Customer Reviews

Work Sharp WS2000 Tool Sharpener

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I'm as susceptible to good advertising as the next guy and while Pro-Tool Mfg. makes a nice product, they are masters of marketing.

So moving past the hype, here's my take. I've been hand sharpening my chisels, gouges and planes since I started woodworking and the only reason I don't do more work with my hand tools is because I hate using my limited time maintaining the edges necessary to do precise work. Enter the "WorkSharp WS200". The tool is of a simple, straight forward design. The body is constructed of high impact plastic and what appears to be an aluminum alloy of some kind, making it light and I assume pretty rugged although I haven't yet thrown it at anything to find out.

Getting to the point (a little sharpening joke there), the unit is a snap to set up and effectively turned basic sharpening into a speedy, painless process. Much of hand sharpening is in the set up and while the WS unit does NOT do away with the need to fine hone your tools, it virtually eliminates 80% of the set up time allowing you to move through the basic process of sharpening in just a few ( 2 to 3 ) minutes. For many folks this basic process is all that they may ever need in which case this unit becomes all the more attractive and sensible. Even for those individuals like me who NEED "scary" sharp tools it is a useful and valuable asset, saving me quite a bit of time and providing me with an opportunity to use exactly the right tool for every job by eliminating my biggest excuse for doing otherwise, the time involved in sharpening,

So, is this going to make every woodworker into a hand tool aficionado? Probably not, but it will save everyone who buys it a lot of time and effort and give you good value in that respect. It will also provide a pretty nice edge for your tools.

I was debating on getting this or the WS3000. I decided(or rather, my budget decided) to try the smaller model. I was not disappointed. I'm sure the WS3000 has some more advanced features I could use, but the WS2000 works just fine for my small shop. The edge vision wheel makes it easy to put a sharp edge on my lathe turning chisels. The chisel port works great, also. The first thing I sharpened was a cheap old chisel I use to scrape glue. After a few minutes it was razor sharp.
If you have the extra money, go ahead and get the WS3000, but if you're on a budget, the WS2000 won't let you down.

The tool does exactly what it claims to do and does it well. I ruined the edge on a three quarter inch Marple chisel last year and never bothered to dress it up due to the time required and my dislike for honing blades. With this tool I had a new, sharp edge on the chisel in just a few minutes. I have also sharpened knives and axes with it with good results.

I do have a couple of small problems with it, though. I found that chisels narrower then one half inch did not grind straight across (it looked as if the chisel was slightly cocked in the sharpener) so from now on I will only sharpen chisles one half inches and wider. This isn't really a problem, though. Narrower chisels are easier to sharpen by hand and the WS2000 can still be used to achieve a proper angle on the chisel which can then be finished by hand. My other problem is with the finish. The 220 grit discs leave a fairly rough face on the chisel when compared with a stone. Not a big problem but having gotten used to what a wet stone can do it looks unsightly and purists will complain that a rough finish causes too much drag. The faces can, of course, be touch up by hand, but I plan on getting some very fine grit discs and see if a smoother face can be obtained.

I have some very fine carving tools which, while I have not tried sharpening them on the WS2000 yet, I will problably continue to sharpen by hand. While the machine runs very smoothly it fills a little overwhelming for the small stuff. Maybe when I ruin one of my small tools I'll try it out.

Overall a very good tool and I would recommend it to anyone who, like myself, both hates to hone blades and isn't very good at it. Just be aware that it won't give wet stone-like results and seems to be more suited for relatively larger tools.

Really, all those weak moments where I grabbed the cheaper hand plane or bargain chisels have just about paid off. Usually it's just counted as a frustrating loss of time and money, but I put that HD block plane blade through the WS2000 and I covered the floor with walnut shavings in just a few minutes. Does it get any cheaper than HF? I put their 7 dollar set of chisels through and I was able to curve stop my huge chamfered edge. Admittedly, it did work better with my slightly more expensive chisel though, which makes me think it at least lets each tool reach its full potential (however low that may be).

This sharpener is really something I never thought I'd use, especially at $100. But then I looked through catalogs of sharpening stones, solutions and grinders - suddenly $100 didn't seem so bad.

I'm a little unsure of whether I'm doing the hand sharpening correctly though, since you sort of eyeball the angle and adjust this little handle bar like thing, but it seems to be working when I put the blades back into use.

The device is rather convenient for sharpening the chisel-like tools. However, if you try to sharpen a mere knife, you'll discover that it is almost impossible. To be precise, one side is sharpened fine, but sharpening another side is a challenge.

Also, I failed to find the required 150 mm abrasive disks in hardware stores in my area (Mass.) The 6" disks I found don't have a central hole (not a big deal, of course) and are 2 mm wider. This is OK for the top side, however, to be used on the bottom side, the edge must be trimmed.

