# Sharpening Bandsaw Blades?



## DRW (May 6, 2014)

Does anyone know where one could have this done? Or, is it even worth it? I am plowing through blades. Grizzly blades last a while, but have been breaking on me. I just bought a Lenox and it only lasted a short while. Thanks.
Dave


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## Tclem (May 6, 2014)

I have used a dremel tool to get me by a few more days. By no means is it the best way but I use the sander on the tool and hit the trailing edge an it work a million times better for a few more days


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## Mike1950 (May 6, 2014)

Should not be breaking?? I clean mine and get a few more miles-soak in greased lightning.


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## pinky (May 6, 2014)

If you are cutting a lot of green wood, there probably is quite a bit of pitch/resin built up behind the gullet. Clean that all off and it will cut like new.


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## hobbit-hut (May 6, 2014)

I've had two Grizzly 1" blades break at the weld in the last month. One wasn't on the saw very long and still rather sharp.
I sharpen mine on a bench grinder, on the back side and it's sharper that new.


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## JR Custom Calls (May 6, 2014)

I had a timber wolf blade break at the weld... scared the living crap out of me when it broke. 

I need to try the greased lightning on mine... I cut a lot of wet hedge and it builds up fast.


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## hobbit-hut (May 6, 2014)

10/4 on the scared the living crap out of me Jonathon.
I don't know what grease lighting is but I use some stuff I cooked up ( bees wax , terp., B.L.O ) and the blade stays pretty clean.


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## Mike1950 (May 6, 2014)

Greased lighting is just a cleaner. Just soak it in it overnight-hose it off and blade is clean as new. I also use beeswax when cutting green wood.

Reactions: Thank You! 1 | Agree 1


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## JR Custom Calls (May 6, 2014)

So you just coat the blade with beeswax to help prevent buildup?


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## hobbit-hut (May 6, 2014)

JR Custom Calls said:


> So you just coat the blade with beeswax to help prevent buildup?


Yeah, then wait a few until it dry's and wipe it off.


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## Patrude (May 6, 2014)

I am running 3/4" Timber Wolf blades and have been quite successful with sharpening the back side of the teeth on the bench grinder. I set the flat tool rest at 90 degrees and run each tooth at a slight angle just a light touch is all you need. Couple things you might want to try: I use a stone to ease back the back of the blade. Being especially careful doing this while the saw is running. Theory is that easing the back of the blade helps to reduce binding in the cut. It sounds like you might be a bit too aggressive with your feed rate, Those blades should not be breaking. Take a good look at how it's tracking and resetting the guides. If side guides are too tight it'll cause increased friction. If you're not using a dust collection system cleaning will help. There's a number of good videos on YouTube worth checking out too.


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## Mike1950 (May 6, 2014)

JR Custom Calls said:


> So you just coat the blade with beeswax to help prevent buildup?





hobbit-hut said:


> Yeah, then wait a few until it dry's and wipe it off.



I go to Michael's and buy the hard beeswax-while the saw is running run the beeswax on each side of blade.

Reactions: Agree 1


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## hobbit-hut (May 6, 2014)

Patrude said:


> I am running 3/4" Timber Wolf blades and have been quite successful with sharpening the back side of the teeth on the bench grinder. I set the flat tool rest at 90 degrees and run each tooth at a slight angle just a light touch is all you need. Couple things you might want to try: I use a stone to ease back the back of the blade. Being especially careful doing this while the saw is running. Theory is that easing the back of the blade helps to reduce binding in the cut. It sounds like you might be a bit too aggressive with your feed rate, Those blades should not be breaking. Take a good look at how it's tracking and resetting the guides. If side guides are too tight it'll cause increased friction. If you're not using a dust collection system cleaning will help. There's a number of good videos on YouTube worth checking out too.


I do the stone on the back side also. Both times the blade broke I had my back to it picking up another chunk of wood, nothing being cut at the time. Pops the insert out and sends it flying.


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## Mike1950 (May 6, 2014)

I would question the blade quality- I have had a couple break but they were 3/8's and were being under a lot of stress by inept operator- namely me.
I mostly use 1/2-3/4 blades-supercut brand but recently I have been and will be using unknown brand that I bought for 5 bucks each. I bought 4 to test and I am still using first one. Bought 12 more. At that price they are not worth cleaning.

Reactions: Agree 1


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## ejo4041 (May 6, 2014)

Your blades should not be breaking often. I know Timberwolves stands behind their blades if they break on the weld. Give them a call, they will make it right. Check you setup, there are many good videos online for setting it up properly. Are you doing a lot of turns or is it mostly ripping with the fence on?


