# Does anyone have feedback on sharpening Forrest blades?



## Lou1Bloom (Mar 24, 2010)

I have 3 Forrest Woodworker II blades that I rotate in/out after cleaning the teeth. Well, all 3 need sharpening. Forrest recommends sending them back to their factory for sharpening. Does anyone have an experience with this? Was it worth it, or should I just go to a sharpening service near home? Also, do you recall approx. how much it was to sharpen per blade?

Thanks!


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## TungOilTim (Aug 5, 2009)

I've got one that needs sharpening too and was wondering the same thing.


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## TheWoodNerd (Aug 30, 2009)

Their sharpening fees are posted on their website: http://www.forrestblades.com/sharpprice.htm


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## ellen35 (Jan 1, 2009)

This is a tricky question. I had a WW II blade that needed sharpening. It also seemed to need to be straightened and, I found that it needed 4 teeth (someone must have snuck into my shop and abused it!). I sent it to them and, for what I paid, plus shipping, I could have bought myself a new one! Also, it took close to 3 weeks to get it back. I am all for recycling and sharpening and not wasting things… but it seems like I wasted my money here. In the future, I'll have it done locally.


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## PCTNWV (Sep 21, 2010)

I would higlhly recommend sending them to Forrest for sharpening. That is where I send mine and have not had any issues. Fast turnaround and great customer service.


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## sbryan55 (Dec 8, 2007)

I have used them for years and have never had any problems with their service. I generally get my blade back within a week to 10 days and their prices are reasonable. When they return the blade Forrest will also send along a $5 coupon to use the next time.


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## richgreer (Dec 25, 2009)

I'm very fortunate that I have a very good sharpening service near where I live and he does a great job on all my blades, including the my WW-II. He's also less than half the Forest price.

FYI - for Ellen - - It's my experience that if you have a bent tooth or a missing tooth it is almost always better to just buy a new blade.


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## Ger21 (Oct 29, 2009)

I had mine sharpened locally, and I wasn't happy with it. However, as Ellen mentioned, Forrest is really expensive on their resharpening.

Next time I'm going to try Ridge Carbide. http://ridgecarbidetool.com/sharpening/


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## jusfine (May 22, 2010)

I used a local service for sharpening my Forrest blades and they were the same price as any other carbide toothed blade we sharpen.

No complaints here.

I just looked at their prices, and they are very reasonable. I think I paid $40.00 for my last Chopmaster (80) sharpening, that's $12.50 more than they charge, but there was no shipping cost.


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## Pimzedd (Jan 22, 2007)

I used to buy Forrest No-melt blades for sheet acrylic. Tried local sharpening services in the Dallas area; no luck. Forrest was the only sharpening service that could get them right. They always came back like new.


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## cabmaker (Sep 16, 2010)

All I can tell you is what I have learned about it. I have had many blades of varying sizes,quality and configurations sharpened over the years. The short answer to your question is yes, It is worth it to send your blades to forest. I don t simply because of the downtime. After going in the back room of several blade service outfits (and we do have plenty in the dfw,tx. area) I have learned that the operators simply do not take the time to set up with the appropriate grits that you require. Many, many times there machines are set up for aluminum and metal grinds which do not give that mirror finish you experianced when you first took your forrest blade from the box. You will only get that with approx. 1200 grit or more. The typical sharpener will be set up with anything from 200-400, which is fine for many uses, just not mine. You just have to push a little harder when feeding. I too have found that a less expensive blade with a suitablle grind is much nicer to use than a forrest which is a little dull. I might add that I do have two forrest blades and I recall being very impressed with them on the first day. Beyond that I could not differentiate any advantage over other blades I use at 60 % of the cost of the forrest. Good Luck with it. JB


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## toddc (Mar 6, 2007)

I am fortunate enough to have a competent sharpener available locally.

But I can say that any brand of blade is guaranteed to be sharpened to it's utmost potential if you send it to the manufacturer.


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## oldnovice (Mar 7, 2009)

I agree with Troy! I sent one of my old(~18 years old) and my 2005 Woodworker II back for sharpening and they are like new (returned to me in about 10 days).

I sent them because I recycle a lot of old wood …. need I say more?
Both of these blades had one or more chipped teeth which were replaced.

You can have the blade just sharpened, sharpened and repaired, test cuts, etc.! The website has the details and the sharpening from.!

forrestsawbladesonline.com


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## bunkie (Oct 13, 2009)

I've also had a good experience with having Forrest sharpen my WWII. I had a couple of chipped teeth which they replaced. Turnaround was quick, about 10 days and the blade was as sharp and cut as well as when it was new. Cost was about $40.


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## newwoodbutcher (Aug 6, 2010)

I have been using the Forrest blades for fifteen years. Their sharpening service can be pricey. I tried a few local sharpening guys over the years and the blades were sharp, but, They never cut quite as clean as the forrest sharpened blades or they leave tear out on the bottom of the stock. Last year I went back to Forrest and I find the blades are much better with cleaner cuts, way reduced tear out. I'm sticking with Forrest from now on.


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## docholladay (Jan 9, 2010)

I haven't tried them yet, but Highland Hardware (www.highlandhardware.com) now has a sharpening service. Has anyone sent their blades to them to see how well they do? I was thinking of giving them a shot on a couple of blades that I have.

Doc


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