Summing up, to sharpen chisels and likes, the tool is fine. But it cannot substitute a classical grinder if you don't have one. Also, you are stuck with proprietor abrasive disks, especially for slotted ones.

I struggled hand sharping my chisels and plane irons. No more! I took a 40 year+ Stanley chisel from a dull and chipped piece of junk to a chisel the will shave the hair on my arm in less than three minutes. I was about to buy a good set of chisels, but choose the buy the Work Sharp. I figure it cost about $40.00 more. I gained a tool that will keep all my cheap chisels and plane irons razor sharp. I did buy an extra disc and put 400 and 800 wet/dry sand paper on it to hone the final edge and keep my tools razor sharp after each use. It works great.

My husband saw the ad for this sharpener in a wood-working magazine, checked them out on their website and decided he had to have it. It has so far definitely lived up to the hype. We have a lawn maintenance business and he does a lot of lawn mower blade sharpening. Years ago he used a bench grinder to sharpen the blades until a friend recommended an angle grinder which he found much easier. He says this little machine beats them both by far. It's much easier to get a perfectly flat angled sharp edge with no curls or burs at the end to remove. He says you can get a sharp edge without removing as much material which means the blades will last longer. It's also much quieter and safer. Don't know yet how long the abrasive discs will last but it comes with replacements and extra replacement discs are quite reasonably priced.Work Sharp WSSA0002174 WS2000 Edge-Vision Abrasive KitWork Sharp WSSA0002005 Coarse Abrasive KitWork Sharp WSSA0002043 Fine Abrasive Kit All in all a very good deal. Check out their video at [...]

Got this and set it up, then I let the games begin, being a new toy and all. There is no set up, just read the instructions or watch the dvd, stick the supplied abrasive wheels on the turntables and let it fly. For my first attempt, I got an old chisel with more notches in it than the handle of a gunslinger's pistol. In less than two minutes, it was shiny, even, and could shave wood. Exceedingly sharpe. Now, everything in my shop that has a blade is sharp as a razor. The four stars is only because there is a learning curve on the underside sharpening technique and you can inadvertently mangle a screwdriver or narrow chisel if you're not careful. Once you get the hang of it, it's not a problem. Suggestions: Start with an old tool until you get your technique right. 2) GO EASY, it takes hardly any pressure to sharpen something, let the machine do the job for you.

Highly recommend this one for a hobbyist. If you have a more heavy shop, get the 3000 as it has a couple of bells and whistles that are handy.

I was excited about getting this sharpening tool. However I was completely disappointed by it.

The biggest draw-back is that the plane/chisel sharpening slot does not sharpen your blade at an even 90* angle to the side of the blade. It always takes more off one side than the other, making the edge of the blade angled. As I apply light pressure, I can see the sanding disk rise (though it is tightened all the way down). This skews the sharpening angle. Also, because it rotates, the outside of the sanding disk will always take off more and get hotter than the inside (because it is moving faster).

I have ended up using the WS2000 freehand, which of course does not give a precise edge. You might as well buy a spinning disk sander and build a box around it so that it sits upside down, then use it to sharpen your tools.

It works fine for things like axes and mower blades, but fine tools like chisels and plane blades get ruined by this tool. I bought it for the purpose of sharpening chisels and plane blades (reconditioning old ones back to true with the plans of taking them from this tool to my extra-fine sharpening stones). The tool took off too much material, put a skewed angle on them and made sharpening them much more difficult.

The other problem is that the sanding disks do not come off cleanly. The disks tear and leave bits of sticky adhesive and/or the underside of the paper stuck to the surface. If this is not fully scraped off before applying the next sheet, there will be raised areas. This of course makes it impossible to put on a precise edge. I have to use citrus solvent (eco-friendly alternative to turpentine or mineral spirits) to remove the residue from the previous sanding disk.

I would rather have my money back so I could put it toward more sharpening stones and guides.

I therefore found this tool to be a huge waste of money.

First encountered this machine when an 83 year old professional woodworker and former shop teacher showed it to me. There it was amidst every sharpening jig and stone you could imagine; all of them gathering dust because this is his go to sharpener. He took a very sharp chisel and banged it point on into a steel edge putting divots into it that would make one cry. In 45 seconds he returned it to the drawer sharp enough to shave with. I bought one! Did the same thing and had the same results the first time I used it. What more can I say. This machine makes it almost impossible to not have sharp chisels and gouges and blades always ready and repairable within less than a minute. I keep it plugged in and clear of junk because walking over to it and putting an edge on anything takes only seconds...no oil, no jigs, just slide the tool in the 25 degree ramp hold it for a second or two (only) and a burn free surface emerges. The next higher up model has a few more bells and whistles that are equally functional. If you have the cash it is a bit more versatile but this one does the job for me.