Work Sharp Blade Grinder Attachment

I have had the Work Sharp Ken Onion version knife sharpener for about 5 months & really have loved the thing. Today I got the "Blade grinder" attachment in the mail & at first was having second thoughts. Took about an hour to get the feel for it & now I wouldn't do without it. It comes with a 12,000 grit honing belt & just for grins & giggles I took a old dull Koken straight blade & first went on the 4,000 grit blade twice on both sides & then the 12,000 6 times on both sides. I put one layer of electrical tape on the spine & all I have to say is WOW!! Forty strokes on my Koken horse hide strop & I haven't got a sharper blade! Best hundred bucks I ever spent! Does a great job on knives also! Get one today!

Slawman:beer1:

I have one too. It does a great job on chisels and plane blades. I wouldn't use it on my straights. I can see stuff going sideways really fast. Not to mention that I actually like honing my razors by hand. YMMV as they say.

Moved to Knives forum.

I have a WorkSharp that doesn't work worth a hoot for pocket knives (maybe I just don't know the lick it's done with) BUT it's just fine for the kitchen knives of friends and relatives who don't have good kitchen knives. Also works well on axes, hatchets, scissors and lawn mower blades.:)

I use a Lansky on my pocket knives.

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I use a Lansky or Smith's set-up on my custom knives that I make. Leaves a nice and even bevel & leaves them pretty sharp too. I still hone my custom kitchen knives by hand though. Straights, they always get the waterstones. I wouldn't even consider a power tool on a quality blade.

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Originally Posted by RezDog

I have one too. It does a great job on chisels and plane blades. I wouldn't use it on my straights. I can see stuff going sideways really fast. Not to mention that I actually like honing my razors by hand. YMMV as they say.

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i love to hone my razor by hand, but i search littel bit about it, i thought maybe its good for sanding scales, because i do snadpaper scales by hand and its not easy, dose anybody have some experience about that or some who has it, can tell me if i can use it to shape scales, because i will buy it from website and i think it will be difficult to return it if its not good to sandpaper scales with. . PLEASE

I think for it to be really good at shaping scales you would have to be able to get some fairly coarse grit belts for it. Personally I like to do my rough shaping on a small belt sander held in my vice. I might be a bit haywire at times but it is quite effective. I have a vacuum attachment so it makes it a little more friendly that way. Whatever machine you use for sanding a vacuum makes all the difference when it comes to smells and dust.

I just got the Ken Onion sharpener today. I can't say that I'm disappointed. I sharpened almost all of my knives in no time. Considering the distance I have to go to have them professionally sharpened, this is a great alternative.

All I can say is I use my KenOnion with the blade grinder attachment on all my sharp things from razors to lawn mower blades & it has done a great job on everything so far. If you go to the Work Sharp web site they have a large variety of belts. I need to pick up some more 4X & 12,000 grit belts & also a leather strop belt. The blade grinder attachment is a strictly free hand grinder & with a little practiceYou can sharpen a razor or pocket knife in no time. Also the blade grinder has adjustable wheels so you can get a convex or flat grind. At right around $100.00 bucks the Blade Grinder attachment really makes the Ken Onion belt sharpener a VERY useful sharpening & grinding tool. Hey I don't work for them I just love this product.Dave "Slawman" Huffman

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Originally Posted by Slawman

All I can say is I use my KenOnion with the blade grinder attachment on all my sharp things from razors to lawn mower blades & it has done a great job on everything so far. If you go to the Work Sharp web site they have a large variety of belts. I need to pick up some more 4X & 12,000 grit belts & also a leather strop belt. The blade grinder attachment is a strictly free hand grinder & with a little practiceYou can sharpen a razor or pocket knife in no time. Also the blade grinder has adjustable wheels so you can get a convex or flat grind. At right around $100.00 bucks the Blade Grinder attachment really makes the Ken Onion belt sharpener a VERY useful sharpening & grinding tool. Hey I don't work for them I just love this product.Dave "Slawman" Huffman

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I won't be using it for razors but its made knife sharpening a snap. When I take my knives in to be professionally sharpened, they are just using a much larger version of the same thing. Because its a miniature version is the reason why I gave it a try. That and the fact that the shop I usually take them to recently hired a group of younger women to do some of the sharpening and they are simply not doing a good job.

