WorkSharp 2000 review

WHY the 2000 over the 3000: Price!
I purchased the 2000 instead of the 3000 because of the price difference of cost _plus_ shipping to Japan. The 2000 listed as 11 lbs and the 3000 listed as 17 lbs. That is an extra $50.00 for shipping alone over the 2000. The 3000 has a glass plate of which I would have needed two which would have added another pound. ;-)


EXTRAS: I purchased two extra Edge Vision Wheels (for a total of 3) so that I could use 6 grits of pressure sensitive sand paper without having to change sandpaper on the disks. I also purchased course, medium and superfine paper. The super fine is to be used primarily on the 3000 because it has a glass wheel to mount them on. However, they will fit the Edge Vision Wheels, only you can't see the grinding like you can on the edge vision. I plan on buying some 1/4 or 3/8 plexiglass to make a couple of wheels.


USE: It is different from conventional grinders for sure and is more like a good belt sander, only more effective and accurate. So far, I have sharpened wood chisels, Japanese wood chisels and lathe chisels. I am a little surprised at how sharp the tools get with just using 220 grit so far.


SEEING IS BELIEVING: Being able to see the edge of the chisel being sharpened is awesome! It has a single "set" port for sharpening the at the standard 25°. It also has a port on the other side that allow much more freedom of "angle choice" but it must be done freehand. THE ADVANTAGE: Have you ever looked at a chisel being ground and wondered how close to the edge the chisel grinding is? Or is it square? Does the gouge have flat spots? With the Edge View, you can SEE it! This alone makes it worth it. Since grinding is very controlled and at just the right spots (including the 25° port,) it requires less "correction" grinding than I am used to making on a standard grinding wheel. I have a scraper chisel that is of my own making. Sharpening it on a grinding wheel perfectly is hit and miss. On the 2000, I get it perfect every time doing it freehand because I can see it being sharpened.


CONTROL: Because you can see the grind on the edge view, it offers one advantage that only jigs can do on other grinders - CONTROL. Being able to control the edge, where it is, the shape of it, which edge, simply by looking at the face of the chisel being shaped. Never had that kind of control before and it sure makes a differnce.

A good set of jigs on a good slow speed grinder will accomplish the same thing, IMO. However, if you like being able to "see" the grind taking place and want a custom grind according to what you have in your mind, this is it.

The 2000 runs at a speed of 1750 RPM, but being only 6 inches in diameter, and most of the sharpening done at around the 5 inch point, that makes it a tad slower than the edge grinding done on a 1750 RPM shop grinder with a 6 inch wheel. Can it get hot? Yes it can. But it takes a little longer. Heat creeps up slowly but surely on the tool, giving time to make adjustments and avoid overheating.

I watched the video online before using the 2000 and quickly adapted the habit of touching and pulling back, touching and pulling back for flat chisels on the 25° port. After about 5 minutes of doing this on a new Japanese chisel that had never had an edge put on it, I could still hold the tip with my fingers. I would sharpen about 1 second and pull back for 2 seconds, push in for 1, pull back for 2. Then about every minute, I would take it out to check and see how close the face was to the back. (Normally, this is not a problem on chisels that already have an edge, but on the Japanese chisels, it took some time.) As I said, it took me about 5 minutes and it did a great job. Shaving sharp with 220, but I still want to try the 400 and 1000 for extra sharp. Will do that later. Still have 7 other Japanese chisels to bring up to that stage.

With the edge view, it is easy to spot something that is out of square or at an improper angle.


CLOSE at hand:
I like having a grinder close at hand. My shop grinder is too big to move around or have next to my lathe, but I keep the 2000 at the end of the lathe and run my chisels on it before starting to turn. I also keep my scary sharp plate glass with PSA micron sized sandpaper there for touch-ups during turning. Together, they work well. The 3000 comes with a plate glass and honing wheel that would be even better. My mind is working on how I can incorporate the 3000 wheels onto the 2000. I think it is a safety concern since the 2000 turns at 1750, shattered glass will travel much faster.

Anyway, I am working on a solid wheel and honing wheel in my mind to place on the 2000. Once chisels are sharp, quick touch-ups with the honing wheel during lathe turning will greatly enhance that work. I can see having a couple of the 2000s in the future or maybe a 2000 and a 3000.


CHANGING WHEELS: I have 3 Edge View disks for use with several grits (6). Each wheel will allow you to put a sand paper grit on each side. Flipping a wheel to change sides or use another wheel takes about 10 seconds, so it is not a time consuming issue. But "changing' does make me wish I had two.

I did sharpen a kitchen knife on it and have not used the WorkShapr in a wide variety of uses yet. The knife did well and the edge was put on fairly quick. The 2000 has lots more possibilities that I haven't tried yet, but will in the future. Since I just got it Christmas, (three weeks ago) and having been gone one full week, I haven't played with it as much as I was hoping.


WEAK SPOTS - Not a big issue but two things that I was a little surprised with:
1. The sand paper will wear quicker if too much pressure is used. I had to get used to that and while I didn't ruin a disk, I did notice it wearing quickly. After noting that, I became more careful in feeding the work. It still worked well, meaning that it did not slow down the grinding. Just be aware that you can't force grind like you can on a grinding wheel.

2. Too much pressure will cause the wheel to stop. DUH! It took me two or three times to learn the optimum feed and pressure so that it would not slow down or almost stop. Not a big deal, and it has adequate power, unless your are a power grinder. However, I think it could use a tad more power. That may have been part of the reason for the 3000's development. With that said, I have adapted and it doesn't slow down for the needs that I have with chisel and knife sharpening.


WRAPPING UP:
If using as a general grinding, you may want to move up to the 3000. The 3000 has the same power but at a slower speed (geared? belt?) it should have more torque. The slower speed should be even cooler, but I wonder if it is too slow for fast removal of lots of metal? (My thoughts.) In this case, the 2000 with its faster speed might be considered better in this situation, but I don't have both to make a comparison.

Would I purchase the 2000 again, knowing what I know now? Yes. I do think I might get another one in the future as I like to move from one grind to another, or use one for a grinder and one for honing. I like a the idea of having a hone placed at the end of the lathe for instant touch up. I think the 3000 is a bit expensive to use as a one horse tool. The 3000 does have more options and would do well as the general grinder. BUT the 2000 is in my shop now and I am very happy with it.