Ken Onion Work Sharp Belt Grinding Attachment

H

Hobden80

Joined
Dec 20, 2021
Messages
2
Hi all

Apologies of this has been asked already, I did have a look but couldn't see it anywhere!

I am thinking of purchasing the Ken Onion Worksharp withe belt grinder attachment and putting the time in to learning hoe to use the attachment rather than using the guides (seen a lot about scratching the blades and generally just want the extra freedom the grinder attachment gives).

However I saw that the guides are removable so my question is, is there actually any need for the belt grinder attachment as removing the guides would surely give you what is essentially a mini belt sander/grinder? Is holding the blade flat to the attachment better in any way that using the belt vertically?

I am happy to purchase it I just thought i would ask those in the know before buying something i may not need.

Any help/answers are greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Simon
 
Hobden80 said:
is there actually any need for the belt grinder attachment as removing the guides would surely give you what is essentially a mini belt sander/grinder?
Click to expand...
Welcome Hobden89- This did not escape my attention as well Hobden89. With the guide the knife's bevel goes into the 3/4ths inch belt rotation for the right side called leading edge, and trails for the left bevel. Still gets em seriously sharp! After removing original guide, you can rotate and lock the original grinder, pointing the triangle in the forward position. Useful for sharpening all manner of edges: augurs, mower blades, shovels hoes, etc. The angle presentation without the guide is fixed, as you have noted your hands are not. Get a plastic protractor, plus a heavy guage transparency graph sheet for about 8 bucks from Wicked Edge, or your local office store for ~$2.00 and your set.

I chose to get the optional "Blade Grinding Attachment - BGA." It has angle adjustments referenced to the front horizontal "guide" shelf, plus a fixed 90 degree shelf on the back of the BGA, so both bevels are pointed away from 1 inch belt rotation. Very useful for drills, rounding and shaping material, etc.
Another optional DISCONTINUED factory "Tool Grinding Attachment" has the 3/4ths" belts running parallel to grind in smaller spaces. Bummed about that.

Looking at pics or watching tubes is way easier then explaining. Also, Worksharp is a forum member, so you could reference your question here, over there, or just call em. Make sure and check out thingiverse for 3D printing stuff designed by 777 Edge.

Note- I thought about removing the guide and raising the Ken Onion stock unit higher then me or turning it upside down so I could access the belt for trailing edge, rotating away from bevels, but leading edge for right bevel, and trailing edge for the left bevel sure doesn't appear to hurt anything.
 
Probably been answered on here before but I have found much more utility from the blade grinder attachment than the stock cassette. The BGA (Blade Grinding Attachment) also uses wider belts which will last longer and remove more material. It is better than the stock set up with or without the guides though it is up to you to decide if that is worth the cost increase.

I will also mention it because someone will almost surely chime in: there has been a lot of ink spilled here about the Ken Onion Worksharp overheating the blade apex slightly and thus resulting in reduced performance. Typically, this is less of a concern for me since the types of knives that I use on the BGA are not my most expensive knives; those usually get the KME treatment. That being said, large fixed blade knives are fantastic to sharpen on the BGA, kitchen knives that see lots of use as well, and getting a stropping leather belt for it can be an extremely fast way to strop an edge back to push cutting between full sharpenings on a KME or other system.

For me, the BGA has been worth it for the capability to sharpen larger knives fast alone but has found new life in a generalized abrasive for any number of applications that would usually be tackled slower with hand held sand paper or a full size belt grinder. Shaping wood, taking off sharp edges or rounding off metal pieces as well as polishing work can be accomplished on the wider belts and it is a good compact tool to have around.
 
My .02, the Blade Grinding Attachment works better than using the sharpener without the guides.

FWIW, you can buy the Worksharp with the Blade Grinding Attachment that doesn't even include the original guides, and save a few $$. (They call it the "Elite Knife Sharpener" on their website).
 
Thank you all for your responses!

I was looking at the "elite knife sharpener" as its pretty much exactly what I want but I can't find it anywhere over here in the UK.

I think I will just buy both the Worksharp and the BGA and then I am set!

Really appreciate the feedback guys and sorry for the noob questions! Haha
 
Holding the blade flat allows you to see the burr form in real time because of the way overhead light reflects off the edge in that orientation. Having that continuous visual feedback makes sharpening so much easier.

I say definitely go for the BGA. Got mine for $200 from sharpeningsupplies.com. I've sharpened over 50 knives with it, always using the BGA set to 17 degrees. Awesome result every time. I recommend getting a leather belt for finishing. Had to go off brand because WorkSharp doesn't sell one. Easy to find a good one on Amazon for $15-$20. Remember to check the belt dimensions (make sure 1" x 18"). Upgrading to the stiff belt kit is also a good idea.
 
There are two main advantages to the grinder attachment over the standard Ken Onion with guides removed:

1. You can set a precise angle for the belt which is applied when you hold the blade flat; and
2. The belts are bigger (1x18 versus .75x12) so they last longer and it cuts quicker.

To me the upgrade is 100% worth it.
 
I have been using the Ken Onion Work Sharp for several years and have been very happy with it. I sharpen all my knives including my expensive Henkel kitchen knives with great results and no scratching. I have had almost no scratching to blades and when I did it was in my learning curve period of sharpening with the unit. I did not know about the BGA and will probably get one after the holidays. I will also get a couple of the leather belts. Right now, I use one of my old leather Carhart belts and put the belt buckle in my bench vise, pull on the end and strop away.
 
Hobden80 said:
However I saw that the guides are removable so my question is, is there actually any need for the belt grinder attachment as removing the guides would surely give you what is essentially a mini belt sander/grinder? Is holding the blade flat to the attachment better in any way that using the belt vertically?
Click to expand...

