WS-3000 Tool Sharpener

Photo and video by the author

The air-cooled tool guide angles upward underneath the wheel. The top face of the wheel can be used, with the help of the tool support at left, for large or curved blades. In the box at right there is a slotted disk that provides a view of the blade being sharpened on the tool guide.

I spent a few years looking at some pretty crusty plane irons and chisels, tried sharpening them with conventional stones and old-school methods, but I was not satisfied with the dubious results that I was getting. So, I did some research on sharpening systems and came across Work Sharp’s WS-3000 Woodworking Tool Sharpener. It promised consistent and accurate sharpening of the tools that I use in boat building and restoration, so I bought it to give it a trial run.The Work Sharp WS-3000 is a dry sharpening system that uses air cooling while sharpening, avoiding the mess of a wet system. The high-torque 1/5-hp motor turns the wheel at just 580 rpm, which keeps tool heat down during sharpening. The WS-3000 has a cast-aluminum top and a sheet-metal housing, yet it has substantial weight to minimize vibration. It has four tabs for mounting the machine on a benchtop, but the machine doesn’t vibrate enough to walk across the bench, so it’s not necessary to bolt it down.