There have been a few guys try using a knife sharpening system on razors , it has not been a successful endeavor . I want my razors to be right , but YMMV some don't like nice smooth edges. Tc

I have a KO work sharp, and it serves me well! Like others have said, I wouldn't use it on my razors but it works well for sharpening knives when I am too lazy to bring out the diamond hones.
I have also used it to shape scales that I crafted for my razors, it works really well for that:)

I don't see why you are scared to expermint a little! I started with "Junker" razors & was able to get all the dings & wear from the blade. Then I was able to start sharpening at around 17.5 degrees.when I got all the way up tpo the finest grit,, 12,000I could shave really well wth the blade. I took a very used 12,000 belt & coated it lightly with geen polishing compound from Harbor Freight. Want to tell you thats one sharp razor Next I am getting the leather strop kit. The nice thing about the Ken nion version is the variable speed. Higher speed for coarser grit & slow speef for fine honing. Hey I just know what works for me. Most razors are ground with belts today in making them. Why not use the same type of tool to sharpen them. I still enjoy doing it the old fashion way. I just enjoy seeing what I can do with what I have. I am willing to learn more about razors & am thinking of making some in the near future. I was a blacksmith for 12 years before carpal tunnel shut down that operatiom. I had power hammers & all the toolling of a good shop. At least it worked for me. I also had 4 years of metal shop in High School & one year in Junior college. I also worked in a machine-welding shop in high school. I like to figure out the manufactoring process of things like knives & razors I helped a good friend forge weld shovels for Plymoth Colony and learned alot about how the shovel was made in the 1600's. Because the box doesen't say"For razor sharpening", you just might have found the best sharpener you have ever used. Slawman

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Originally Posted by Slawman

Most razors are ground with belts today in making them. Why not use the same type of tool to sharpen them.

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I'd be willing to bet that the big boys making razors today still use grinding wheels to grind the blades. Go to the 2 minute mark of this vid on how Dovo makes straight razors.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ACJrAI3SxM

Bob

That's fine you like to experiment, that's what makes the world go round, but it doesn't mean all experiments work, if it works for you then by all means do it, but I'll put any razor I have up against it for smooth and sharp ,, it takes a fine easy hand to really put an edge on a fine razor . Not saying you don't shave off of yours , I,m proud of you fir findinding a way for you, but ya know what it's just shaving , if your doing that right and stropping right , why do you need a machine to do this , can't hone your razor that much , Use it , it's yours , just don't take offense at us that do not want to make it work for us, I,m happy with my razors only needing to see a stone once a year maybe less ,Mobutu I don't get the hones out so often I need to get a power tool to do it. Good luck on your venture , I guess you can open up another knife ,razor honing store with it. Tc

I also have & use hones, strop, film, several types of knife sharpening systems buffing wheels & use them all. I am not saying the KO blade grinder is the end all sharpener but I have found it works well for me. I am just putting it out there. I mean to offend no one & I am sorry if I did. There are many ways to put an edge on a tool, I like to try them all. I just picked up a 1970's N.O.S. Smith oil stone set at a garage sale. The larger "soft" stone is almost pink with black spots & streaks in it & the hars"fine" stone is white. Great stones & I have used them on a couple of knives & one real damaged Koken straight. I also got a heavy sears 4"-36" sears belt sander that I am going to convert it to 2" - 72" & give that a try. I am a bored Navy vet on disability. I also am going to build another gas forge & get back into making blades again. wish I still had my Little Giant 50Lb. hammer. Sorry to ramble but I have always loved things metal.Dave"Slawman"Huffman

That is one of the problems when posting in a forum where people are passionate about their "hobby". "Some", people may need to sit down, relax, and lighten up a bit. Personally, I too would be a bit sad if I got shot down while expounding on one of my endeavors I felt passionate about.

This forum has been one of great joy to me and a great eye opener to this great "hobby". Many people out there that are willing to help people wanting to learn this new skill. Generous of their time, skill, and also giving in their PIF's to newbies.

Even though I would not use this devise on my razors. I would like to maybe try one on the many knives that I also own one day.

Oh yeah, Thank you for your service!



Mike Lindo

I'm with mike on the above post. Sometimes here it seems if you don't do things the normal way. They Red Baron you right out of the sky. I wouldn't worry about it.. I wouldn't try this but if it really works then it's an awesome alternative for someone who doesn't want to use stones.

Can you make a video with a follow up shave? I would be curious to see how it's done. I wouldn't buy a sharpener like this but it is very intriguing.

