Replies

1. 
   old saw | Feb 15, 2010 02:55am | #1

   Hi:

   If you can even find someone to sharpen your blades, it will probably cost you as much or more than a new blade; eight bucks for a new 104 inch blade is pretty inexpensive. Another thought about resharpening bandsaw blades is this: they can only be used a certain length of time before they start breaking from metal fatigue. I used to resharpen my own blades when I used my saw alot and I found that I could sharpen one maybe three times before the steel was worn out. Of course, how quickly the metal fatigues depends on a number of factors, one of which is the gauge of the blade in relation to the diameter of the bandsaw wheels; for a given blade thickness, smaller wheels will fatigue the blade faster.

   Still, it does seem a great shame to just throw away a dull blade, doesn't it? :-) Back in the early 80's FWW published an article about a jig one could build to resharpen bandsaw blades using a shaped stone on a bench grinder. I didn't have a good grinder at the time, so I adapted the jig to work on my wood lathe with a small mandrel-mounted wheel held in a jacobs chuck. It required some fiddling to get everything just right, plus a small learning curve, but before long I could sharpen blades as fine as 6 tpi in about 15 minutes for a 93 inch blade. I can tell you one thing: they cut alot better than new. Don't try to grind too much metal off a tooth at once - make several passes if metal has to be removed from the gullets.

   The jig appeared in Fine Woodworking #40, page 83. It was also in the book, Fine Woodworking On Woodworking Machines.

2. 
   SARGEgrinder47 | Feb 15, 2010 11:59am | #2

   I'm guessing the $7 is from
   I'm guessing the $7 is from your local sharpener for a TS blade. I can't imagine the time involved a pro sharpener doing it for $7 which about what mine charges for a 24 T rip blade which is a great price. I personally don't have time to tinker with sharpening one myself.. so I just get another one. If you have excessive time maybe a different story for you.

3. 
   morganhelshoj | Dec 07, 2012 10:51am | #3

   Carbide sharpening

   Laguna tools or http://www.abetterblade.com does carbide sharpening hope this helps you

4. 
   PSeverin | Dec 11, 2012 03:46pm | #4

   Salvaged lumber

   Up in Duluth there is a company that resaws salvaged lumber from old buildings.  While touring their facility  we past by an automatic sharpening machine for their band saw blades.  As they were cutting old timbers the dull blades we being fed through a machine clicking forward one tooth at  time bast a grind wheel.   

   So yes there is a way.  And maybe if you have a similar outfit around you, you could find someone to do it, but unless you are using very large blades I bet it is a lot simpler to buy new.

   Peter

5. 
   PSeverin | Dec 12, 2012 06:08pm | #5

   Duluth Timber is a mill

   The size of the saw is large.  I thought I had taken a picture of the sharpening machine, but somehow the pictures were only of the saw as it was pulled across the timbers.  So the blades are large and as you guessed it is a milling operation.  See photo

   Peter