New band saw blade

[Tom Bender]

Didn't realize just how dull the old blade was. Sometimes we just ignore the signs. New blade and it's a whole new saw!

[Justin Rapp]

Didn't realize just how dull the old blade was. Sometimes we just ignore the signs. New blade and it's a whole new saw!

Any tool with a dull blade feels like it's time to replace the entire tool, when it's just a fresh or newly sharpened blade.

[David Eisenhauer]

It sorta seems to me that the BS blades tend to be the ones that are left to get by without sharpening/replacing moreso than other tools. Don't know why, but it seems to be so in my experience.

[lowell holmes]

I buy my bandsaw blades mail order from BC Saw.

[Derek Cohen]

I have sharpened all my bandsaw blades for years. They work as well, or better, than new. Generally can sharpen them about 5 times.

The essence of this method is to leave the gullet alone and just file the back of the tooth.


Some will use a file on the full backside ..


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AcN-k7Q2mlc


Here is a video very similar to the way I do it (with a Dremel). I do it freehand, and this video uses a jig ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GRFASuwGodE&t=22s (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GRFASuwGodE&t=22s)


Another version with the same aim ...


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-vcDSPNxPW8


Regards from Perth


Derek

[Jim Becker]

I suspect many of us are "guilty" of leaving a bandsaw blade on beyond its reasonable life-span and they are, generally, disposables. I was in that situation last week, honestly, and yea, putting on a new blade was like a breath of fresh air. Well, at least figuratively speaking if the DC is running. :) :D

[Dave Zellers]

When I was starting out in the early 70's I asked an experienced guy how do you know when to change the blade.

He said, "When it breaks". :D

[John K Jordan]

I used to wonder how to tell if the blade was actually getting dull. Even when the blade felt like it was getting dull in use the teeth still felt sharp to my fingers. Then I started sliding the back of a fingernail upwards against a few teeth. This method showed a big difference between a sharp and dull blade.

I usually sharpen several times with a Dremel before replacing the blade. I mostly cut thick dry and green wood into woodturning blanks, some green log sections, up to the limit of my shop bandsaw (just over 12" thick)

[David Publicover]

I too have been guilty of running a dull blade in my bandsaw. In fact, one of today’s jobs was to order a new one ( or two!).
I noticed this thread while having my morning coffee and decided to try sharpening my dull one as per the YouTube videos Derek kindly linked. It took me a few minutes to dig out my Dremel but only about 10 or 15 minutes to actually sharpen the blade. It was definitely worth the effort. I ripped a few pieces of walnut as a quick test and will do a more thorough test tomorrow but it seems like a new blade!
Thanks to the OP for starting the thread and to Derek for the videos and sharing his approach!
David

[Christopher Herzog]

I am in the when it breaks camp.

[John K Jordan]

I didn't look at the video until now but touching the front of the tooth with the little cutting disk in a Dremel is the way I've been sharpening my blades for many years, except I do it freehand. The Dremel holder would make my method even easier and quicker and probably more consistent - I think I'll make one. It will be important to get the angle right for the blade.

Note that the little Dremel metal-cutting disks come in two different thicknesses. I mostly use the thinner one but the thicker is a bit more durable if one is not careful about bumping it into something. Otherwise one disk will last for years of sharpening.

428175

Resharpening multiple times does eventually narrow the set of the teeth and the kerf and can make the cut rougher if some teeth are inconsistent. However, for my use this generally doesn't matter. If I want smooth cuts I mount one of my carbide blades.

I cut so much thick wood preparing turning blanks I usually buy 8 or 10 blades at a time from a local bandsaw blade shop. That way if I don't want to take the time to stop and sharpen I can grab a new blade and put the old one on the "to be sharpened" bracket on the wall.

JKJ


I too have been guilty of running a dull blade in my bandsaw. In fact, one of today’s jobs was to order a new one ( or two!).
I noticed this thread while having my morning coffee and decided to try sharpening my dull one as per the YouTube videos Derek kindly linked. It took me a few minutes to dig out my Dremel but only about 10 or 15 minutes to actually sharpen the blade. It was definitely worth the effort. I ripped a few pieces of walnut as a quick test and will do a more thorough test tomorrow but it seems like a new blade!
Thanks to the OP for starting the thread and to Derek for the videos and sharing his approach!
David

[David Publicover]

I didn’t make the jig; I held the Dremel freehand. The disks have a bit of flex that allowed me to follow the curve of the tooth pretty easily. One disk was sacrificed in the learning process but I have a few dozen so wasn’t concerned. I may make a jig later on but this time was more about “proof of concept”. It was nice to discover that actually doing it was just as easy as it appeared. That’s not always the case for me and woodworking videos lol!

