great timing. I just opened mine up and used it for the first time last night to re-do blade geometry on a knife I really like, but it had terrible geometry. For the commenters worried about removing too much steel, the finer grits don't remove a ton of steel and are more for honing, while the coarser grits remove more steel if you want to quickly change angles or geometries.
I have the Ken Onion with the blade grinding attachment. I don't think I ever used the stock attachment as I ordered both it as a kit. After you use the belts up buy your belts from Curry Custom Cutlery. This guy makes them out of 3M material. Much better than OEM. They are Trizact and Cubitron. He also has Scotch Brite belts and some other cool stuff. The OEMs tend to break at the glue joint. Kind of funny as I was reading that and already placed my order I had an OEM belt come apart at the glue joint. Edit: I have the older edition. Just an on/off switch and I don't have the ability to raise that plate but otherwise the same function. I have never had anything I couldn't do but those new features are nice to have.
I bought the original when it first came out and I haven't had a dull knife in my house since! I've only had to replace one belt. Once you get the hang of it it's fast and easy to use. I like the new digital speed control that alone would be worth upgrading from the original.
like to see it in use, come up with a showcasey zen way(relaxing,? satisfying? people love to see good tools make stuff work like magic) to film the tool in action and tools like this usually have many little tips and tricks you can come back to, even wranglerstar tried copying you and it wasnt very good, really like ur chisel knives great find, ever heard of the Blackhawk XSF-1 the besh wedge dagger with a prybar profile? since you like beefy knives maybe youve heard of it probably the top combat knife he made and another one the PPCLI VP-100 lesser known. for serrations the only sharpener ive seen is the chinese diamond sharpening bars for the edge pro sharpener knockoffs or the handheld spike ones you have shown, aliexpress also has mini belt sanders that are interesting. i saw the ken onion many years ago on slickdeals havent seen it on deal for awhile must have become too popular since then see lots of videos about it on youtube
You're supposed to screw that onto the belt pulley attached to the motor when using the blade grinding attachment. Not sure why he didn't do it. It's to support the wider blades with the grinding attachment.
If you read the instructions....... you shouldn't pull the knife out of the sharpener but stop it before it leaves the belt. If not you will round the point off!!!!
Using these sort of tools to sharpen anything more delicate than a block splitter or rough firewood axe is like trying to craft a Sheraton or Chippendale chair with only a hatchet at your disposal. These sort of tools remove way too much material from the wrong parts of a finer blade, chew through belts at a rate of knots (which are surprisingly expensive given their size) and they won't do everything you want them to: they've also been known to anneal a blade when used carelessly. However, a Tormek (or equivalent) won't, as it runs in water, a lot more slowly, and you can much more accurately control the application of the blade to the grinding surface so it isn't misshapen nor overheated. These are just for bushie hobbyists who don't know any better, really, aren't they?
Well a Tormec is a few $k and are rather large, take up a lot of room and also require a skilled operator. None of the best Japanese artisan knife makers use Tormeks in their shops. I sharpen my knives by hand on Japanese ceramic whetstones & Atoma diamond plates. I have quite a lot invested in that gear, it's not cheap if you want quality but will last a long time. These Worksharp grinders I think are fantastic for those who want a fairly simple, quality yet reasonably affordable system without a huge learning curve. I can get very good edges that are very sharp freehand on stones. But also I've spent MANY hours developing the skill set to do so. Compared to competent freehand sharpeners in Japan I'd rate myself maybe a 3/10. I think the system Doc has is fantastic for what 'HIS requirements' are. He ain't sharpening highly expensive hand forged artisan cutlery, he's sharpening some pocket knives, kitchen knives & ax bits. He'll get very decent results quickly and consistently. I see NO problem with a system like this for 'his' requirements. I wouldn't mind one myself.
Have you used it? Don’t knife makers and manufacturers use belt sanders to get their factory edge? It does require some experience to not ruin a good knife. The blade grind attachment is the best way to use the tool imo
This seems like it's for very aggressive sharpening only, not really fit for how an average user would sharpen a knife or a chisel. More for rough removal.
great timing. I just opened mine up and used it for the first time last night to re-do blade geometry on a knife I really like, but it had terrible geometry. For the commenters worried about removing too much steel, the finer grits don't remove a ton of steel and are more for honing, while the coarser grits remove more steel if you want to quickly change angles or geometries.
Ken Onion has designed some of my favorite knives
I have the Ken Onion with the blade grinding attachment. I don't think I ever used the stock attachment as I ordered both it as a kit. After you use the belts up buy your belts from Curry Custom Cutlery. This guy makes them out of 3M material. Much better than OEM. They are Trizact and Cubitron. He also has Scotch Brite belts and some other cool stuff. The OEMs tend to break at the glue joint. Kind of funny as I was reading that and already placed my order I had an OEM belt come apart at the glue joint.
