Work Sharp WS2000 Tool Sharpener

I am really pleased with this tool sharpener. What you don't want to do is compare it to a four or five hundred dollar wet stone system. This system sharpens everything that I have used it for to a degree that I am very pleased with. I built a fixture to help me get a more accurate angle which has helped with my turning tools. Oh, and I don't mind buying the auto store disk and trimming them, they work very well. If I want super scary sharp I can visit my buddy who has one of the five hundred dollar wet stone systems and likes my Work Sharp WS2000 because it is quick and easy. Life is good!

If you do, you probably have a pencil sharpener. Got chisels? If so, this is the equivalent of a pencil sharpener for chisels. Simple, slick and exact in no time. I have bought many of the cheap HF chisels for use in remodel work. I view them as throw-away items since they are often prone to hit a nail or some other surprise; not worth the time / cost to resharpen. Well, with the WS2000, all those nicked or dulled chisels are brought back to life instantly. Saves a ton of hassle to be able to always have sharp chisels on hand, much like pencils! I just got the unit and am looking forward to doing the lathe tools. Even though the provided abrasives of 220 grit give an excellent utility edge, I am going to follow the suggestion of others and order another edge-vision wheel and put a couple of very fine grit abrasives on it for even finer honing when needed. For $99, this is definitely a 5-star product! Hey ProTool Mfg: Your Drill Doctor DD350X Drill Bit Sharpener is outstanding. Next you've come out with this Work Sharp system. We are anxiously awaiting when you will unveil a circular saw blade sharpener!

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.

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.

I purchased a Work Sharp WS 2000 about 4 months ago primarily for sharpening chisels. The price fit my pocketbook. I have used it pretty hard. It is great for refurbing old chisels which usually require more than just sharpining. Today the the unit began tripping my ground fault interrupter. I called their customer service which turned out to be surprisingly good experience. The young woman in their service department cordially and respecfully gathered the information she needed and within 5 minutes the process was started to send me another unit. Fantastic customer service. In my world stuff happens but what you do about it is most important. I also have their Drill Doctor which I also love. Also pick up old drills so this unit has also been used hard.

Because the 2000 only comes with the see thru slotted wheel, you have to use it even when you use solid paper. On the finer grain paper, I get significant chatter as my tool bounces on the surface between the ribs. This makes if more difficult to control and much of the sandpaper grit gets skipped and not used. I am getting decent results but, I'm sure it could be better with a smooth surface. I consider it bad marketing to make this product so that the better glass wheels like on the 3000 don't fit. I would be willing to buy the glass wheel. However, I would have to spend 2.5x more on the 3000 to get this plus features I don't need. I'm going to try to Bondo the slots on one wheel to see if I can get that to work better... this is ridiculas that I have to try this. If I had to do this over, I would look harder for another brand first. Update... the bondo idea worked well. Made the disks much heavier so you have to tighten the nut more.

I'm a proffesional millworker with 9 years of experience. I will say that sharpening my chisels and planes irons have always been a challenge. It was not my strong point by any means. I purchased the WS2000 in hopes of squaring up and sharpening my tools better. I figured for $99 what would it hurt. What a job it does. It worked straight out of the box. I now have razor sharp tools to work with. They are sharper than new and touching them up is a breeze and takes no time at all. I worked them with the 80 grit and 120 grit on the machine than did fine sharpening by hand with 320 and 400 grit wet dry paper. I also purchased the leather strop wheel for the WS3000 and use it on my WS2000 machine. It works just fine. Now I can take that final burr off and polish the edge to a mirror finish. My left arm is nearly bald from checking my blade sharpness. ;-) I have sharpened about 15 chisles and planes since I bought this and all have turned out razor sharp. I would highly reccomend this tool.

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.

Got this to sharpen chisels and knives ,as a chisel shapener , works great for a fast easy edge , shure its not a hand honed micro finish , but it will get you 95% there in seconds , and its good enough for what I do with them ,which is usually mortising hinges and trimming shims and other awkward space wood bashing . beats a bench grinder by far , smooth running motor with no runout to worry about . I have not used the knife attachment much , but for the price it will do , a larger 1" belt on a big freestanding pulley would probably work better , but this works , but a little tough to get right to the handle edge of a small blade . Overall very satisfied , and the company was great to send some free abrasives for registering also , good to see a commited company concerned with keeping jobs at home !

Ive used the piece of equipment and find it works well, is of high quality construction. I have found that buying American usually means quality and value for the price. The chisel angle was a little sharp for my chisels but I modified them to the new angle using the sharpener and they work well. After service help with questions on the warrantee validation were responded to promptly and effectively. A nice product that is an asset to any hobby or professional workshop.

This item works great for regular chisels. I have some larger chisels that didn't fit in the chisel port so I used a honing guide to sharpen on the top disc. I've used this for sharpening hatchets and axes as well as plane blades. Works great.

Grinder works great I only wish the side was bigger for my plane blades. Can I remove that chisle guide to make more room for plane blades?

Its work sharp buy it your stuff is awesome