Sharpening Straight-Edged Tools - Work Sharp WS3000 User Manual

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Sharpening
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Straight-Edged Tools
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Master Tip: Sharpen even new tools
It is imperative to sharpen a new tool before use. Most manu-
facturers only rough grind a tool and do not properly flatten
the back or hone the primary bevel angle. The entire back does
not need to be flat, only the third of the chisel back from the
cutting edge to the handle needs to be flat. Once this is done to
a new tool, it does not need to be done again, unless the tool
has become damaged or you have sharpened past the third of
the back you have already flattened. For best tool performance
and ease of use, a new tool must be sharpened to achieve a
flat back and keen bevel edge. New tools often come coated
in lacquer, or some type of hardened protective coating. For
best results, remove this coating with paint or lacquer thinner
before sharpening. This will keep your Abrasives from loading
up and needing premature replacement.
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Master Tip
Be sure to lay the tool down heel first and not cutting edge
first on the right side of the wheel. This will ensure that you do
not grind material away from the tool back at the cutting edge,
which makes it very difficult to sharpen to a keen edge. If you
do accidentally remove material from the chisel back at the
cutting edge, you must continue to grind the tool back flat until
the damage is removed. It may take a long time to perform this
task, but it is crucial to achieving a keen cutting edge.
STEP 1 • Flatten the tool back
Mount your coarse
Abrasive Wheel with
P120 face up to flatten
the chisel or plane iron
back. Turn on the unit
and use the freehand
method to flatten the
tool back by carefully
placing the tool back
onto the right side of
the wheel (so the wheel
is spinning away from
you).
Unlapped
Lapped
STEP 2 • Sharpen the primary bevel
The Work Sharp Wood Tool Sharpener has the ability to sharpen pre-
cise and repeatable bevel angles of 20°, 25°, 30° and 35°. To change
Sharpening Port angles, place your thumb on the heat sink while grasp-
ing the Bevel Angle Selection Lever with your fingers. Squeeze thumb
and fingers together to release spring-loaded tooth engagement. Pull
Sharpening Port all the way up to get a 20° bevel angle, move down
one click for a 25° bevel angle. Move down two clicks for a 30° bevel
angle, and all the way down to the bottom for a 35° bevel angle. Re-
lease thumb and finger squeeze to engage teeth to hold selected angle.
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Look through the Bevel Angle Se-
lection Window on the right side of
Sharpening Port next to the Fence
Alignment Knob to reference the
angle selected.
Once you have selected the
desired Sharpening Port angle,
you can proceed to fit the tool into
the Sharpening Port. To do so, lay
the tool to be sharpened into the
Sharpening Port back down (bevel
up) so that it lies flat on the heat
sink surface. The Sharpening Port
offers a guide rail on each side and
also an Adjustable Fence to ensure
a square bevel grind.
Tools under ½" wide can be sharpened on the left side of Port,
while tools wider than ½" should be sharpened on the right side of
the Port. This is due to the varying Wheel speed at different surface
points. The center of the Wheel has a slower surface speed and is less
likely to overheat a smaller tool.
Once the tool is placed on the proper side of the Port, move the
Fence lightly against tool using the Fence Alignment Knob. Leave the
Fence just loose enough for the tool to slide between the Fence and
guide rail. Slide tool (bevel up) into the Sharpening Port between the
Fence and guide rail and contact the Abrasive Wheel for 1–2 seconds
(longer will only produce more heat and a large burr wire). Pull the
tool away from the Wheel no less than one inch, while keeping it flat
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Plunge Pull
and square on the lapping Abrasive in the Sharpening Port. This is a
critical step since the lapping Abrasive on the heat sink removes
the burr wire. The best sharpening method is to repeatedly 'plunge
and pull' the tool in the Sharpening Port. This not only minimizes heat
build up in the tool being sharpened, but also assists in removing the
burr wire edge when you pull the tool back across the lapping Abrasive
in the Sharpening Port. Using this plunge and pull method will yield
a keen sharp edge the fastest. Once the tool back and primary bevel
have been completely sharpened (the entire surface has an even grind
finish), turn unit off and change Abrasive Wheel to a finer grit. Repeat
same sharpening steps on finer grits to remove scratches from previous
coarser grit grinding. Continue sharpening all the way up to the finest
grit to achieve sharpest results.
