Author Topic: Sharpening bandsaw blades  (Read 2163 times)

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Offline Badger

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Sharpening bandsaw blades
« on: January 21, 2014, 02:13:45 pm »
  Was wondering how many guys sharpen their blades. I use a little 1/8 chainsaw grinding bit in my dremmel tool. I just hit the bottom edge for maybe 1 second on each tooth. It seems once I sharpen them they last much longer than the original sharpening. The don't always sound quite as smooth but cut very well and faster.

Offline lostarrow

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Re: Sharpening bandsaw blades
« Reply #1 on: January 21, 2014, 02:37:46 pm »
Done it a couple of times ,but not worth the little bit of time I have to spare. New blade $15,........ time spent making bows and shooting them.............Priceless! ;) The blades I get  are very well made for a reasonable price so  I can't complain. If I had to rely on the big box stores or specialty woodworking stores, I'd loose my mind. I get them from a place called Busy Bee here in town ,but there are usually blade sharpening places as well in the bigger towns and cities that will make the blades up on site to your length. These are the  guys to get to know. They can tell you anything you need to know about steel/carbide quality tooth paterns etc., etc., and what your best bang for the buck is. They also know all of the other guys in town that work wood and what they are up to (including sawmills). Good resource all around!

Offline Dean Marlow

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Re: Sharpening bandsaw blades
« Reply #2 on: January 21, 2014, 04:59:19 pm »
I have tried sharpening my blades with my dremel with very little luck for some reason. If you got pictures Steve how you do it would really like to see them. Dean

Offline adb

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Re: Sharpening bandsaw blades
« Reply #3 on: January 21, 2014, 05:08:15 pm »
Bandsaw blades are so cheap I don't bother.

Offline MWirwicki

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  • The wood speaks to you; Listen with your eyes. GSD
Re: Sharpening bandsaw blades
« Reply #4 on: January 21, 2014, 05:34:05 pm »
I don't sharpen mine.  I have a saw shop nearby that gets blade material in large rolls.  They cut and weld them to my size.  The blade stock is good quality.  Every-so-often, I'll get a blade which was welded "between" the teeth in a manner that makes a tick-tick-tick-tick sound when I'm cutting.  I've taken a file and dressed the weld up a bit which solves the problem.
Matt Wirwicki
Owosso, MI

Offline toomanyknots

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Re: Sharpening bandsaw blades
« Reply #5 on: January 21, 2014, 05:36:41 pm »
I don't sharpen mine.  I have a saw shop nearby that gets blade material in large rolls.  They cut and weld them to my size.  The blade stock is good quality.  Every-so-often, I'll get a blade which was welded "between" the teeth in a manner that makes a tick-tick-tick-tick sound when I'm cutting.  I've taken a file and dressed the weld up a bit which solves the problem.

I always get blades like that.  :) I tried sharpening a woodslicer a bit ago, and went a bit crazy I think, as I made a dull blade cut worse somehow. haha
"The way of heaven is like the bending of a bow-
 the upper part is pressed down,
 the lower part is raised up,
 the part that has too much is reduced,
 the part that has too little is increased."

- Tao Te Ching, 77, A new translation by Victor H. Mair

Offline Del the cat

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Re: Sharpening bandsaw blades
« Reply #6 on: January 21, 2014, 05:38:46 pm »
Did it once when I didn't have a replacement blade... it got the job finished...
Now I make sure I have spare blades.
It's a great job if you are a masochist, or maybe if you have an apprentice you don't like >:D
Del
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