I've got a 40T ATB Combo blade that I'd like to turn into a Flat Top Grind. Before I call a sharpening service and let some other folks on the earth know I'm an idiot - is this something thats possible, and/or relatively common?
Patrick Conroy asks:
Not relatively common. Possible? As your local saw grinder. But why do you want to do it? It's simpler, and maybe cheaper, to buy a decent rip blade. Too, you're giving up a lot of carbide life with the regrind, if it is possible.
Charlie Self "Men stumble over the truth from time to time, but most pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing happened." Sir Winston Churchill
GerryG responds:
Yeah, well, depends on what you call inexpensive. To me, the Freud LM72 FTG rip blades are reasonable in price, with the 10" at about $50, while Amana offers three different LINES of FT rip blades...I didn't check the cost on those, but Amana is usually a reasonably priced blade. Hell, even the DeWalt 10" FT grind goes for about the same $50.
Now, if you're looking for a ten buck blade, I'd say it's time to check for Chinese noodles as well.
Charlie Self "Men stumble over the truth from time to time, but most pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing happened." Sir Winston Churchill
the times I have talked to the local sharpening service about modifying grinds he said no problem. ask the folks who do it.
snipped-for-privacy@thanks.com wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:
My local, really good sharpening service sold me a new FS Tools blade, which they custom-sharpened that way. Seems they got a lot of call for them after Yeung Chan
Good deal. Great blade. Bought another combo 60T from them later.
By the way, they're just like everyone else in this world. They talk to idiots every day.
Patriarch
Thanks! I wasn't going to do it for ripping. It's a long story and probably full of holes - but last night I was cutting some tenons. I made my own tenon cutter, but tried the Norm's Nibble method - of cutting the cheeks and then nibbling away the shoulders.
Turned out to work pretty well for my project - fast n' tight and I kept the blade height constant so the fit was pretty good. Just had the little batwings and scoring from my ATB combo blade. No biggie - just typical woodworker "no one will see it, but I know it's there...
[ Project also had two dozen dado's that I cleaned up this way too. ]Recalled that I had two "decent" Oldham combo blades that I picked up before I settled in on the DeWalt's I'm currently using. I have no real need for them - so I got to wondering that if it was a reasonably deal to turn a ATB blade that I'm not using into a FTG - then I might try it and see if I could avoid spending for a real FTG.
Real motivation for asking - can I put a dead blade to good use...
For ripping I was thinking about the Freud which is TCG. Close to FTG but not exact. (Maybe close enough for my purposes.)
Easy.
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