When To Sharpen Table Saw Blades

[Rolling Thunder]

How do you determine when to sharpen a circular 10 inch combination blade or a circular 10 inch miter blade?

Thunder

[John McGaw]

If you've used it when it was sharp you will know when it is dull.

[Swingman]

When I buy a new blade, or get one sharpened, I'll make a couple of rips/crosscuts through various scraps that I have on hand (the materials used most, by default), mark and date them and store them for reference. You can tell a lot just by judging the quality of past and present cuts with a blade, and this is simple way to do it.

[Leon]

Excellent question. Today's better blades stay sharp much longer and the dulling of the blade tends to happen over a long period. This all being relative to the amount of sawing you do day in and day out. For future reference, using a freshly sharpened blade or a new blade, make a couple of sample cuts and keep the samples to compare by. I like to use red oak for this test. If crosscutting starts to leave more tear out on the back side of the cut or you notice that the end grain pores are not clean cut and open, you may need to have your blade sharpened. Then there is the old stand by method. I keep 2 Forrest WWII blades. When I suspect a performance drop in a blade, I remove it and mount the other. If my suspicions are confirmed I leave the comparison blade on the saw and send the other in to be sharpened. If there is no difference, I remount and continue to use the original blade and put the fresh one back into storage. One last thing to note. I have a local sharpener that uses computer controlled sharpeners that can identify my blade if I return it for sharpening and they can sharpen to 600 grit. I always thought that they did a good job. I let them resharpen my Forrest. I used it for about 2 days and then sent it to Forrest. When the blade came back from Forrest the results of the cuts were noticeably much better than my local service.

[patriarch]

Rolling Thunder wrote in news: [e-mail]:

Google a thread from last year on 'sharpening service' for a recommendation on a good service local to you.

A pro sharpening shop is an excellent resource.

I pay around $20 to sharpen a good, 10" combo blade, dropped off and picked up at their place of business. In Concord, 20 miles east of Oakland, CA.

Patriarch

[Phisherman]

The cuts are no longer clean, but "hairy."

[Leon]

Regardless of how sharp the blade, when cutting dried Chinese Squash, you always get hairy.

[Pounds on Wood]

When the smoke begins to irritate my sinus. :)

--

[xrongor]

rofl, im with ya man.

randy

[cow girl449]

hello, my name is Amy, I'm looking to buy some basswood and can't find any sites. I do all kinds of crafts. The problem I'm having is at the craft stores the basswood rounds are some high in price that I can't make any money. Do you know where I can get any cypress wood in and around North Carolina area?

[Edwin Pawlowski]

They deteriorate so slow that you don't notice it for a while but one day you just thing the cut should have been smoother or faster. Send the blade out.

I had a couple sharpened recently by Ridge Carbide Tools in New Jersey. Two blades was about $30 including shipping. They cut better now then when new. Worth checking them out at

They have their own brand of blades but sharpen any brand. I sent them a DeWalt and Freud. Ed [e-mail]

[Nova]

When you spend more time resetting the circuit breaker for the saw than actually cutting wood it's a good sign your blade needs sharpening.

-- Jack Novak Buffalo, NY - USA (Remove "SPAM" from email address to reply)

[DIYGUY]

[Rich]

I was thinking when it takes two hands on the miter saw then you might want to think about resharpening, lol.

Rich

[Rolling Thunder]

Is $20 the going rate to sharpen a 10" saw blade? Seems high to me. Seems to me, not much more can buy a new blade for my purposes.

Thunder

[Leon]

If you think that is high, maybe you should buy another blade. Or buy a good blade and have it sharpened every 5 or 6 years or longer. If you think a cheap blade is a good deal, you probably are not using it very much.

recommendation

[Sam Schmenk]

I change my blade as soon as the smoke burns my eyes.

SS, with fire extinguisher nearby

[patriarch]

Rolling Thunder wrote in news: [e-mail]:

That's the number I figure ON AVERAGE that I pay, with the 8.5% premium we Californians pay for the privilege of living here.

Some of the blades I have taken them are 40T combo blades. Some, 60T and

80T cross-cut and finishing blades. More teeth, more $$.

A better quality blade, sharpened well, makes a noticable difference in the quality of cut, on the same material and the same saw. Considering the cost of filling the pickup truck at the hardwood supplier, the return on investing in quality, sharp blades is pretty good.

Patriarch

[Mark Jerde]

Thanks for the post. This when in my "keeper" folder.

-- Mark

Le> Excellent question. Today's better blades stay sharp much longer and

[Rolling Thunder]

I just checked here in Charlotte, NC and a 40 tooth sharpening is $13. That's better and more cost effect. Takes a week to turn it around.

BTW, my home town is Oakland; below the temple.

Thunder