Without it, you would be cutting manually and have corns in your palm for doing it repeatedly. This is why it is important to have one at home for your projects. Now that you already know how to sharpen bandsaw blades with a chainsaw sharpener, you can say goodbye to the corns in your palm, hassle, and delay! With this, you can cut sweatless and more accurate in no time! Plus, you can save money from buying a new one.
I’ve cut trees for over 40 years and wanted a saw mill bad. I saw one on Craig’s list, a portable saw mill called a Rip Saw, Its much like an Alaskan mill except it uses a band saw blade to do the actual cutting. It can either be powered by gas chain saws or electric. I have an Oregon chain grinder I was wondering if I could fashion it to be able to sharpen band saw blade.
Not my ideaI saw a Youtube video about sharpening bandsaw blades with a chainsaw sharpening machine here. Ideally you would want your whole blade to be the same level as the holding vice to keep the blade level in the jaws. “Cleaning the bladeThe blade I sharpened was the first blade I bought for my bandsaw and I used it for about 4 years before replacing it. It was very dull and had a lot of hardened pitch on it. I cleaned the blade before sharpening. Instead of soaking it, I sprayed a little WD40 to small areas working my way around the blade. I used a sharp 1/4” chisel to gently push the pitch off the teeth and under the teeth.
Some can last under six months, and some can last years! Some of the most important variables to consider are what you are cutting, the condition of the machine and blade, how long you are using the blade, and even how you are feeding the wood through your saw as well. For carbon steel toothed blades this is typically 15,000 to 25,000 PSI. Slitting type blades typically are tensioned in the range of 12,000 to 20,000 PSI. In general bandsaw blades are never tensioned past 35,000 psi. For the most part most blades will get the job done, some faster and some slower, the blades you have described should get you close to 1000 bdft, there might be some waving with knots, but this will happen regardless of blades.
The sawmill bandsaw blade has bigger teeth than a regular bandsaw blade. You can sharpen a sawmill bandsaw blade with an automatic sharpener or you can use a circular saw blade sharpener. Sharpening a bandsaw blade is tricky and frustrating, but not everyone can afford a bandsaw blade sharpener.
Early in my career, when a new saw blade dulled and started to cut waves, I would try things like adding tension to the blade, slowing down my feed rate or even adjusting my blade guides. If I could just get an edge back, I could keep cutting with the same blade and not have to mess with sending the blade off to be sharpened, and I would save $7. So, off I went, looking for a way to sharpen blades on my own. First off, no matter how good you get with the sander, the blade will not be as good as a new one or one that has had a full factory grind and set because this grinding is changing the geometry of the already finicky blade.
In the spirit of D-I-Ying, it is possible to hand sharpen your bandsaw blades with either simple hand tools or hand held power tools. The basic anatomy of any tooth on any wood cutting saw blade is pretty much the same, be it a circular saw blade, a jig saw blade, or in this case, a bandsaw blade. When you are sharpening any tool, bandsaw blades, circular blades, even axe blades, it is important to try and maintain the integrity of the blades original edges without changing the angles or geometry.
how to sharpen bandsaw blades with a chainsaw sharpener Related Question:
Is it worth sharpening a bandsaw blade?
But the only way to ensure the functionality of your band saw and the quality of your final product is through using sharp band saw blades. It often makes sense to replace a dull blade with a new one, but you can sometimes get the best value out of merely sharpening an old blade instead of replacing it altogether.
How many times can you sharpen a bandsaw blade?
You should be able to sharpen your blade two or three times before needing to replace it, but sometimes breakage happens. Blade breakage can result from a range of situations. Common causes of blade breakage include: Dull teeth.
How long do bandsaw blades last?
On average your bandsaw blade should last 6 months to as long as a few years depending on what your cutting with it. Make sure to match your blade strength and quality to the project and material your cutting.
How many teeth per inch should a bandsaw blade have?
The general rule of thumb is: For wood and soft materials aim for 3 – 6 teeth in the workpiece. For metals and harder materials aim for 6 – 24 teeth in the workpiece.
How long do portable sawmill blades last?
Some can last under six months, and some can last years! Some of the most important variables to consider are what you are cutting, the condition of the machine and blade, how long you are using the blade, and even how you are feeding the wood through your saw as well.
How often do you have to change blade on a sawmill?
When operating a band sawmill, a general rule is to replace the bandsaw blade with a sharpened one on average every 1,5 hours of cutting. In the case of cutting dirty wood, this time will be shorter.
How do I know if my bandsaw blade is sharp?
Get a 6 tooth per inch blade. When it gets dull,it will begin to not cut easily,and will sort of jerk along through the wood as you apply pressure. A sharp blade cuts without urging.
Why does my bandsaw blade wander?
If the wheels are worn and do not have a distinct top to the crown then the blade will not know where to go, and may wander around. This of course can cause poor cut quality and difficulty in setting the guides.
Why is my bandsaw burning the wood?
A majority of issues with wood burning is because of a dull saw blade. These blades may not be sharp enough to efficiently cut the wood, and thus create enough friction to heat and burn the wood. What is this? Dull blades make it more challenging to cut, which causes friction as you pass the wood through.