Work Sharp or Harbor Freight mini belt sanders?

B

bladerique

Joined
Aug 31, 2010
Messages
977
The Work Sharp (~$70)

work_sharp_knife_tool_sharpener_1275307_1_og.jpg



The Harbor Freight 1" Belt and 5" Disc Combination Sander (~$70)

image_17479.jpg



The Harbor Freight 1 " x 30 " Belt Sander (~$40)

image_11211.jpg
 
I have the green HF one and like it a lot. I've used it to sharpen all of my garden tools too. I also think it is more versatile than the Worksharp. I'm sure the WS is good too though. :)
 
Erdbeereis said:
I have the green HF one and like it a lot. I've used it to sharpen all of my garden tools too. I also think it is more versatile than the Worksharp. I'm sure the WS is good too though. :)
Click to expand...

I just saw a YouTube vid of the green one and the guy says it's only for wood. Strange. Anyway, can you get fine grit belts for that thing?
 
I have the green one use it all the time to sand down my Kydex sheathes. Has worked better than I would have imagined.

Jason
 
I have the HF and have sharpened a lot of knives on it. For rebeveling, it's very handy. I don't have the disk version, just the belt sander. The question is do you have a need for portability? You can order very fine belts for the HF sander. You can also get the Surgi-sharp power stropping belts. I've taken knives from 80 grit down to 1200, then power stropped. Mirror edge and extremely sharp. Don't let anyone convince you that it doesn't last until you've tried it. My local supply of belts stops at 320, which is a good stopping grit before power stropping. Any finer and I have to order them on line. I use white compound on the leather belt. I will point out that using a belt sander will almost certainly overheat the edge, unless you cool it and use water proof belts. In use, I have only seen this be an issue a hand full of times. A couple of edges have rolled after sander sharpening that didn't roll after hand sharpening.

It does say it's only for wood in the package, but it sharpens fine. A word of caution however. Don't leave fine wood dust in the sander then start grinding steel and throwing sparks into the sander. Fire bad.

This edge was applied by belt sander and power strop.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2P4ZCawMN8c
 
me2 said:
I have the HF and have sharpened a lot of knives on it. For rebeveling, it's very handy. I don't have the disk version, just the belt sander. The question is do you have a need for portability? You can order very fine belts for the HF sander. You can also get the Surgi-sharp power stropping belts. I've taken knives from 80 grit down to 1200, then power stropped. Mirror edge and extremely sharp. Don't let anyone convince you that it doesn't last until you've tried it. My local supply of belts stops at 320, which is a good stopping grit before power stropping. Any finer and I have to order them on line. I use white compound on the leather belt. I will point out that using a belt sander will almost certainly overheat the edge, unless you cool it and use water proof belts. In use, I have only seen this be an issue a hand full of times. A couple of edges have rolled after sander sharpening that didn't roll after hand sharpening.

It does say it's only for wood in the package, but it sharpens fine. A word of caution however. Don't leave fine wood dust in the sander then start grinding steel and throwing sparks into the sander. Fire bad.

This edge was applied by belt sander and power strop.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2P4ZCawMN8c
Click to expand...

Yeah, that's sharp. Where do you get the fine belts for you HF greenie?
 
I just found this on google:

magicSanderBelt.jpg


Great idea, but $295? And we're talking just the tool without the drill. Really?
 
bladerique said:
Yeah, that's sharp. Where do you get the fine belts for you HF greenie?
Click to expand...

I got the leather belt from a Klingspore woodworking shop when I lived in Raleigh, NC. They also had the 320 grit belts. Now I get my 320 grit belts from the Tool Shed in Greenville, SC. The extra fine ones I ordered from Lee Valley Tools. They are pricey though, but are waterproof.
 
I have the work sharp, and it is a great little tool. Does kitchen knives great, and used without the guide, does a good job on garden tools, etc. It is very portable, unlike the HF unit. I would like to have the HF unit if I had the work space for it to use for other things other than knives. I have the $40 HF buffer for my paper wheels and it works great for them. I like the wide spread between the wheels with it.
 
I have WorkSharp and a old one like the green HF, a Clarke Motor. Just about worn out. If not careful either machine will roll edge with heat. The WorkSharp is nice for portability and you can order a bunch of different grit belts. But I have a tendency to round the tips of blades with it. The 1 inch sander I mainly use in sanding small items, especially in doing folder rescales. I do use a cork belt withe green rouge for polishing, but be careful with edge heat. Decent belts are usually not found here in the smaller town rural midsection of the US, so it is a special order situation. I will likely replace with a HF orange with wheel in near future. I can use the disc in polishing folders and fine sanding scale edges, anything were laying it flat on the sanding table is a benefit.
300Bucks
 
I have the work sharp. It's excellent IF you use it right.

It will put a hair popping edge on a blade, but if you make a mistake, you can just as easily round the tip off a knife and ruin it
 
i would go with one of the harbor freight belt sanders. you will fine more uses for a 1x and if you get the disk sander it comes in handy too.
 
The utility of the HF belt sander is all about what belts you get for it. It is a fine tool within the inherent limits of a 1"x30" belt.

For belts, you want zirconia, Trizact, or silicon carbide abrasive. I have one of the leather belts which I loaded with cutting compound, and it works very well as a power strop.

The most important things to remember while using it are to pay close attention to the angle and pressure, and to avoid overheating the edge of your blade. Both require concentration and practice. Start with something cheap and easy like garden tools, then cheap kitchen knives. I practiced on some used kitchen knives I bought at Goodwill and Salvation Army. It is very easy to accidentally lose focus and round off a bit of edge, or accidentally mar part of the blade away from the edge if your grip slips.

And of course, you are working with a sharp tool in your hands which is getting sharper by the second, so be mindful of that :D
 
I just got the Worksharp about a week ago and so far, so good. I'm just practicing putting an edge on fairly dull knives and I haven't ruined anything yet!
 
I used to use a HF all the time for doing my "Special Grade" work for the shop. Finally ended literally burning the motor out (smoke and everything) but it more than paid for itself.
 
I use a 4x36 belt sander for pocket knife modification and sharpening and have done so for many years. I think that it is the most cost effective way to do power sharpening and to get into knife making.

Around 100.00 will get a decent one at a big box store.

Start with fairly coarse high quality (like Klingspor) belts. 80 grit is a good start. Coarser belts cut cooler. Then go to 100 0r 120 grit, and finish with 400. If you can find finer grits those can be used too. Then strop by hand.

Practice a bit with some junk or cheap knives, and in no time you will be doing amazing work.

This is a great way to sharpen machetes and axes too.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top