Source: TOOLS OF THE TRADE Magazine
Publication date: July 29, 2008
By Al Sands
I tested the Work Sharp WS3000 in my small boat-building shop, sharpening the hand tools I use to make cedar-strip canoes, guide boats, and kayaks. I have always sharpened my tools by hand, and thought I sharpened them well until I tried the Work Sharp. This tool let me sharpen tools to a finer edge in a fraction of the time.
The company ships its products in well-protected packaging, so the Work Sharp arrived in perfect condition. The user's guide is well laid out, easy to follow, and clearly illustrated. And the accompanying DVD is as helpful as having a personal instructor in my shop to highlight the setup and system use.
The WS3000 comes with two tempered glass wheels, a slotted see-through plastic wheel, a variety of self-adhesive sandpaper disks, and a rubber disk cleaner. I also tested the leather honing wheel accessory and some optional fine- and coarse-grit disks.
The first two ways to sharpen with this machine use a rotating glass wheel with abrasive disks attached. The top surface can be used for freehand sharpening of large-edged tools with or without the tool rest, and it is especially useful for flattening chisel and plane iron backs to start the sharpening process. For guided sharpening at a controlled angle, there is a sharpening port that uses the underside of the abrasive-covered glass wheel.
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