Although sharpening a blade can sometimes solve the issue, you may need to replace the blade depending on its condition. If you’re not sure how to determine the condition of your blade, it might help to remove the blade from the machine and compare it to an identical blade that’s in excellent condition. To learn more about the state-of-the-art blade filing and sharpening machines we distribute, contact us today.
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.
I have a EZboardwalk mill and sharpener, not terribly expensive and I can get 3-4 sharpenings out of the bands, takes some time but my freight cost to resharpen is more than most. I have run well over two thousand per sharpening with very limited band breakage, with excellent results. Well 1 hour initial setup time a $15.00 grinding wheel and I am now sharpening my own blades.
how to sharpen bandsaw mill blades Related Question:
Can you sharpen sawmill blades?
In general, the sharpening wheel should be around half the length of the tooth pitch in thickness. You can also sharpen a blade manually by applying a Dremel tool to the tip and gullet. Manually sharpening a wide band saw blade can be a time-consuming process and requires a steady hand.
Is it worth it to sharpen bandsaw blades?
Since a carbide-tipped bandsaw blade will cost well over $100, spending a third of the cost of the blade (or more) to get it sharp and working like new again can make financial sense. However the majority of bandsaw blades, the Wood Slicer included, are not worth spending money to have sharpened.