destroy to get in?

Click to expand...

If you're talking about the arbor to the left, that is the Razor Sharp system, it's the buffing wheel. I think the slots are to help hold compound or something like that. The wheels aren't quite MDF, but more like a lighter fiberboard (almost compressed cardboard). It does a good job for flat things, but need to build an angle jig for it for consistency. After setting it up this weekend I ran my pocket knife across it. It went from barely being able to cut through a plastic bag, to a shaving quality edge.

I also picked up a cheap grinder this weekend at the local farm store as my old one had burnt up last fall, so the sharpening station is coming right along.

Nice addition to the sharpening station, Brent. And well done to Jim, too.

Jim DeLaney said:

...I once sent Larry a box of 'goodies' in a wooden box that was carefully mitered at every joint, and then glued shut - no fasteners of any kind, and no clues how to open it. I think he used a sawzall on it.

Click to expand...

I still laugh when I think about that box.

Nice. I really need to clear off and dedicate a section of my workbench to a sharpening station.

I've got a bit of a sharpening jig addiction, and kind of need to put them out where I can use them...

Brent Dowell said:

Nice. I really need to clear off and dedicate a section of my workbench to a sharpening station.

I've got a bit of a sharpening jig addiction, and kind of need to put them out where I can use them...

Click to expand...

That was my thought as well, I just don't always use them if I have to take the extra time to go get them out. If it's working out I'll probably put together a mobile cart with everything on it rather than on the bench I'm using, but thought I would test it out on it first. I was looking for ideas via google images search and realized I still need to get the drill doctor put on the bench too.

I also ordered some leather lapidary discs that came in a couple of days back. I plan to have them stacked in the arbor for lapping carving gouges and such. The one they had in my carving class a few years back was similar and worked well for those non-flat surfaces.

I put a couple of chisels and a plane blade through all the grits. Works great! Sharpest my plane blades and chisels have been in a long time. Didn't lap any of them yet, but sharp enough to shave the hairs off the arm without lapping.

I'll now have to figure out the proper way to setup a plane, but first time I've ever been able to make curlies.

Darren Wright said:

If it's working out I'll probably put together a mobile cart with everything on it rather than on the bench I'm using, but thought I would test it out on it first. I was looking for ideas via google images search

Click to expand...

Very cool!

I love my worksharp. I was going to put mine on just a plank, then I thought of a cart. Then I said to myself, "How and when will I be using this thing?" So mine's on a very simple box, which includes a drawer underneath big enough to hold the extra disks and supplies, but the whole thing's small enough that it's easy to lift. When I need it, it comes down to my bench. When I'm done, it just goes back up on the shelf. Works out great.

Bill Lantry said:

Very cool!

I love my worksharp. I was going to put mine on just a plank, then I thought of a cart. Then I said to myself, "How and when will I be using this thing?" So mine's on a very simple box, which includes a drawer underneath big enough to hold the extra disks and supplies, but the whole thing's small enough that it's easy to lift. When I need it, it comes down to my bench. When I'm done, it just goes back up on the shelf. Works out great.

Click to expand...

Yeah, I think that would work as well, mostly for me it's about getting all of them in a place that I can A) find the, B) easily access them. If I did the cart or even a new bench I'd at least want a home for each of them where they could easily be found and come out when needed. Long term I can't see using them often enough to keep out, especially occupying the top of one of my few benches. I mostly want to keep them there to see how often I would use them and which ones.

I wasted time this past weekend drilling out holes for the new hitch with two dull bits forgetting I have the drill doctor stored away in a cabinet. The last couple of holes I finally got fed up and went and found it. I could actually see it being on a shelf by the drill press rather than in a dedicated sharpening area. It's like making marks with a dull pencil, if I've got the sharpener there I'll be more likely to use it rather than just getting by with what I'm using.

Congratulations! You are going to love that machine. It is so great and so rare when a machine actually produces as well as the advertising people claim.

These pics have been posted before. However, here is my WorkSharp set up as it is now. The plastic drawer cabinet is what I had before for storing parts.

It has proved to be very handy. I just have a cut off plastic grocery bag setting over the top of it to keep the dust off. Real handy, real fast, very effective.