[John K Jordan]

The disks have a bit of flex that allowed me to follow the curve of the tooth pretty easily.

I'm not sure about how much it matters, but I have never once tried to follow the curve of the tooth. I simply position the disk to grind a little angled flat spot. With the blade mounted in the saw, I grind with the left side of the disk since I'm imagining that leaves less of a grinding burr with the clockwise rotation. That may not be important either, after the first pass through wood!

JKJ

[Derek Cohen]

Do not use the standard Dremel disks. Instead get these diamond disks for the Dremel ...

https://www.ebay.com/itm/10PCS-Mini-22mm-Vented-Rotary-Diamond-Cutting-Disks-Mandrel-Dremel-Tools-DIY/351738171240?hash=item51e53a8f68:g:eBgAAOSwAahXPaZ l

Further to technique: you just want to touch the very back of the tooth/edge. What you end up doing is removing the "wear bevel". This is the rounding of the edge when a blade begins to wear. It occurs equally with plane and chisel blades.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[John K Jordan]

Further to technique: you just want to touch the very back of the tooth/edge. ...

Just to be clear, some people refer to the part of the tooth facing them (when the blade is mounted on the bandsaw) as the "front" while others call it the "back". I touch the Dremel disk to the part of the tooth facing me as in the photo I posted. (We had that discussion in January of 2018 in a 50 message thread on bandsaw blades on another wood forum. :))



Do not use the standard Dremel disks. Instead get these diamond disks for the Dremel ...
...

Why you say "do not use the standard Dremel disks" and use diamond disks instead?
The standard disks have worked well for me for 15 years. For clarity, the disks I am using are not the fiber reinforced disks but the small composite abrasive disks about 1" in diameter. Do you have a reference or experience in comparing diamond to the non-diamond abrasive disks for sharpening bandsaw blades?

One thing about diamond grinding in general for those who don't know: grinding experts and abrasive suppliers tell us not to use diamond abrasives on steel. Since diamond is carbon, high temperatures can cause the diamond grit to erode as carbon is transferred to the steel. For references, search google for grinding steel with diamond wheel

Diamond on steel is general information and often appears to be in reference to industrial applications with grinding wheels spinning at high speed. I have no idea what that means in practical terms for a small diamond disk touching a steel tooth for a fraction of a second. My "gut feeling" is that the temperatures don't get high "enough" for the diamond disks but I have no facts or references. I use a variable speed Dremel and do not use the highest speed, if that makes any difference.

JKJ

[Derek Cohen]

John, you take me too literally.

The diamond disks are better than the fibre Dremel disks as they last many times as long. I do not use simple high carbon steel blades, which the fibre disks are designed to grind. I use bi-metal HSS blades as well as carbide blades. The diamond disks grind/sharpen these very effectively. The fibre blades would wear out rapidly on bi-metal and not even touch the carbide.

Like you, I keep the speed down on my Dremel. This is more for control than the fear of burning steel or migrating carbon. You really have to work up the heat on carbon steel to migrate carbon from diamonds!

Try one of the diamond disks - they are certainly a lot cheaper than the Dremel disks.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[David Publicover]

Thanks for the clarification. I didn’t aim to follow the curve of the tooth but occasionally I’d end up placing the wheel a little higher and was able to run it along the curve without shattering it or damaging the blade.
I chose the plain cut-off wheel as I had a bunch and prefer to save the reinforced ones for tougher projects. I’ll keep the diamond one in mind if I ever have a better blade.
Thanks again for all the help. It’s a great site here!

[John K Jordan]

Derek,

The additional blade info helps the understanding. I use carbon steel blades instead of bi-metal blades. I think the standard Dremel composite abrasive disks are best for these. (I don't use the fiber reinforced disks.) When I don't use carbon steel I use carbide blades, in which case I would try a diamond disk at sharpening time. I have some diamond stones to try when it's time to sharpen the carbide chainsaw chain too.

The engineer/scientist in me tends to take statements literally unless the context indicates otherwise or they are punctuated with special character or emoji.

JKJ


John, you take me too literally.

The diamond disks are better than the fibre Dremel disks as they last many times as long. I do not use simple high carbon steel blades, which the fibre disks are designed to grind. I use bi-metal HSS blades as well as carbide blades. The diamond disks grind/sharpen these very effectively. The fibre blades would wear out rapidly on bi-metal and not even touch the carbide.

Like you, I keep the speed down on my Dremel. This is more for control than the fear of burning steel or migrating carbon. You really have to work up the heat on carbon steel to migrate carbon from diamonds!

Try one of the diamond disks - they are certainly a lot cheaper than the Dremel disks.

Regards from Perth

Derek