sharpening saw blades

www.woodweb.com

-- Ted, TX or PA www.around-the-bend.com

I’m glad you’re feeling better and back with us!

I sent you a PM and never got an answer… didn’t know you were laid up.

Take care

-- Have Fun! Joe Lyddon - Alta Loma, CA USA - Home: http://www.WoodworkStuff.net ... My Small Gallery: http://www.ncwoodworker.net/pp/showgallery.php?ppuser=1389&cat=500"

Joe I did answer somethings gone wrong!Well maybe I made a mistake, sorry but I definitely did answer you. I would never not answer.Many thanks again to those who wrote to me including you Joe my very good friend God Bless Alistair

-- excuse my typing as I have a form of parkinsons disease

I asked “How did you make those wooden hinges?”...

I don’t remember getting an answer…

-- Have Fun! Joe Lyddon - Alta Loma, CA USA - Home: http://www.WoodworkStuff.net ... My Small Gallery: http://www.ncwoodworker.net/pp/showgallery.php?ppuser=1389&cat=500"

Happy your are back in the shop..I have no idea as to sharpening saw blades I take them to a professional… lucky for me he is only 10 minutes away thru light traffic…Keep well friend Alistair.

-- Drink once, cut twice. New website up.... lazylarrywoodworks.com.au

Check this out http://www.ehow.com/video_4418673_sharpening-circular-saw-blade.html . He’s using a machine to sharpen his blades but it will show you what surfaces to sharpen. Hope this helps.

-- Ray Cody, Florence Alabama

Glad to hear you are back in the saddle alistar!!

-- Debt is nothing more than the 21st Century's form of slavery.

That is a Very Good link!

With some jigs, one could make-shift a way to do it in the shop!

-- Have Fun! Joe Lyddon - Alta Loma, CA USA - Home: http://www.WoodworkStuff.net ... My Small Gallery: http://www.ncwoodworker.net/pp/showgallery.php?ppuser=1389&cat=500"

Hey Alistair
Glad your better . I never sharpen my own blades before so I can’t help.

-- Jim from Heirloom Woodshop Southern Oregon

Good to hear that your are doing better!!
First, I would suggest that you ship them to a shop that is equipped to properly sharpen them for you.
But….If you would prefer to do them yourself, I’ll to to give you a brief outline on how it’s done.
The face of the tooth is ground first. The key to the success is to remove the same amount from each tooth. The grinding equipment that I have used, uses the face as a reference for the next step. Next grind the top of the tooth. It is very important to take the exact same amount off of each tooth.Taking different amounts from each tooth will change the height of the tooth and effect the quality of the cut.
A carbide blade is engineered so that each tooth will make a controlled cut, any variance in the tooth size will affect the cut.
You are right, the sides of the tooth are not ground during a regular sharpening.
I hope that this brief explanation helps.
Keith

Keith

-- Keith, Charlotte, MI www.julyswoodworks.com www.TheBenchDawg.com

go to dmt diamond and get a diafold sharpener, they also have a diafile, i paid 27 bucks a piece for mine and i start out with 320 then 600 and first i take a black sharpie pen and color the face of the tooth as this is all you will file on and i file mine in my wood vise and only use about 5 strokes per tooth, once the sharpie mark is gone that tooth is done. also i use easy off oven cleaner to clean off all the pitch. these dmt files also work great on router bits as well. and dont ever hit any other part of the tooth except the face. i sharpen my hand saws as well but use a #5 triangle file for that and the sharpie trick works well on that to

-- blaine von hagen

Glad to hear you are back with us. I have a trick back, but mostly it just limits the amount of time I can stand up. But I have been where you were with the back. Ouch.

I have never considered sharpening blades since I have not been that heavy a user. Easier for me to buy new ones….......so no info from me on the subject…...I am betting no one in Alaska sharpens saw blades.

