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Sharpened the blades.

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2K views 3 replies 4 participants last post by  Kentuk55 
#1 ·
Sharpened the blades.

My local Woodcraft offers a blade sharpening service. They job it out; a guy comes by every Wednesday and brings back sharp blades the following Wednesday. I had no idea how bad my blades were. They came back with plastic coating across the newly sharpened toofs. I pitched it on the ole Shopsmith and ran a piece of mahogany from the scrap bin through. Seriously, it was like a hot knife through butter. I was amazed at the cut quality. The saw made a completely different sound. Looking back the saw was struggling to push the blunt blade through the lumber.I think it was the first time they had been sharpened. These are quality blades that I got with the machine. I think the previous owner would use a blade until it got kinda dull and bought another one. The oldest looking one, a Systi Matic is the one I put on the saw today. I put the other, an Amana, in storage for later use.
I would encourage anyone that has been struggling with cut quality, or a struggling saw; GET YOUR BLADE SHARPENED.
Cost? A bit over $20 for a 50 tooth blade. Some of the best money I've spent in a while.
 
#2 ·
about a week ago I found some 3/4" plywood pitched to the curb. It was dark when I picked it up and upon inspection in the shop I noticed it was actually two pieces being held by another 3/4" ply glued and brad nailed over the joint. I took an old steel sawblade, not carbide tipped, and proceeded to saw the plywood piece near the joint. The sawblade came with an old RAS and I really had no intention of ever using it. But with the potential to hit a nail, this was the only sacrificial blade I had. Before I had cut 1 foot through the 3' joint, the wood starting smoking badly. I stopped, lowered the blade and removed the half cut ply. But my tablesaw kept smoking. Some sparks were generated from the heat of the dull blade, and got down into the cabinet that had 6" layer or so of sawdust. I thought I had a fire on my hands. Luckily it was more smoldering and smoke than flame. I shot it with my fire extinguisher and removed all the sawdust. That is as close as I've come to a fire in the shop. One of my top 10 nightmares. I'll cut up that blade to make knives, and such.
 
#4 ·
Gr8 reminder to everyone. Dull blades mean more dangerous cutting. I am very thankful to have a local guy who has been in the sharpening business for many years. He does an awesome job, and is very reasonable. It really extends the life o the blade/s.
 
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