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Master Tip: Create a micro bevel
If you desire, you can now sharpen your tool to have a micro
bevel. Generally, a micro bevel is sharpened
onto a cutting tool to minimize the amount of
time it takes to re-hone the cutting edge after
use, and to provide a stronger cutting edge. As
an additional benefit, a micro bevel will extend
the life of your Abrasives since you will be
re-sharpening a much smaller area each time.
Use the following micro bevel angle guide to
create a micro bevel quickly and easily:
• Use your P1000 Abrasive Wheel surface
face down to sharpen the micro bevel
• You only have to contact the wheel very
briefly to create the micro bevel
• If you sharpened to 20°, micro bevel in the
Sharpening Port at 25°
• If you sharpened to 25°, micro bevel in the
Sharpening Port at 30°
• If you sharpened to 30°, micro bevel in the
Sharpening Port at 35°
STEP 3 • Re-sharpening a tool
The steps to re-sharpen a tool are fundamentally the
same as the instructions outlined above for a new tool. The differences
are that you may not need to flatten the tool back again, depending
on the damage, and you will not need to start your sharpening on the
coarse grits. If the tool is not visibly chipped or damaged, start with
the fine Abrasive Wheel. Or, if you have sharpened a 5° micro bevel on
your tool as outlined above, you only need to re-sharpen the micro bevel
on the P1000 abrasive surface. If the tool is chipped or damaged, start
sharpening with a coarser grit for fastest results.
STEP 4 • Honing the Tool
Honing chisels, plane irons, etc.
Micro-Mesh™ 3600 is a cushioned silicone carbide abrasive that pro-
vides a superior finish to tool steel. The provided Micro-Mesh™ honing
disk is the equivalent of 6µ (micron). For best results, sharpen your
tool with the provided abrasives of at least P400 and then P1000 and
ensure that the surface finish is clean, even and smooth after sharpen-
ing on the P1000 disk.
To hone the bevel of your tool, mount the Micro-Mesh™ honing disk
face down and turn the tool on. Repeatedly plunge and pull the tool to
the desired angle in the Sharpening Port. Continue bevel honing until a
consistent finish is achieved.
To hone the back of your tool, mount the Micro-Mesh™ honing disk
face up on the Work Sharp Wood Tool Sharpener. Firmly grasp the tool
to be honed and place the back of the tool (heel first) onto the right side
of honing surface so the wheel is turning away from you. Briefly contact
the honing surface with your tool back and check for finish. Continue
honing until desired finish is achieved.
Honing carving and lathe tools
Sharpen your carving and lathe tools using the slotted see through
wheel and underside sharpening port. To sharpen a carving or lathe
tool, mount the slotted wheel with the abrasive side face down. Turn
the unit on and place the tool to be sharpened under the wheel in the
underside sharpening port on the back side of the unit. As the wheel
spins, look down through the wheel to see the tool to be sharpened.
Slowly and carefully bring the tool to be sharpened up to the wheel
surface. You should now be able to see the exact point of contact where
the abrasive disk is contacting the tool. Sharpen the entire heel of the
tool until a consistent finish is achieved. Now move the tool so the point
of sharpening contact is at the cutting edge. Continue sharpening or
honing until desired finish or sharpness is attained.
Optional Honing Accessories for
your Work Sharp sharpener
• The Work Sharp Leather Hone Accessory Kit comes with a 150mm
premium leather disk attached to a tempered glass wheel and Chro-
mium Oxide honing compound.
• The Work Sharp Honing Media Accessory Kit comes with PSA-
backed Micro-Mesh™ 3600 (6µ micron) and Micro-Mesh™ 6000 (2µ
micron).
• The Work Sharp Slotted Media Accessory Kit comes with a slot-
ted piece of Micro-Mesh™ 6000 that will fit directly onto your Slot-
ted Wheel. This will allow you to hone your tools to a mirror finish
using the see-through Slotted Wheel.
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