WSKO blade grinding belts question

smilk327

Gold Member
Joined
Apr 14, 2016
Messages
425
Hey all,
I had a quick question regarding belt size on the Ken onion works sharp blade grinding attachment. I know it uses 1”x18” belts. However, at my local harbor freight the sell 1/2” x 18” belts. I was thinking of grabbing a 5 pack for $5 for a heavy sharpening job I have to do. The edge of this knife has been ground perfectly flat. That being said I really don’t want to burn through the more expensive ones they sell online to get the edge started etc. do you think that size will work ok or am I missing a potential issue using half the width? As always thank you for your time and expertise
 
Hey all,
I had a quick question regarding belt size on the Ken onion works sharp blade grinding attachment. I know it uses 1”x18” belts. However, at my local harbor freight the sell 1/2” x 18” belts. I was thinking of grabbing a 5 pack for $5 for a heavy sharpening job I have to do. The edge of this knife has been ground perfectly flat. That being said I really don’t want to burn through the more expensive ones they sell online to get the edge started etc. do you think that size will work ok or am I missing a potential issue using half the width? As always thank you for your time and expertise

I can't speak for the belts you're looking at... but i tried some cheap economy belts from a 3rd party dealer, and found I got what I paid for. Most of the cheap belts are designed for wood, and simply don't last long, lose their cutting ability quickly, and tend to run hotter, especially for heavy duty work.

WorkSharp has a "X200" belt that is pretty coarse (around 80g, but it's not the P80 belts... the X200 one is part of their "Stiffer Norax Belt Kit").. I found it cuts well and holds up well. You might call and see if you can get it separately... if you tell them your need, they might even send you one to try.

YMMV on the Harbor Freight belts... but I expect cheaper and only 1/2 the width... you may need quite a few... and have to pay more attention to what I mentioned above.
 
I can't speak for the belts you're looking at... but i tried some cheap economy belts from a 3rd party dealer, and found I got what I paid for. Most of the cheap belts are designed for wood, and simply don't last long, lose their cutting ability quickly, and tend to run hotter, especially for heavy duty work.

WorkSharp has a "X200" belt that is pretty coarse (around 80g, but it's not the P80 belts... the X200 one is part of their "Stiffer Norax Belt Kit").. I found it cuts well and holds up well. You might call and see if you can get it separately... if you tell them your need, they might even send you one to try.

YMMV on the Harbor Freight belts... but I expect cheaper and only 1/2 the width... you may need quite a few... and have to pay more attention to what I mentioned above.
Getting what you pay for is a very true statement. I didn’t think about the being meant for wood aspect. Good call I’ll check out the norax belt, unless you know where to get some p80 ones in the grinder size.
 
Getting what you pay for is a very true statement. I didn’t think about the being meant for wood aspect. Good call I’ll check out the norax belt, unless you know where to get some p80 ones in the grinder size.

The P80 belts I referred to are also from WorkSharp, they're decent, but not as good as the X200 (also from WorkSharp)... IMO.
 
I have the X200 "stiff" Norax. Also the X100, X22, and X5. I also have the 80 grit "normal" belt (not Norax) and a 60 grit ceramic from WorkSharp.

As stated the X200 is a really nice performer. It leaves a finish that's one or two grades finer than you would expect based on it's cutting power. The 80 grit is kinda similar. I think the X200 leaves a slightly finer finish.

The 60 grit ceramic is a mixed bag. It cuts pretty darned fast. It also sparks WAY more than any other belt I have. The sound is very aggressive and always makes me think I'm doing something wrong. Worst of all, it seems to leave scratch marks quite a bit above the bevel that I am grinding. It's possible this is the fault of my hands wobbling. But I don't think so. I think belts always make contact above the bevel. You just notice it more when you use a belt like the 60 grit because the scratch marks are SO deep and coarse.

The more I use the 60, the more I don't want to use it. I think the 80 is the most aggressive belt you should probably use. The X200 is one step better, yet cuts seemingly just as fast.

I got all of these belts directly from Darex (the WorkSharp company) and bought them in single quantities. I think they were between $1.50 and $2.50 each. It's been a long time so I can't remember.

My original set of Norax stiff belts still works well and is the primary set of belts I use for everything on the WSKO.

Brian.
 
Thank you both so much. I’ll be ordering the stuff belts and the x200. If it’s as good as the 80 seems like a win win
 
I have the exact rig that you do, OP. It has taken me a long time to become proficient in it, because my hands are kind of wobbly, too. And that's why I graduated from the wsko to the blade grinder attachment. Anyway, unless you purchased the elite Edition, you probably have both the blade grinder attachment and the cassette for the w s k o. The cassette comes with a green very coarse belt. You have to be careful with that belt because it can scratch your knife, but it is very coarse and likely can do your first pass for you. If you are willing to take more time, I would say that you should use the coarsest belt that comes with the blade grinder attachment. It might take you 30 passes to raise a burr, but it will work.
 
I have the exact rig that you do, OP. It has taken me a long time to become proficient in it, because my hands are kind of wobbly, too. And that's why I graduated from the wsko to the blade grinder attachment. Anyway, unless you purchased the elite Edition, you probably have both the blade grinder attachment and the cassette for the w s k o. The cassette comes with a green very coarse belt. You have to be careful with that belt because it can scratch your knife, but it is very coarse and likely can do your first pass for you. If you are willing to take more time, I would say that you should use the coarsest belt that comes with the blade grinder attachment. It might take you 30 passes to raise a burr, but it will work.
I’ll have to check and see if I have that belt. This knife is edge is completely flat so any advice and help is appreciated.
 
I’ll have to check and see if I have that belt. This knife is edge is completely flat so any advice and help is appreciated.
That green very coarse belt isn't included in the blade grinder kit; it just chomps through metal like a mofo. I just checked my machine to verify the information; that green belt is included with the wsko but not the blade grinder attachment, and it's a P120 belt. The blade grinder kit starts with the next belt, the X65. If your knife is really a butter knife, you could start with the green belt and then move to the x65, but then again, the x65 is rather coarse already, so at a high speed it probably won't take you *that* long to establish a burr.
 
Back
Top