Bandsaw blade sharpening

[Don McLeod]

I have read the thread(s) on bandsaw blade sharpening and I am going to give them a try. What I have searched for on the internet is a machine that will automatically sharpen small bandsaw blades. I have found some that sharpens the bandmill blades but couldn't find one for smaller blades. Does such a machine exist for the home shop.

[Harvey M. Taylor]

Don, trust me, you will be better off buying a couple new` ones. They are stamped out on a machine. The time you spend sharpenin g it isnt worth the trouble. Max.

[Bruce Wrenn]

A thousand dozen years ago, FWW had an article on band saw blades sharpening. Author stated, and I agree, that the problem with BS blades is they are set up for cross cuts (ATB teeth), not rips (raker teeth.) Most cuts I do on BS are basically rips. A chain saw blade sharpener from HF could be modified to sharpen BS blades. You have to shape grinding wheels to match profile of the teeth. I have a copy of original article here somewhere, along with article describing how author modified bench grinder to do BS blades. You will also need to "set" the teeth. With good blades costing less than $25, I don't find it cost efficent to sharpen. I have a bi-metal, 6 TPI, hook pattern, 0.025" blade on me saw (known as the little blade that could) that I use for everything. Haven't changed out a blade in over twelve years, but I'm not a heavy user of my BS.

[glenn bradley]

Realizing that this is no answer to your question . . . A blade for my 17" BS is about $18 from Suffolk. I'd be hard pressed to risk the cuts and scratches that would result from just looking at each tooth under a magnifying glass, let alone sharpening them, for only $18.

[Phil Thien]

I take used BS blades and further reduce any set by squeezing the teeth in a vice. Then I sharpen the blades using a round diamond bur (burr?) in my Dremel.

My blades are short (only 72-1/2" long). But when I'm done with one, it will cut faster than when new, with no drift, and with a better than new finish, too.

I mostly use my little bandsaw for resawing stock up to about 6". Not much curves. Smooshing the set on a 1/2" blade isn't gonna help cut curves.

[Kyle Iwamoto]

You can sharpen by hand. It is time consuming. I also searched for a tool, but came to the conclusion that it's not made. Must be the reason everyone else just buys new blades. Cheaper to buy new than sharpen. That being said, I then searched on how to sharpen. A flat diamond hone to flatten the teeth, and a round diamond file to sharpen the gullet. That needs to be clean and sharp too. No, I dont think it's worth sharpening, but I did give it a try. A 105" blade is a little longer than 67". Costs more than 18 bucks. Still worth buying new, IMO. Unless of course you're really bored. Like I am right now. Nothing to do but post a useless post....:)

Oh, remember the set, you'll need to sharpen from one side then the other, much like a cahinsaw blade. Unless you want to flatten the set and make a rip blade.

[Frank Drew]

You can sharpen by hand. It is time consuming.

Agreed; doable but tedious. Nothing wrong with salvaging something rather than throwing it out, of course.

[Don McLeod]

Thank you for your replys and insite on resharpening bandsaw blades.
I do a fair amount of resawing and find hardwoods particularly rough on bandsaw blades, so I go through 2 or 3 blades a month.

My bandsaw takes a 133 inch blade and I weld up my own from hakansson silicon steel coil stock. This makes a new blade relatively inexpensive, however, I just hate to throw out something that still has useful life left in it.

Maybe someday HF will bring out a sharpener.

[Barry Vabeach]

Don, have you tried any of the bimetal blades ? Lennox, Morse, Starrett and others make bimetal blades that are supposed to last much longer than ordinary blades.

[Jamie Buxton]

I have an acquaintance who sharpens his bandsaw blades. He uses a needle file. He says he isn't fussy about it -- just a few swipes on each tooth -- and he doesn't use a positioning jig or anything. He says it takes him "only a few minutes" to sharpen a blade for his 18" saw, but I've never pressed him on how long that really means, or what quality of cut he gets. Back when I used steel blades, buying a new one seemed like a much better proposition.