Clean and/or sharpen and/or replace crosscut saw blade

[Doug Hobkirk]

I have a 10" saw blade that needs help. Sometimes I fail to grasp the basics.

My chop saw has an 60T carbide blade. I've used it for hard and soft woods, PVC, and a few times on aluminum.

The teeth feel sharp to my fingers, but I don't know much
The blade cuts through my test block of hard maple (1.25" x 3")

The wood shows no burns and the surface is very smooth
But I must cut slowly and it smells like burning
The edges next to the carbide teeth look dark and grungy


Another 60T blade (almost new, little grunge) also doesn't burn the wood and produces a smooth surface, but it doesn't smell bad and I can cut faster


What steps (if any) can I do to restore the original blade described above?

Clean the blade? With Fantastic, or Simple Green, or Easy Off?

Soak it or scrub with a brush?
Then test it to see if it's faster and doesn't smell?


If cleaning fails to produce the desired results, can I sharpen a carbide blade?

Or is that strictly a professional job?
If so, how much does that cost typically? Find someone local through Craig's List?



Most of my saw blades are bought somewhat randomly. I've never had a Forrest Woodworker blade, but I have bought Freud blades. The two blades described above are an Ace (60T, I don't know more details) and a Freud Melamine blade, which is almost new. And I will use these same blades in my Ryobi BT3100 tablesaw, although I seldomly use it (I prefer my Eurekazone saw table).

Thanks.

[John TenEyck]

You shouldn't be using the Freud Melamine blade on 1.25" hardwood; it's not designed for that. Nor would you want to use a blade made for a chop saw on your table saw. But in any case, it's a simple job to clean a blade and you should do that if you see gunk built up on the teeth. Greased Lightning works well for me. As for sharpening the blades yourself, don't even think about it. Find a reputable sharpening service and take them or send them out for sharpening. I use Dynamic Saw in Buffalo, NY, but there must be good shop somewhere in your area. If you look at the teeth closely with a magnifying glass you will see the sharp corners are not so sharp anymore when the blade is dull. But you should be noticing the cut quality going down and/or it's harder to make the blade cut before you see the teeth getting dull.

Freud blades work pretty well. Just use the right blade for the right task; crosscut blades for cross cutting, ripping blades for ripping, miter saw blades for you miter saw.

John

[Lee Schierer]

Sharpening carbide is hazardous as the dust can be toxic. Sharpening a circular saw blade to get good results requires precision equipment to maintain blade balance and proper tooth profiles.

Cleaning your blade should always be your first step. The second step is to check your saw alignment. A blade cutting on a bias will cut slower than a properly aligned blade.

[Jim Andrew]

I find cleaning carbide blades and cutters like buying new only less expensive. I use the spray bit and blade cleaner Grizzly sells and a toothbrush. Not only on saw blades and router bits, but also the helical heads on my planer and jointer.

[roger wiegand]

Try cleaning first (I like a soak in Simple green, but there are many ways.) Needham Saw and Tool has done nice work for me before on sharpening both for saw blades and shaper cutters, if you're looking for a local sharpening shop. The took an old, bad dado set of mine and made it work well for the first time in its life. I've also heard good things about mailing blades to Forrest for sharpening. I get my blades sharpened once a decade, whether they need it or not ;-)

[Andrew Pitonyak]

I suggest the following:



Make sure the blade is meant for use in that type of saw. There are different tooth configurations for a saw in that cuts as you push the blade down than for a table saw.
Cleaning the blade is almost always a good first step. I own a few different types of blade cleaner. One is Rockler brand I believe (have not tried it yet) and the other is.... Boeshield blade and bit cleaner, which works really well.
If one blade works well and the other does not, then the problem is most likely the blade.
Is the blade properly oriented. I once installed a table saw blade backwards. Glad I noticed before I tried to cut. Can't imagine that is your problem, but maybe.

[David Eisenhauer]

I have sent my carbide blades and router bits out for sharpening to Ballew in Missouri for many, many years with consistently good service. I use Freud crosscut, ply and rip blades, plus a Forrest WW 2 that tends to live on the table saw most of the time. I do send the WW 2 to Forrest for sharpening, but all else go to Ballew. Both the Forrest and Freud blades work very well for me, and (esp the Freud) have been sharpened many times. In my experience, "burning" smells usually indicate a need for sharpening unless you have something out of square or binding/trapped when cutting. While the teeth on your 60T may "feel" sharp, you may be surprised how much sharper they will feel after sharpening. Pizza pans and Frisbees are good blade soakers.

[Earl McLain]

Pizza Pan--GREAT IDEA!! I use the lid from a 5 gallon bucket, but it's not big enough for a 12" blade. Pizza pan should do just fine--not like it has to be all that deep. I find cleaning goes a long way to easing the cutting, usually clean at every blade swap so "soaking" is rarely over a minute. I've used both Trend and Boshield cleaners with fine results.

earl

[Rick Potter]

I use a small oil change pan from the 99 cent store. It is sturdy enough, and big enough for 12" blades. Freud recommends Awesome cleaner, among others, also at the same store.

[Bill Zickel]

I have a 10" saw blade that needs help. Sometimes I fail to grasp the basics.

My chop saw has an 60T carbide blade. I've used it for hard and soft woods, PVC, and a few times on aluminum.

The teeth feel sharp to my fingers, but I don't know much
The blade cuts through my test block of hard maple (1.25" x 3")

The wood shows no burns and the surface is very smooth
But I must cut slowly and it smells like burning
The edges next to the carbide teeth look dark and grungy


Another 60T blade (almost new, little grunge) also doesn't burn the wood and produces a smooth surface, but it doesn't smell bad and I can cut faster


What steps (if any) can I do to restore the original blade described above?

Clean the blade? With Fantastic, or Simple Green, or Easy Off?

Soak it or scrub with a brush?
Then test it to see if it's faster and doesn't smell?


If cleaning fails to produce the desired results, can I sharpen a carbide blade?

Or is that strictly a professional job?
If so, how much does that cost typically? Find someone local through Craig's List?



Most of my saw blades are bought somewhat randomly. I've never had a Forrest Woodworker blade, but I have bought Freud blades. The two blades described above are an Ace (60T, I don't know more details) and a Freud Melamine blade, which is almost new. And I will use these same blades in my Ryobi BT3100 tablesaw, although I seldomly use it (I prefer my Eurekazone saw table).

Thanks.

Hi Doug,
I have a shop that resharpens saw blades. If your blades are not to heavily damaged they can be repaired and sharpened many times. Here is a quick video of some of the steps we take to repair and sharpen saw blades.


https://vimeo.com/137025186?utm_source=email&utm_medium=clip-transcode_complete-finished-20120100&utm_campaign=7701&email_id=Y2xpcF90cmFuc2NvZGVkfGU3YmI1MTAzNGU0YTU5Z GQ3YjFlODc4OTdjM2RiNmQwNzB8MzI0MjI5NHwxNDQwMjgxNjg 3fDc3MDE%3D