Saw Blade Sharpening?

[John McKissick]

So far my google searches have shown only home made and cheap Harbor Freight stuff for saw blade sharpening fixtures.

Is there an affordable but robust way to sharpen saw blades or is there a reason I don't see those tools on the better suppliers websites?

I have found a good service not far from me but DIY can be faster and cheaper if it works. Perhaps it can only be done with an expensive machine

[Dave Sabo]

Because it takes a modicum of skill and time to do it well with cheap equipment - and cheap blades that don't need shaperning already exist in spades. Making the value proposition rather poor.

The geometry on really good and expensive blades requires greater care and skill to sharpen properly. Making the risk of sharpening your own pretty high even if you value your time at $0/hr. A professional sharpening on computer controlled, liquid cooled equipment is 20-30 bucks. Cheap on a hundred$+ blade, worhtless on a $20-40 one when you can buy a new one.

[Jim Becker]

I agree with Dave here...with today's blades that are very carefully balanced and have various different tooth geometries, a competent sharpening service with the right equipment is the way to go. It will be difficult to get good results DIY for all those reasons and more. A lot of folks here speak highly of a place in Buffalo NY...I"m likely going to use them next time.

[Ron Magliocco]

CT saw and tool. Stratford, CT. Best in class

[Andrew Pitonyak]

I watched a youtube review of the Harbor freight sharpener and it was well reviewed for what it was. That said, I would not take my Forest blades and try to sharpen them blades on the Harbor Freight sharpener. In the review, the guy was sharpening rather simple and inexpensive blades that he was using for cuts on wood that I would consider rough cuts.

Unsure about the "payback" time with cost versus time.

https://www.harborfreight.com/120-vo...ner-96687.html

Again, do not use this on your "fancy" saw blades. Your blades that cost $7 each, perhaps. Things like Framing blades.

[Bruce Wrenn]

Visit Dynamic Saw's web site and see how they sharpen blades, on machines costing nearly a million dollars. No way could I duplicate what they do, and that's why I send my blades to them. Also check out their pricing.

[Matt Day]

As Bruce said, Dynamic saw is a good outfit. Not worth doing it yourself.

[John McKissick]

I watched a youtube review of the Harbor freight sharpener and it was well reviewed for what it was. That said, I would not take my Forest blades and try to sharpen them blades on the Harbor Freight sharpener. In the review, the guy was sharpening rather simple and inexpensive blades that he was using for cuts on wood that I would consider rough cuts.

Unsure about the "payback" time with cost versus time.

https://www.harborfreight.com/120-vo...ner-96687.html

Again, do not use this on your "fancy" saw blades. Your blades that cost $7 each, perhaps. Things like Framing blades.

I think I saw the same video which caused me to wonder if there was a well made precise version just like there are crappy and high precision blades.

[kent wardecke]

I had my local sharpener sharpen everything including $7 framing blades. Because $0.25/tooth is hard to beat and her got them sharper than new. He moved to Arcanum 30 miles away, bummer.
I can do better with chisels and hand planer blades, chainsaw blades too, but that's low cost low tech sharpening.
If you have a local shop use it.

[Dave Sabo]

for the same rice I'd buy 4 of these first:
https://www.harborfreight.com/10-in-...ing-62718.html

-or -

three of these:
https://www.lowes.com/pd/CRAFTSMAN-2...Set/1000596675


If you're just interested in learning a new skill, I'd suggst a part time job at a small, local sharpener. Must still be some up in your neck of the woods. You can search for an old Foley Belsaw sharpener, they'll run you $500-$1000 and you'll prob. ruin a few blades before you figure out how to use it properly. The reason you don't see middle of the road sharpeners is the economic don't make sense - for either the manuf.or the buyer. Those cheap HF things are impulse buys for guys who just want to putz around, or ignorant marks that learn the hard way that their hard earned cash would have been better spent on a good blade instead.

[Alex Zeller]

From what I've read on the HF blade sharpener the problem is the grinding wheels. They are too course. So while it does work to put an edge back on a cheap blade you end up removing too much carbide leaving something that will dull quickly. I found the same to be true with their chain saw chain sharpener. I suspect that those who buy it are more interested in getting quick results over good results. To bad as i have a number of blades that I would sharpen that aren't worth paying someone to do.

[Michael Drew]

I sent several saw blades to Ridge Carbide this summer. They had a pretty quick turnaround, and did a fantastic job. Even with all the pandemic driven complications, things went smoothly.

[Bruce Wrenn]

I had my local sharpener sharpen everything including $7 framing blades. Because $0.25/tooth is hard to beat and her got them sharper than new. He moved to Arcanum 30 miles away, bummer.
I can do better with chisels and hand planer blades, chainsaw blades too, but that's low cost low tech sharpening.
If you have a local shop use it.

Dynamic is my local sharpener. The post office is less than three miles away. The two sharpening services in our county are 38 miles away, and are located within a mile of each other. Three hour round trip, times two, plus gas, then shipping "Flat Rate Box" to Dynamic is CHEAP!, IMHO.

[Dave Sabo]

Bruce - 1.5 hrs to go 40 miles ? �� And I thought L.A. traffic was horrific.

Kent - “sharpen everything including $7 framing blades. Because $0.25/tooth is hard to beat” $5 +/- seems easy to beat when a new blade is $7 and I get a few schekels for the scrap steel of the old one.

[Bruce Wrenn]

Bruce - 1.5 hrs to go 40 miles ? 😳 And I thought L.A. traffic was horrific.

Kent - “sharpen everything including $7 framing blades. Because $0.25/tooth is hard to beat” $5 +/- seems easy to beat when a new blade is $7 and I get a few schekels for the scrap steel of the old one.

Into town, then up Stop Light Blvd. It's called Stop Light Blvd for a good reason, they have one at every corner. Remember part of that time is spent waiting at sharpening service too.