-- Jim, Anchorage Alaska

Alistair glad to see you back. I was wondering whether the recent floods in Scotland had anything to do with your absence on LJ. A few days back garden tender jroot posted a forum topic on his visit to Scotland with a beautiful slide show. I very much remembered you after seeing it and was about to send you PM but lo, here you have shown your presence. Pl take care of your health to finish your pending projects. With love to all members of your family.
Sharad

-- patanjali

I’m with Kjuly.
Post them off to a pro to sharpen … It’s worth the effort. Even to resharpen the carbite bit.. Man what a headache… It’s a matter of getting the same bit off of all the teeth. so as to keep the balance right.
You can’t do that…. Machines today can sharpen a blade in under an hour. / Precisley. But you know that. No intention to undermine your engineering skills. It’s real easy and cheaper to send them off.
Glad you’re back.. Rest well..

-- "Even small steps makes a distance." (Shawn Phillips, musician)

Great to have you back (with your back better!) Alistair.
Ellen

-- Ellen on Cape Cod

Are these any good ?Alistair

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Saw-Blade-Grinder-Mill-sharpener-Wood-table-Multi-Angle_W0QQitemZ250437818313QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Hand_Tools_Equipment?hash=item3a4f41d7c9

-- excuse my typing as I have a form of parkinsons disease

Glad to hear you are better Alistair and now back online. I guess a lot of us older guys have bad backs from overdoing lifts and doing all the work by hand that they use machines for today. It’s a curse but not a killer, so we can be thankful for that at least. When it comes to blade sharpening, I have to agree that for an inexperienced person, it is probably better to send it in the post to a professional. However, I can appreciate your desire to do it yourself. If you decide to give it a try my suggestion would be to try it on an old blade you don’t really need, and see how it performs before risking your best blade. Good luck whatever you decide.

-- Mike, American in Norway

Thanks guys this little machine seems to be exactly what I had in mind.Alistair

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GtrAOH1FwK4&feature=related

-- excuse my typing as I have a form of parkinsons disease

Blaine, that sounds real interesting. In the video the professional was also doing the top of each tooth. Is that something that isn’t important or critical? I’m not being sarcastic here. Just interested in your actual experience with the results of your method. I wouldn’t mind trying this myself to save money and a trip 20 min. drive to the sharpening service.

The machine in Alistairs link looked pretty good, but in my experience good handwork can often do the job just as well if done properly, although I assume it will take longer, which is ok for me.

-- Mike, American in Norway

well mike i went to the dmt website and looked into diamond sharpening stones and originaly bought diamond stones for sharpening my chisels and flatening my waterstones and saw that they sold files for sharpening cabide saw blades and router bits so i bought a set of these files and they work great. only a couple pases with the file and my blades are sharp, it says ONLY DO THE FACE OF THE TOOTH in the instructions and i know that professional saw sharpeners only hit the face and when sharpening router bits the face is only sharpened. i asked my local saw sharpening guy about flush trim router bits and the bearing being a different size than blade and he told me it didnt mater because he only hits the face of the bit. also think of a tripple chip or atb design and how hard it would be to get those angles perfect. also i have made alot of knives for moulder heads and after initial grinding of the profile i hit the back or face of the knife with a water stone and keep them sharp that way. as far as balance on the saw blade, im only takeing of microns of material and not enough to throw it out of balance. if you think about it only the face is doing the cutting and hand saws are done the same way. i used it for the first time on a festool blade for my plunge saw and was sold after the first cut.

-- blaine von hagen

For what it is worth we sharpen our own blades here and are VERY happy with the results . We are able to “tweak” them for particular jobs , and it really helps . Good luck-

-- rob

Socalwood, do you sharpen Forrest WWII type blades?

-- Have Fun! Joe Lyddon - Alta Loma, CA USA - Home: http://www.WoodworkStuff.net ... My Small Gallery: http://www.ncwoodworker.net/pp/showgallery.php?ppuser=1389&cat=500"

No Joe I sure don’t . I send them back to Forest . I am set up to sharpen band saw blades .

-- rob

Thanks for the info Blaine. Also your tip about ordering from DMT direct helps a lot.

-- Mike, American in Norway

i was wondering where you had gotten off to..glad to se you back..and as backs go..i know that subject prety well….ive had to have twoo surgerys on mine…..and so i hope you take care of yours…and dont over do it…

-- The Grizzone