Sharpening systems

[larry lyon]

Hello!

I am considering sharpening my own: circular saw blades, jointer knives, chisels, planer knives, router bits, drill bits and any other things which require a sharp edge.

Have tried the Harbor Freight circular saw blade sharpener with mixed results; probably could get better with time and practice.

Looking at Foley-Belsaw and Thorvie.

Does anyone have any experience with either, sharpening items like the above?

I'd like something which has some automaticity built into it with easy setup.

Which one or different/other would you recommend and why?

I'm thinking it would be primarily for myself and some friends, and to occasionally get paid for a few sharpening jobs.

Thanks very much.

Larry in Oregon

[Bruce Wrenn]

With the price that Dynamic Saw charges, my time is better spent on other things.

[Mitch schiffer]

I don't really think it is worth doing yourself. A buddy of mine had a Foley belsaw that he got from a auction. It seemed like a fairly decent machine and they have instructional videos on how to use it. I never actually used it my self.

[Richard Coers]

There is a Foley Belsaw Facebook page with machines being sold all the time. I recently covered the floor of my van with handsaw sharpening, setting, and tooth punching machinery. I spent $300 and was thrilled. To do carbide router bits and saw blades, you need some expensive diamond wheels. I suspect you would have closer to $1,000 to get rigged for all the tooling you mentioned. Unless you are running a production shop, I don't think that much money will ever pay for itself. I go at least a year before sharpening a carbide saw blade, often more. Oh yeah, I'll never pay for my purchase either. Just fun to sharpen up a collection of hand saws I just bought.

[Rod Sheridan]

For me, it’s not worth sharpening circular saw blades as FSTools is a 10 minute drive from home, I couldn’t afford the training to Operate the calibre of machinery they have, forget about the machinery.

I sharpen drill bits, plane irons, chisels, gouges, knives etc.

I have a low speed 8” grinder and a Viel tools belt grinder with the chisel and drill bit attachments.

I also have sharpening stones, and hones……Regards, Rod.

[David Utterback]

Lee Valley recently added https://www.leevalley.com/en-us/discover/sharpen-net sharpening resource. It covers hand sharpening materials and jigs. High quality info as usual from LV.