The door to the sharpening disks is just a piece of Baltic Birch plywood with magnets; it just lifts off. I have seen several other good WorkSharp stations on FW. (It was suggested that I use FW instead of FWW as I did in the past. FWW stands for a popular woodworking magazine so FW is a good idea.)

Enjoy,
JimB

Thanks for posting those Jim. I quickly saw the need for having an organizer for the discs last night when I was having to swap them through all the grits, so will something I get made soon.

Tonight I got the 6" lapidary discs I bought last week marked and holes cut for the arbor shaft (I used a new 6" grinding wheel for my template). I mounted them on the left and on the right I have two cloth buffing wheels. To keep the clothe wheels from spreading I've got a hardboard disc on mounted each side, which keeps them a little more firm to push a blade into. This is the same setup the guy I took carving lessons from had. He did have the leather wheels sewn together about 3/4" from the edges, but I'll probably cut out a couple of more hardboard disks for the purpose.



The leather disks do a good job of getting into the inside of gouges for knocking off any burrs.

Congrats Darren! I'm sure you will like yours as much as I like mine!

Anybody who has been to my shop will tell you I will never be a Neander but...the last couple days I have been assembling my latest project and having sharp hand tools to straighten out the little "design opportunities" sure beat trying correct them with machines.

Before I took a Rob Cosman handplane class 18 months ago and then buying my WorkSharp last fall, I didn't know what a sharp hand tool was. Now I truly enjoy using my chisels and paring away something. Today using a formerly hated plane, I flattened a cleat on the "Norm's Deluxe Router Station" I am building. Truly is amazing what sharp can do! I know that tools can be even sharper using various other methods but the WorkSharp is a big improvement for me!


Again....Enjoy!

Cool sharpening station. Top of my list of to dos, its actually a wip that i had on priority list just before moving. Then after setting up shop got waylaid building gen enclosure to have power in shop. So its gonna get done soon.

Question that small belt sander...have the same one different badge but have you kept the plate behind the belt on it or did u remove it.
I found its best purpose is sharpening kitchen knives given the absolute abuse my wife puts them through I dont do more than belt sharpen. But i took the metal plate that supports the belt off so more room for belt to flex while sharpening.

Oh an u mentioned picking up a grinder at the farm store, before its too old check the ability to change the wheels and how they mounted.
I fell for a cheapie one time and when i got it home and gave it the once over intent on mounting another decent wheel on one side (my primary grinder is an 8" Delta) and felt on other. Then i realized why it was priced the way it was and took it back. So just check urs out i did not want to add to shop frustrations, in fact i am suprized this unit i had got is for sale its a safety nightmare. One of those where bitter taste of poor quality lingers long after cheap price.


Sent from my MB860 using Tapatalk 2

Rob Keeble said:

Question that small belt sander...have the same one different badge but have you kept the plate behind the belt on it or did u remove it.
I found its best purpose is sharpening kitchen knives given the absolute abuse my wife puts them through I dont do more than belt sharpen. But i took the metal plate that supports the belt off so more room for belt to flex while sharpening.

Click to expand...

I still have mine on there. I haven't really used it for sharpening, more for taking burrs and sharp corners off metal after cutting it with the abrasive saw. I have it on that bench but usually move it over to the welding bench, which right next to it when I need it. Probably wouldn't hurt to take it off for what I use it for though. For grinding blades I've been using my rigid oscillating sander with a guide clamped at the angle I want. Now that I have the worksharp it may take care of most of my rough shaping.

Rob Keeble said:

Oh an u mentioned picking up a grinder at the farm store, before its too old check the ability to change the wheels and how they mounted.
I fell for a cheapie one time and when i got it home and gave it the once over intent on mounting another decent wheel on one side (my primary grinder is an 8" Delta) and felt on other. Then i realized why it was priced the way it was and took it back. So just check urs out i did not want to add to shop frustrations, in fact i am suprized this unit i had got is for sale its a safety nightmare. One of those where bitter taste of poor quality lingers long after cheap price.

Click to expand...

Oh, yeah, it's going back this weekend. Haven't actually used it, but it started up and ran slower than molasses in December around here. I think the first time a blade gets pushed into it, it's going to stop the wheel it's running so slow.