The time has come to sharpen my Forrester II tablesaw blade.
The manufacturer, perhaps not surprisingly, says no one can restore the blade to its pristine condition like they can, and in fact your local neighborhood sharpener might just mess up the blade. But the local guy charges $15 and shipping to Forrester and back would total about $30. Is it worth the extra money?
And while I’m asking questions… an article in Fine Woodworking not long ago reviewed aftermarket miter gauges. Some had more fixed angle settings than others. The article’s author had two favorites. One had about twice as many fixed settings as the other. But he never said whether more fixed settings was better … I’d settle for a precise 45, but if I spring for such a gauge, should I get one with the most fixed settings? Which angles are the most useful anyway?
gaf
Replies
GAF,
Forrest has done a great job sharpening the Chopmaster and the Freud LU85 that I had them sharpen. I think the LU85 cuts better than when the blade was new, the teeth were scary sharp..
Hope that helps
gaf,
I'd go with your local sharpener.I doubt very much he'd be unable to sharpen it,and the Forrest guy sounds like he's trying to reel you in.If your guy is a dedicated professional sharpener, I'm sure he can do it.
Most mitre guages have presets at 45 and 90,and they allow for adjustment.
Gaf,
This is a topic that has been discussed here in Knots a number of times, a search should turn up a lot of information.
From my own personal experience, and that of many other people, Forrest does a superb job. A frequent comment is that they will sharpen a competitor's blade and make it perform better than new. Top of the line sharpening equipment for carbide is very expensive and requires skilled operators, a small local shop isn't likely to have the equipment even if they have the skills.
Considering the investment you made in buying a top of the line blade, saving ten or fifteen dollars on sharpening it seems like false economy.
John W.
I can testify that not all 'local sharpeners' should be trusted with your best blades. I used 2 or 3 shops when I lived up in tulsa that I only used once.
Most local sharpeners cannot afford the modern computer driven machines that do everything automatically and with a precision unheard of not many years ago. Some of these machines go for over $250,000. You can mount several hundred blades, all of different sizes and cuts, turn the machine on and let it run overnight, unattended. They are amazing to watch in operation.
Ask your local sharpener what grits they use. Anything under 600 diamond grit for carbide blades is to coarse, in my opinion.
PlaneWood by Mike_in_Katy (maker of fine sawdust!)PlaneWood
I second the idea about sending the blade to Forrest. They have the gear to do it right. When I bought mine it was because I wanted a good high quality blade and I was willing to spend the money to maintain that level of quality. Most guys I know don't have the setups to do such work. I know Forrest has a list of several other company's that will sharpen there blades to there standards. Maybe worth looking at that route and see if there is someone local to you that way you can save on the shipping.
Scott C. Frankland
Scott's WOODWORKING Website
"This all could have been prevented if their parents had just used birth control"
Thanks for the input, folks. I hadn't realized sharpening these premium blades could get so sophisticated and exacting. Guess I naively thought they had little gnomes in the back shop with metal files or something.
It's off to NJ we go.
I wish there were a way to sharpen two forresters, one each way, and compare.
Wonder if an amateur like me could even tell the difference?
Thanks again
gaf
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