Why:

Because some newb is going to read this and try it out on his new Dovo.TI, Aust, and wreck that razor and say "But I read it on SRP" that's why we discourage Risky, Unproved, or Downright bad ideas...

Power tools on Straight razor edges have proved over the years not to workout so well...


So those of us that have been reading these forums and answering questions from newbs for years now tend to tell ya "Hmmmmmm might not be a great idea, we have seen the disastrous results before"...


However "You're big boys here, and it's your money and your razors so do as you wish"

My razors ???? No way, they are way too nice to damage the steel with that,,, My face ???? not in this lifetime I am way too cute to subject my face to that abuse..


Now Knives and Tools you betcha

I certainly abhor the use of this in honing razors, but nice discussion and very interesting. What about a challenge for someone to make a belt-grinder from one of these with a frame, longer belts, and a pulley system. Could use common belts. Different sizes of contact wheels. :shrug:

Well I do have a pretty smooth hand & I can get a razor sharp ON THE Ken Onion or my hones & strop[. I feel good abut the sharpening , honing & stropping I do. I think I will quit posting on here for a while & really evaluatewhat I do on this forum. When I was a blacksmith I had people tell me that using a power hammer was cheating. Let me tell you that you can mess up a piece of steel REAL quick with a power hammer but if used properly you can produce a better forging faster with a power hammer & like a black smith The same holds true for razor & knife making. I do enjoy making things with my hands & that Ken Onion Blade grinder or my ! X 42 belt grinder are just extension of those hands. I hope you all can shave hair of a nats balls. I am not a newbey either in metal working. A razor is just a really sharpblade designed to do a job. I have made knives for all types of work. What I am saying is a razor is just another type of knife.If you really think there is some special mojo to make or sharpen a razor , I feel sorry for you. Once you learn how to do an operation & learn to do it well,, I guess rthats about all you can do.

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Originally Posted by Slawman

Most razors are ground with belts today in making them. Why not use the same type of tool to sharpen them.

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Your logic is flawed here. Yes a lot of razors are ground on belts, but those belts are wrapped around wheels to replicate stone wheels. Besides, grinding razors obviously is not the same as honing them.

I agree with you on this, and I would hate for someone to ruin their razor this way, especially one new to this "hobby".

Saying that, some times, the tone can go over the top and ruffle feathers, and may discourage one from participating in this wonderful forum.

There are also people on this forum that are also of the order, "I've gotta see it for myself"! You know who you are. :ziplip:

Anyway, we are all adults and responsible for our decisions, good or bad.

Nuff said, I'm gonna go shave! Thank you all for this wonderful forum.


Mike Lindo

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Originally Posted by gssixgun

Why:

Because some newb is going to read this and try it out on his new Dovo.TI, Aust, and wreck that razor and say "But I read it on SRP" that's why we discourage Risky, Unproved, or Downright bad ideas...

Power tools on Straight razor edges have proved over the years not to workout so well...


So those of us that have been reading these forums and answering questions from newbs for years now tend to tell ya "Hmmmmmm might not be a great idea, we have seen the disastrous results before"...


However "You're big boys here, and it's your money and your razors so do as you wish"

My razors ???? No way, they are way too nice to damage the steel with that,,, My face ???? not in this lifetime I am way too cute to subject my face to that abuse..


Now Knives and Tools you betcha

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Utopian, I understand what you are saying about the difference between grinding & sharpening & honing. I have studied razor making, sharpening & honing quite a bit. I have yet to ruin a razor on my KO blade grinder from over heating or misgrinding. That is the nice thing about being able to vary the speed. At the low speed setting with the 12,000 grit belt I can get a very sharp blade. I do use my Koken Horsehide strop as a follow up & I get great shaves. If this didn't work for me I wouldn't have brought it up in the first place. If I hang around here I will never offer an idea or share what I do or use again.I thought this was a place to share knowledge but that seems true only if it is allready a tried & true method or one of the gods of razors come up with it. It's sad no one wants to try new ideas & methods. I had a great uncle & a grandpa that taught me to shave & maintain a straight razor as a young man because I was interested in How to shave & maintain a straight razor. I guess I should just be quiet & let this all pass but I am not a idiot either. No one here said they tried to use the Ken Onion blade sharpener with the blade grinder attachment. Seems to me that someone would at least try it. Sorry if I offended you. Dave Huffman

Hold on. I'm not offended. I did not say that there was anything wrong with your using your sharpener nor did I suggest it was wrong for anyone else to try it.

