Table saw blade

[Joe Krawczak]

I'm fairly new to this addiction and up to this point have never spent more than $30 for a blade. I wouldn't mind forking out the change to purchase a Freud or Forrest to improve my safety and performance. Can these premium blades be sharpened back to new like performance by a local saw shop, or do they need to be sent somewhere to be put on some high tech expensive machine? If the latter is true, does anyone have a good lead or two. Happy New Year!!!!!

Thanks,
Joe

[Bruce Wrenn]

Locally here we have two sharpening shops, both of which are reccomended by the Freud sales rep. I had to have some dental work done on one of my Forrest's, so I sent it to them Total cost including shipping both ways -$52. It came back "factory new." Dynamic saw in Buffalo NY (www.dynamicsaw.com (http://www.dynamicsaw.com)) beats Forrest's sharpening prices all to pieces. For about fifty bucks you can buy the DeWalt 7657 (Woodworkers Supply). It is a forty tooth general purpose blade. You probably won't be able to tell the difference between the cuts it makes and the cuts from a Forrest WWII. Right now Amazon has the Freud LU 84, 10" combo blade for $39.99 shipped. They were offering a FREE stabilizer with it yesterday. Didn't see stabilizer when checking price today. Again, you probably couldn't tell differences in cuts. I own and use all three of these blades. Which ever one is on the saw is the one I use. When you step up to "pro quality blades", you will wonder why you ever bought cheap blades in the first place.

[scott spencer]

Hi Joe! The answer is yes...just about any competent sharpener can do the job. Many use use the original manufacturer to ensure exact original specs though...Forrest and Ridge Carbide are renowned for their sharpening ability, even on other brands. It usually runs slightly higher than local sharpening because of shipping, but it's normally a fraction of the cost of the new blade.

If Scott Whiting was closer to me, I'd probably give him a shot.

[Jim Becker]

The one word that Scott mentioned is key..."Competent". A good sharpener can do a nice job. But sending them out isn't a horrible solution if you're not sure of the ablities of your local service(s). I personally use Forrest's sharpening service and get "better than new" results, even on the non-Forrest blades I've sent to them. If I lived out west, I'd use Scott's Sharpening Service in the Phoenix area for the same reason...he does good work as reported by many.

[CPeter James]

John at Ridge Carbide is a sharpening expert. The price to sharpen a 40 tooth blade is $13 plus shipping. They come back sharper than new. I had a tooth replaced ( hit a nail) for $5. Turn around time is good. Local places that pick up and drop off are iffy at best, a few are good and many are bad. I don't want to ruin a $100 saw blade just to saw $5 on sharpening.

Some people even buy a new brand "X" blade and send it to Forrest or Ridge and have it sharpened to "upgrade" it. they say it waoks.

CPeter

[Dave Falkenstein]

...Can these premium blades be sharpened back to new like performance by a local saw shop, or do they need to be sent somewhere to be put on some high tech expensive machine?...

Thanks,
Joe

Joe - The answer to you question needs two parts - yes premium blades can be sharpened locally, and yes the sharpening shop needs a "high tech expensive machine" to do the job right. As Jim suggested , I use Scott's Sharpening Service in the Phoenix area and get great results, but Scott is local for me. Scott does mail order work for lots of folks. However, when you add two shipping charges, the cost for one blade can get pricey. If you mail order several blades at the same time, that helps spread the shipping cost. Ask the professionals in your area who does their blades.

[Gary Curtis]

In Trinity County (Calif) where I live, there are 12 lumber mills. The local sharpening shop has been in business for 40 years and is run by a 2nd generation sharpener, Bud Ryland.

Ryland Saw Sharpening (530 area code) charges $25 to tune up a 10" blade. Most of the services around the country use the same machinery to accomplish this task, so they probably do an equal job.

Bud Ryland steered me toward Everlast blades, and I couldn't be happier. They are sold only at sharpening services or direct online. Cheaper than the Forrest Woodworker, and probably equal in quality. I've got the 50-tooth combination blade and 80-tooth plywood crosscut blade.

I haven't used my equipment much because I am in the process of setting up a new shop, so I can't be a cheerleader at this point. Tune in late spring for an update. But for Xmas, I got the Leonard Lee book "Complete Sharpening". In his forward the author acknowledges his wife and a few other people. One individual named was the president of Everlast saw blades. Must be something to that. Leonard Lee is a giant in his field and ought to know!

Gary Curtis