Is it worthwhile to sharpen table saw blades or just buy new?

[lnelson]

Over the years I have had marginal results with having my saw blades sharpened. The sharpened blades do not seem to cut as cleanly as new and they do not stay sharp for very long. As a result, I generally will buy a new blade vs. having them sharpened. So I have this stack of sawblades and yet another dull blade on my tablesaw. The question is; is it worth having blades sharpened (also read, maybe I have been taking my blades to the wrong sharpener?) or do you just write them off as a cost of cuttiing wood and buy new ones?

If anyone has a someone in the general Greensboro area that they feel does a great sharpening job, I would appreciate your forwarding their contact information.

Thanks,

L. Nelson

 

[Rob]

It depends on the blade. If I pay $100+ for a blade, yes, I'll have it sharpened. The blades I get at Lowe's, probably not, I've had a couple of $30 DeWalt blades sharpened, and they did alright, but the time to take the blade to Raleigh, (actually my wife does it since she works near there) I'm not sure it's worth the cost savings of a new blade.

 

[Skymaster]

+1 if you have 100 plus blades YES, for several reasons, first the quality of the carbide plus the steel plate they will be as good as new. cheaper blades are just that use em toss em. IMHO overall the best reasonable blade out there are Freud, cut super clean, last a looooooooooong time :eusa_danc:eusa_danc:icon_thum

 

[Pop Golden]

Hj Skymaster, I like Freud blades too, but f you ever use a Tenryu blade you'll be throwing rocks at Freud. Tenryu is made in Japan by the same guys who made samurai swords. The only down side to Tenryu is cost. BOY! They're expensive.
:banana:

Pop

 

[DWSmith]

The other side of this coin is the sharpener. MESCO in High Point uses a 60 grit diamond wheel which makes for a ragged surface and a poorly sharpened blade. (Bosch and Skil both use 600 grit wheels on their blades from the factory.) Even a cheap-o blade can benefit from sharpening and I would hesitate to trash a blade with carbide left on it regardless of the initial cost.

You can go to Wurth wood products and they will send your blades off to a sharpener in Charlotte who will do a terrific job. The other shop I work with uses that service and I know how choosy he is about his blades and their cost.

 

[Bill Clemmons]

For me, it depends on the thickness of the carbide teeth. Those w/ thicker carbide are usually worth sharpening (and more expensive). The cheapo blades from the BORGS usually have thin carbide teeth, and may not be worth the expense/effort of having them sharpened.

W/ that said, I use a fellow not far from Climax. He is located between Liberty and Burlington, and he is on this site as Sharpening Service. He doesn't check the site very often, so if you want to contact him, his number is 336-565-8028. If I were using a new service for the first time, I would probably take one blade in as a test to see if I was satisfied or not. I've been using him for 7 or 8 years now, and am satisfied.

Bill

 

[KenOfCary]

As Bill mentioned a lot depends on the thickness of the Carbide on the teeth. Even Freud has a quality line and a consumer line of blades. The quality line has much more carbide and is meant for repeated sharpening. Their consumer line has thinner carbide and is made to use and throw away but is much cheaper.

Both are good deals depending on you usage and needs.

- Ken.

 

[Tim Sherwood]

+1 for the Sharpening Service in Liberty.