Blade sharpening

I believe everybuddy here sends them out..
that's a task that takes specialized equipment and you risk ruining the blade,,

Stick said it best.

I took a miter saw blade that I had used to install a laminate floor and it wouldn't cut wood without smoking anymore. I sharpened it with a drill by hand estimating the angle and checking the teeth to make sure I had ground the entire face of each tooth. I used a 3" one of these: https://www.ebay.com/itm/10PCs-16-4...867389?hash=item2f1d4a3cbd:g:-G4AAOSwUxhbNo9v It improved the cut measurably. It would cut a 2 x 4 without smoking but that is all I expect it do is chop utility cuts that don't matter. To get it back to woodworking quality I would do what Stick said and send to a professional sharpening service that uses a CNC sharpening machine.

Watch this and then decide what to do. I have bought this fellows plans but haven't got around to making the jig yet. I think that for my utility blades that this jig will perform very well however I won't use it on my Forrest blades and other high end blades. The last time I sent blades out to be sharpened I paid over $300 and decided that this jig would pay for itself pretty quickly.

I send mine out, they charge $15.00/10" TS blade,and clean them like new, they cut even better than new, a stack of 16 blades, cost me $250. that will last me a Loooong time. they were mostly 40t and 80t with a couple of 24t. 3 other blades were reject for bent/damaged teeth.
Herb

Good video Brian. The sharpening wheel should be a max of 600 grit. I've been looking for one that has a center that will fit something I already own and thick enough to be rigid while sharpening. You don't have to spin it at angle grinder speeds. A drill was fast enough but takes a little longer. Like you said, plenty good enough for utility cuts.

While I think innovation and invention is great when it comes to my prized blades I want the pros with the best equipment to take care of my blades. There's more to it then just sharpening the tips, there flatness and balance. I can see where an out of balance blade could have a detrimental effect on the arbor and motor over a long time. While the plan above constructed properly may make a difference in cutting performance I'd be really interested to see what condition the blade itself is considered to be by the experts. Now I don't mind sharpening my chainsaw teeth but then that's a bit different....

And I'm not saying those plans are bad, they may well be a great way to go but there's more to it then just sharpening.......just saying.

Thanks everyone.
Brooster

Send em out!!

stick is right. Send them out. I need to get ready for some projects and the local Woodcraft store does this service.

Yep send them out, that is if they are wotrth it. Don't bother sending a $30 dollar blade out.

sreilly said:

While I think innovation and invention is great when it comes to my prized blades I want the pros with the best equipment to take care of my blades. There's more to it then just sharpening the tips, there flatness and balance. I can see where an out of balance blade could have a detrimental effect on the arbor and motor over a long time. While the plan above constructed properly may make a difference in cutting performance I'd be really interested to see what condition the blade itself is considered to be by the experts. Now I don't mind sharpening my chainsaw teeth but then that's a bit different....

And I'm not saying those plans are bad, they may well be a great way to go but there's more to it then just sharpening.......just saying.

Click to expand...

One of the first steps when they are sharpened properly is that the tips of the teeth get jointed. What that means is that they are all ground to the same height. Obviously that doesn't get done in the video with the home made jig. As far as balance, that should have been done at the factory and as long as the blade hasn't been overheated and warped then I'm not sure it would be out. (I did get a blade too hot once and I warped it and you can't miss that after it happens, you can see it wobble.) As Art just said you don't send $30 blades out to be sharpened but I use $30 blades most of the time, until I'm ready to make final finish cuts when I switch over to my good blades. A lot of my ripping isn't critical as I run the pieces over my jointer and through my planer after so sharpening one of my $30 blades to do that would be good enough.

If there is enough carbide on a $30. blade, and I have a few older ones that do, then I will save the $15. to have them resharpened. the Saw Shop will tell you if it is worth it and cull out the ones that they think are too far gone. Besides they are sharper than new when I get them back.
Herb