I only objected to one statement you made but that was not a criticism of your use of the tool or of you. If you had said apples fall to the ground because of alien weaponry, I would have objected to that too, even if we both believed in gravity.

Slawman,
If I sent you a couple of fixer-upper razors, would you be willing to sharpen them? Also, would you mind if I made a microscopic video of the edges? I will give my honest assessment of the edges and the video will ensure no bias.

Either way, I hope you keep posting here and giving your honest opinions whether anyone agrees with them or not. This place would be pretty boring if we all agreed all the time.

Slawman...

You might want to take Utopian up on the offer...

The problem was you started the thread like an advertisement you offered no recipe for the system you basically said hey I tried it on one razor and it worked go buy one and try it..
If you want to present an idea for a New Unproved system then you have to do the work too...

The Grinder/Knife system ideas have been on SRP since 2005 there are pages upon pages if you bother to use the search feature, you can read about the problems that they have presented on SR's yourself if you so choose..

Here

I am going to show you an old thread since you think you're being ostracized.. anyone, it doesn't matter who, that presents an new idea, they better expect to be challenged about it, to show the recipe and the results


http://straightrazorpalace.com/advan...iwa-users.html

Sorry if ir came across like an ad for Work Sharp. I should have metioned I have used this system on over 30 razors that I own. Just today I worked on a 5//8" F.W. Engles "True Temper" & a 5/8" Levering Razor Co. The Engles has some real hard steel & as I had allready set the bevel on a 1000 grit Norton oil stone. I then went to the WO blade grinder set at 17.5* and did 5 laps on the X22 Norax belt which is also around 1000 grit. Then I did 5 laps on the X4 3000 grit belt & then did two more very light laps on the X4. I was able to shave arm hair at this time. I then went to the extra fine 12,000 grit belt & did five laps on that belt then 3 more very light laps on the 12,000. I then switched to a very worn 12,000 belt that I had coated with Formax Microfine compound. I did 5 medium laps then 5 very light laps.This blade looked good under my 8X loup but then I did 20 laps on my Koken Barbers Hand finished Imported Shell Horse Hide No.1 Selection strop I have used other stro0ps that worked very well but this strop really makes for a great edge in my opinion. As I do nore razors I will document everything & results good & bad. I will say so far I find the better German razors take & keep a better edge but that said I have a couple of great ShumatesI will try & be as detailed as I can & I also have several different Barbers hones & one American slate hone that is very sweet. Hope this gives you a little insight on my ever changing process to get the sharpest razor I can. I don't have lot's of extra cash as I am on disability & my wife is retired. The old "fixed income thing" so I am trying to make do with what I pick up at Flea Markets, Garage sales & antique stores. I don't think I have ever paid more that $30 for a razor. Except for members on here I would NOT buy a razor on line I don't feel right when I can't handle or have someone I trust check out a razor before I buy it. Slawman

I will take Utopian up on his offer Sounds like fun. I will sharpen & hone all the razors the exact same way & document it all. Sounds like fun. Also just found out the local wood working store has got some Jananese water stones at fairly decent prices. Fathers day is close! I( will send you a message Utopian with my Info. Thanks for the offer. Dave"Slawman"Huffman

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Originally Posted by Slawman

I will take Utopian up on his offer Sounds like fun. I will sharpen & hone all the razors the exact same way & document it all. Sounds like fun. Also just found out the local wood working store has got some Jananese water stones at fairly decent prices. Fathers day is close! I( will send you a message Utopian with my Info. Thanks for the offer. Dave"Slawman"Huffman

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:gl: Let the games begin! A good challenge. What would be really neat I think, is if Slawman could go to a meet and show what he does. Someone else furnishes a razor, then shaves with the test razor. I would hope a not expensive one though. :p Just in case!

Anyway, maybe after Utopians analysis.