Edit: I have the older edition. Just an on/off switch and I don't have the ability to raise that plate but otherwise the same function. I have never had anything I couldn't do but those new features are nice to have.
www.currycustomcutlery.com
Nice! I've got the Gen 1 version of that, and they have indeed made improvements to it.
Very good presentation, great tool. The second attachment is very nice, adding so much to the functionality. 👍👍👍
I bought the original when it first came out and I haven't had a dull knife in my house since! I've only had to replace one belt. Once you get the hang of it it's fast and easy to use. I like the new digital speed control that alone would be worth upgrading from the original.
That's a great tool thanks Doc
Don’t roll through the point of the knives, they’ll get rounded out - you have to stop when the apex is halfway through the belt. 👍
It’s comforting to know I am not the only one who is OCD in the shop!🤓
Would it work to sharpen a drill bit?
Would u use the 90° spine area to sharpen the blade?
is it worth to buy that big attachment for 120$ ?, as i believe u can do almost same thing with 1st one?
like to see it in use, come up with a showcasey zen way(relaxing,? satisfying? people love to see good tools make stuff work like magic) to film the tool in action and tools like this usually have many little tips and tricks you can come back to, even wranglerstar tried copying you and it wasnt very good, really like ur chisel knives great find, ever heard of the Blackhawk XSF-1 the besh wedge dagger with a prybar profile? since you like beefy knives maybe youve heard of it probably the top combat knife he made and another one the PPCLI VP-100 lesser known. for serrations the only sharpener ive seen is the chinese diamond sharpening bars for the edge pro sharpener knockoffs or the handheld spike ones you have shown, aliexpress also has mini belt sanders that are interesting. i saw the ken onion many years ago on slickdeals havent seen it on deal for awhile must have become too popular since then see lots of videos about it on youtube
would someone tell me what the tighten knob does. It seems to serve no purpose.
You're supposed to screw that onto the belt pulley attached to the motor when using the blade grinding attachment. Not sure why he didn't do it. It's to support the wider blades with the grinding attachment.
This needs a way to attach dust extraction
If you read the instructions....... you shouldn't pull the knife out of the sharpener but stop it before it leaves the belt. If not you will round the point off!!!!
Using these sort of tools to sharpen anything more delicate than a block splitter or rough firewood axe is like trying to craft a Sheraton or Chippendale chair with only a hatchet at your disposal. These sort of tools remove way too much material from the wrong parts of a finer blade, chew through belts at a rate of knots (which are surprisingly expensive given their size) and they won't do everything you want them to: they've also been known to anneal a blade when used carelessly. However, a Tormek (or equivalent) won't, as it runs in water, a lot more slowly, and you can much more accurately control the application of the blade to the grinding surface so it isn't misshapen nor overheated. These are just for bushie hobbyists who don't know any better, really, aren't they?
Well a Tormec is a few $k and are rather large, take up a lot of room and also require a skilled operator. None of the best Japanese artisan knife makers use Tormeks in their shops. I sharpen my knives by hand on Japanese ceramic whetstones & Atoma diamond plates. I have quite a lot invested in that gear, it's not cheap if you want quality but will last a long time. These Worksharp grinders I think are fantastic for those who want a fairly simple, quality yet reasonably affordable system without a huge learning curve. I can get very good edges that are very sharp freehand on stones. But also I've spent MANY hours developing the skill set to do so. Compared to competent freehand sharpeners in Japan I'd rate myself maybe a 3/10. I think the system Doc has is fantastic for what 'HIS requirements' are. He ain't sharpening highly expensive hand forged artisan cutlery, he's sharpening some pocket knives, kitchen knives & ax bits. He'll get very decent results quickly and consistently. I see NO problem with a system like this for 'his' requirements. I wouldn't mind one myself.
@@aussiehardwood6196 A small tormek is about $400
@@aussiehardwood6196 tormeks take up a lot of room? its kinda the same size as the work sharp lol
What a useless comment from a self indulge cork sniffer 😂
Have you used it? Don’t knife makers and manufacturers use belt sanders to get their factory edge? It does require some experience to not ruin a good knife. The blade grind attachment is the best way to use the tool imo
I would be wearing out a knife in no time…..
There's is no way to keep that "angle" via hand to sanding pad. Its more of a gimmick than actual useful
This seems like it's for very aggressive sharpening only, not really fit for how an average user would sharpen a knife or a chisel. More for rough removal.