I think the most significant feature difference between WS with guide removed and the BGA is the BGA has a platen. Without a platen, the results are going to be convex bevels.
 
Spey said:
I think the most significant feature difference between WS with guide removed and the BGA is the BGA has a platen. Without a platen, the results are going to be convex bevels.
Click to expand...
To be fair, you can't really use the platen while grinding. The platen is more of a reference point to lay the knife flat but then you have to remove the knife from the platen and bring it up to the part of the belt meant for grinding. So this is all still freehanding.
 
Spey said:
I think the most significant feature difference between WS with guide removed and the BGA is the BGA has a platen. Without a platen, the results are going to be convex bevels.
Click to expand...
As c7 said, the part of the belt meant for sharpening isn't backed by a platen. On the other hand, the sharpening area is supported rather closely by rollers, one of which can be moved to shorten the slack area even further, so it doesn't give a terribly convex edge. Work Sharp also sells a stiff belt kit, but I haven't tried it.
 
c7m2p3 said:
To be fair, you can't really use the platen while grinding. The platen is more of a reference point to lay the knife flat but then you have to remove the knife from the platen and bring it up to the part of the belt meant for grinding. So this is all still freehanding.
Click to expand...

3D Anvil said:
As c7 said, the part of the belt meant for sharpening isn't backed by a platen. On the other hand, the sharpening area is supported rather closely by rollers, one of which can be moved to shorten the slack area even further, so it doesn't give a terribly convex edge. Work Sharp also sells a stiff belt kit, but I haven't tried it.
Click to expand...

It appears there is some confusion as to what I wrote in comment #9 above:
"I think the most significant feature between WS with guide removed and the BGA is the BGA has a platen. Without a platen, the results are going to be convex bevels."

The "platen" I reference is NOT the Horizontal Reference Plate (on the slack belt grinding side of the BGA, it is the vertical support surface (platen) behind the belt on the opposite side from the reference plate. The platen extends upward from the 90° Grind Plate.

Assuming, based on the replies quoted above, some may be thinking my comments are off base (3D Anvil "the part of the belt meant for sharpening isn't backed by a platen") I would suggest reviewing a considerably old thread on the subject of platen use on the BGA at the link below:
Vertical Platen on BGA overlooked often

We must strive to be a smarter tool than the tool we are using.

Hopefully something here helpful to others.
Regards,
 
Last edited:
Work Sharp has a good BGA feature tour video which spends a few minutes on the capability Spey is describing:

FWIW, the material backing they use behind the belt is described in this video:
They use a pair of replacement leather strops for the Guided Field Sharpener (https://www.worksharptools.com/shop...rasives/leather-strop-guided-field-sharpener/). I put the same on my BGA and it works nicely. Gary's solution looks excellent too. I wasn't aware of that thread.
 

mf17268 & scottc3,​


Gary's solution, is AN option.
However, I would think using a material with minimal friction qualities (vs. leather example) would be a superior option with regard to minimizing both heat build in belt, and motor drag (motor drag can be a significant issue when using the BGA, with what I understand to be a one-time warranty claim option).
For example: A DELRIN acetal resin sheet/plate for example.
Check info on page 6 of link below as a reference to my comments (where I live there is a lot of aerospace mfrg., and we use Delrin in a lot of applications because of the surplus material from the industry). Bottoms of river drifts boats so they glide over rocks, skids on a multitude of applications, etc.
The question would be, which DELRIN product to choose (lot of info on that subject in my link below).

Plagiarized from the link below:
"Sliding surfaces can bear higher loads and run at higher velocities By making the right choice of materials, the load bearing capacity is higher and the sliding speed can be increased, making the system more reliable and powerful."

Delrin - Low wear/low friction grades of DELRIN®

EDIT: scottc2, is "KOWS my archive" accessible on the forum, or a personal archive?
 
Last edited:
Yes, I was thinking Al just like BGA, but of course he used leather LOL, he does have some laying around no doubt. My use requires closer interface and harder surface, for playing with thinning blades. Friction, the enemy of everything but anti-gravity motors.:thumbsup:

Archive local and cloud, easily sharable, though its just manuals, forum posts, etc.
 
scottc3 said:
Friction, the enemy of everything but anti-gravity motors.:thumbsup:

Archive local and cloud, easily sharable, though its just manuals, forum posts, etc.
Click to expand...

Do you use Element 115 (Moscovium) for those motors ...? ;-)
I understand converting it to Element 116 (Livermorium), that it decays immediately radiating antimatter, returning back to Element 115, creating a cyclic cycle with copious amounts of energy.

Would be interested in "cloud" link to see how you have arranged (if ya don't mind a PM share). My sh*t has become fairly spread out across various computers and external drives over the last couple decades :-( and at some point need to compile & condense.
 
I've used the platen area for blade thinning, but not on any knife I care about. Good idea to add a layer of thickness back there, and yes, a lower friction material would definitely be in order as the motor does bog down.
 
Spey said:
Do you use Element 115 (Moscovium) for those motors ...? ;-)
I understand converting it to Element 116 (Livermorium), that it decays immediately radiating antimatter, returning back to Element 115, creating a cyclic cycle with copious amounts of energy.
Click to expand...
👽
🤖
🤢
:)
 
Has anyone sharpened a recurve like the one on a Hinderer Xm 18 3.5 recurve on the Blade Grinder Attachment? i can’t find a video on it anywhere and I’m not sure how you’re supposed to follow the edge when you first put it to the belt where it seems to follow the edge you’d be pushing the opposite end too hard into the belt.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top