Mike

It is ironic to me that as I study old razors and such, I have learned of a plethora of machines men have devised to 'sharpen' straight razors going back a few hundred years. It WOULD be cool to have a machine which would do it. What sets this one apart is the ability to go down in grits to pretty fine, not to mention the variable speed. I want one because it seems quite handy to have for many uses.
I will wait to hear from you Gentlemen before I hone a straight on it, though! :)

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Originally Posted by Slawman

Well I do have a pretty smooth hand & I can get a razor sharp ON THE Ken Onion or my hones & strop[. I feel good abut the sharpening , honing & stropping I do. I think I will quit posting on here for a while & really evaluatewhat I do on this forum. When I was a blacksmith I had people tell me that using a power hammer was cheating. Let me tell you that you can mess up a piece of steel REAL quick with a power hammer but if used properly you can produce a better forging faster with a power hammer & like a black smith The same holds true for razor & knife making. I do enjoy making things with my hands & that Ken Onion Blade grinder or my ! X 42 belt grinder are just extension of those hands. I hope you all can shave hair of a nats balls. I am not a newbey either in metal working. A razor is just a really sharpblade designed to do a job. I have made knives for all types of work. What I am saying is a razor is just another type of knife.If you really think there is some special mojo to make or sharpen a razor , I feel sorry for you. Once you learn how to do an operation & learn to do it well,, I guess rthats about all you can do.

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You are a metal worker, so consider this: razors have a thick spine to make sure that you can lay them on the hone, resting on the spine and edge, to make sure that you will always have the same honing angle. On a sanding belt, you cannot achieve the same thing, and the risk to the blade is significant.

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Originally Posted by Slawman

I then went to the WO blade grinder set at 17.5*

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Is this angle per side or inclusive? The pessimistic side of me suspects per side which would be much to obtuse for my tastes.

Well, its a shame that this thread got as corrupted as it did. It IS in the knives forum. But I understand the strong opinions vocalized as it comes to razor. However, for knives, it really can deliver a decent edge. Its not a miracle tool that's idiot proof. In fact, you can easily screw up a knife on this thing quick. But with practice and getting used to the various belts available, you can quickly raise a burr and sharpen an edge with it. I suspect that if you have very expensive Japanese knives that are polished for sushi/sashimi, you might opt for something more traditional. But a western style chef knife gets a decent edge from this thing. Considering that the "professional" place I have been going to is no longer doing such a great job, its an improvement.

Hello all,, back from dealing with some family things & have a week before I have to take my mom back to Pensacola on Sunday. I have found a couple of ways for setting the angle with the blade grinder. 1. Tape the spine I have used Scotch & electricans tape, one layer only. Then with pretty tight belt tension & the pulleys set to the straighter grind position. simply go thru the beltstill I finish with the worn out 12,000 grit belt with green compound. After that I strop on my Koken Shell Horse hide strop & there you have it.The other way is to set the angle for around 12* to 18* & using the regular Worksharp Bladegrinder method sharpen the blade. This method takes more skill as one has to be able to hold the blade at the correct angle to the belt. There is a leveling platten to make this easier & the rest is all up to you. I am hoping to get the Worksharp leather strop for fathers day & I may have some new info to share. I would love to get together & show what I do. Good bad or ugly it works for me. I am real busy till sometime in early July. My Mom living over 1,000 miles away by herself keeps me busy but I am so glad I can be here for her. If you have a mom in her later years just call her & tell her you love her. It will make you both feel good! I think it would be great if we could have a mid-west get together. If there are any members around the North west part of Florida next week I will be there.Later all! Dave "Slawman" Huffman

If you don't take Utopian up on his offer, I would like to make an offer to you:

Send me one of your blades you comfortably shave with, a quality blade. I will take it to the Shapton's & finish on Escher and send it back to you & you can decide.

Dave, we aren't bashing you at all...but if it were that easy we would all be using our power tools on our razors. I have a variable speed 2x72 belt "grinder" I made just for making razors as I can get it down to very slow. I still only use it for making razors & I use the slow speed with fine belts in the finishing of the razors to ensure the heat treatment isn't changed or damaged...which is usually what ends up happening when messing with super fine compounds. Many of us honers have done everything possible to ensure we can get a perfect edge, from observing the edges at high levels of magnification to investing a lot of dough in stones & of course honing a LOT of razors to learn the slight differences one razor may have over the other. If I could get the same level of edge off of my grinder, you bet your tail I would use the grinder...but it's not possible & even if it were it wouldn't be consistent. By this I mean if you knew how to shone on Shapton stones you could come to my house and use my stones just as you could yours & obtain the same results as you would at home. I am in the early stages of arthritis & have other issues with my hands, so honing all the time isn't necessarily easy for me...but I do it because I am very picky about my edges. Thank goodness a quality razor doesn't need honed all that often & when I do hone it's usually about a half dozen at a time...which reminds me that I need to sit down with the stones soon.