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## Nature Man (May 6, 2014)

Anyone use carbide-tipped blades? Any better at staying sharpened??? Chuck


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## Mike1950 (May 6, 2014)

Nature Man said:


> Anyone use carbide-tipped blades? Any better at staying sharpened??? Chuck



I do not think you are supposed to use them on green wood.


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## JR Custom Calls (May 6, 2014)

I saw that Timberwolf makes a blade marketed for green wood... bowl blanks, milling, etc. Looks like it's just a little thicker


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## barry richardson (May 6, 2014)

hobbit-hut said:


> Yeah, then wait a few until it dry's and wipe it off.


Spray PAM also works...


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## barry richardson (May 6, 2014)

I have tried resharpening blades before, there are a couple of youtube videos on it. I never found it to be worth the trouble, they didn't cut much better. What size bandsaw? Wide blades on a 14" (greater than 1/2") normally have a thicker backer, around .035. They will fatigue and break sooner on the tight wrap of a 14" wheel. I have tried pretty much all the blades out there, and I find Lennox to be the longest lasting. Since you cut up root burls, the dirt and grit embedded in the wood might be what is killing your blades...


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## NYWoodturner (May 6, 2014)

Timberwolves are low tension blades, They should not be breaking at the welds. I have only recently migrated to Lenox blades after someone - I think Mike1950 recommended them, I have used Timberwolves for about 8 years and never broken one. Beat the snot out of some and thrown many many away that were no longer usable but never broken one. I would question blade tensions, upper and lower guide gap setting and blade width. Even a bad blade width match would only cause bad tracking and a derailment. I'm not saying they are the best blade in the world but I have never seen one break - Ever.

Reactions: Agree 1


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## DRW (May 6, 2014)

Only my Grizzly 1" blades broke and yes, most of mine is resawing green or half green root burls. I've had three breaks, all while pushing wood through.....drawers had to be changed each time. Tension is set per grizzly between 4-5 on their scale on the saw. I called them once and they sent me a new one, but two broke since then and I am done with those. Lennox is seeming to hold up fine, just got dull fast, 1" 3tpi. I may try the resharpening. I'd like to find some $5 blades....mine are from the 14" Grizzly Anniversary saw, at 131 1/2".


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## Mike1950 (May 7, 2014)

DRW said:


> Only my Grizzly 1" blades broke and yes, most of mine is resawing green or half green root burls. I've had three breaks, all while pushing wood through.....drawers had to be changed each time. Tension is set per grizzly between 4-5 on their scale on the saw. I called them once and they sent me a new one, but two broke since then and I am done with those. Lennox is seeming to hold up fine, just got dull fast, 1" 3tpi. I may try the resharpening. I'd like to find some $5 blades....mine are from the 14" Grizzly Anniversary saw, at 131 1/2".



I watch ebay in my blade size-141 or 142. Find out what will fit. 
I agree with Scott- you will not get many miles out of blade doing the sawing you are doing. No matter how good a blade, once you hit sand or rock- it will be toast. I would fit a decent cheap blade and try it. Price- olsen, Starret, lennox, supercut. I also see no reason to spend money on 1 inch- 1/2 will do the same job and it will be cheaper.

Reactions: Agree 2


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## David Hill (May 14, 2014)

Wow--informative thread.
I've never had a blade break on me--yet. I use a Delta 14in. with a 1.5 hp motor (yep I switched from the wimpy original 3/4 hp). Since I cut mainly blanks from green or dry wood, have been staying with 3 tpi 3/8 inch blades. I do sharpen them with my Dremel-a la youtube--works well. (btw the slender gray grinder works best).


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## Kevin (May 14, 2014)

I have stayed out of this thread but I cannot bite my tongue any longer. I will try to stick to the original questions though and not address the wives tales that are IMO being pushed by some of the responders. The original questions . . . .



DRW said:


> Does anyone know where one could have this done?



You can do it yourself or have it done. Neither is cost effective for a shop type saw unless you're using the saw many hours a day, to add lots of value to the wood you are cutting. Matching your blade/s to your purpose/s is not an easy thing to learn and harder to identify as the species and application/s change.



DRW said:


> I am plowing through blades.



That's the nature of the beast. Unless you're cutting something predictable and constant, you cannot predict blade life nor plan for it with much accuracy. You also can't help it much with infrequent applications of waxes or lubricants - you have to apply them very regularly or the effect is mostly placebo but hey, perception is reality. Think about it . . . . where the friction happens is where the heat builds up and destroys any surface lubricants. If you only use your saw for miniutes at a time - like 10 to 30 minutes at a time it can seem helpful but probably offers no real value for the time spent doing it . . . . 



DRW said:


> Grizzly blades last a while, but have been breaking on me.



Grizzly blades are worshiped by some and damned by others. There's a reason for that.



DRW said:


> I just bought a Lenox and it only lasted a short while.



Lenox blades are worshiped by some and damned by others. There's a reason for that.

If this hasn't helped you I apologize, but it's the same criteria that helped me years ago when I was asking about band saw blades. I do sharpen my own but they are a little longer and wider and thicker for my sawmill. In fact I just had to put a new stone on my homemade sharpener and while I was at it I redesigned the table too. I guess if you are using your band saw enough you could buy an old Craftsman RAS and make a DIY sharpener like I did but on a smaller scale.

Reactions: Like 2 | Thank You! 1


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## DRW (May 14, 2014)

Thanks for the feedback Kevin

Reactions: Agree 1


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## barry richardson (May 15, 2014)

Kevin said:


> That's the nature of the beast. Unless you're cutting something predictable and constant, you cannot predict blade life nor plan for it with much accuracy. You also can't help it much with infrequent applications of waxes or lubricants - you have to apply them very regularly or the effect is mostly placebo but hey, perception is reality. Think about it . . . . where the friction happens is where the heat builds up and destroys any surface lubricants. If you only use your saw for miniutes at a time - like 10 to 30 minutes at a time it can seem helpful but probably offers no real value for the time spent doing it . . . .


I'm afraid I'm going to have to disagree with you on that one Kevin, Pam is heat resistant, and IME well worth the trouble of application to prevent gunk build-up on green wood. Cant say if it prolongs the life of a blade though.

Reactions: Like 1


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## Kevin (May 15, 2014)

Barry I know some people swear by it so I know there must be something to it. But for some reason I have never noticed a difference so I can only share my own experiences. But isn't that the cool thing about band saw blades - almost no other topic has so many disparate experiences among users. I think it can be a good thing not bad. We can ALL learn from each other at least those wiling. I wish I could make PAM etc. work for me but I never have been able to. Yet. I never quit trying to learn though so maybe I will be a convert one day when I realize I am not doing something right concerning waxing blades etc. . . . . .


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## barry richardson (May 15, 2014)

Kevin said:


> Barry I know some people swear by it so I know there must be something to it. But for some reason I have never noticed a difference so I can only share my own experiences. But isn't that the cool thing about band saw blades - almost no other topic has so many disparate experiences among users. I think it can be a good thing not bad. We can ALL learn from each other at least those wiling. I wish I could make PAM etc. work for me but I never have been able to. Yet. I never quit trying to learn though so maybe I will be a convert one day when I realize I am not doing something right concerning waxing blades etc. . . . . .


 Might be the species of wood too, eucalyptus is horrible to cut green, the sap builds up so quickly that I wouldn't even consider trying to cut it without some sort of lube...


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## pvwoodcrafts (May 15, 2014)

I've had it with Grizzly blades. Last one broke when I turned on my bandsaw this morn. I use a small chainsaw file to touch up my timberwolf 3 tpi 1/2 in. blades. Works fine but takes a while to get around 339 of them. Does seem to cause some tearout on bottom


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## Mike1950 (May 15, 2014)

barry richardson said:


> I'm afraid I'm going to have to disagree with you on that one Kevin, Pam is heat resistant, and IME well worth the trouble of application to prevent gunk build-up on green wood. Cant say if it prolongs the life of a blade though.





Kevin said:


> Barry I know some people swear by it so I know there must be something to it. But for some reason I have never noticed a difference so I can only share my own experiences. But isn't that the cool thing about band saw blades - almost no other topic has so many disparate experiences among users. I think it can be a good thing not bad. We can ALL learn from each other at least those wiling. I wish I could make PAM etc. work for me but I never have been able to. Yet. I never quit trying to learn though so maybe I will be a convert one day when I realize I am not doing something right concerning waxing blades etc. . . . . .



Never used Pam but I have used it for other applications- works fabulous for casting plaster release on forms. I wonder if most of your experience Kevin is on your big sawmill bandsaw?? I can see how pam or bees wax would be ineffective there. I only really use it when I am cutting green wood- extends time sawing vs cleaning -at least for me.


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## Nobby40 (May 16, 2014)

Well I'm in Kevins camp here, I'm processing Rootburl that does nothing but absorb rocks, bullets, horseshoes, seen it all. I'm pretty sure I've ran every kind of blade you can and they all fail, some just a little sl0wer than other but not by much. I treat my bandsaw blades just like my chainsaw chain, sharpen,keep lubed and no carbide.


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## Nobby40 (May 16, 2014)

To sharpen your blades my method, buy diamond burrs from the Chinese off Ebay, very cheap, mix half campstove fuel with very good bar oil for chainsaws, make sure it has binding agents, 50 /50 mix and spray away, it works well for me.

Ah, and I use a cheap die grinder and sharpen them on the saw, it really works and keeps my margins it fine shape.

Reactions: Informative 1


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