Replies

1. 
   UncleDunc | Dec 24, 2003 08:43am | #1

   It's not a home shop project, even if you have way more time than money. At a minimum it requires a quality arbor with indexing capability, a grinder with a diamond wheel, and a jig to present the grinder to each facet of each tooth at the correct angle.

2. 
   rslatm | Dec 24, 2003 04:48pm | #2

   Send it out. Not something that can be done properly without special equipment and training.
3. 
   wgsdvm | Dec 24, 2003 06:40pm | #3

   I have Forrest blades and I send them back to them for sharpening, test cutting etc.

   It is worth it, they return like new!!

4. 
   BOBABEUI | Dec 24, 2003 10:43pm | #4

   Landy,

   As others have suggested I would send them out. I have also used Forrest's sharpening service as another poster has suggested for Forrest and a Freud blade and they have returned scary sharp,  worth the money spent..

5. 
   Sancho | Dec 25, 2003 10:55pm | #5

   Sure I do. 

   I take it off the saw.

   Put it in a box.

   Drive it to La Habra Tool repair

   Give it to Manny

   Manny calls me

   I go pick it up.

   Pay him 15 bucks

   Reverse the process. :>)

   Its actually better to send it out unless you have a large lapping table and a lot of hours to hand lap it.  

    

   Darkworksite4:

   Estamos ganando detrás el estado de Calif. Derrotando a un #### a la vez. DESEA VIVO LA REVOLUCIÓN

6. 
   JBD | Dec 29, 2003 08:39am | #6

   I would have answered like all above for years, but believe it or not, you can do a heluvagood job with a small diamond hone and about ten minutes of very careful honing.  If you have a few cheap blades that you don't mind trying this on, you'll be hooked.

   I've made my blades scary sharp this way without altering too much by honing just the top facet edges only.

   Then my glass-fabricator shop neighbor showed me a stack of fine diamond honing blades about 8" DIA with a 1" arbor, and I made a bushing down to 5/8" and now I hit the inside faces on the teeth of my blades (much better than top grinds - keeps the blade "jointed") with quite nice accuracy.  Very sharp blades after only three - five minutes.

   The small diamond hone is indispensible though for everything - JB

    

   "The furniture designer is an architect." - Maurice DuFrenes (French Art Deco furniture designer, contemporary of Ruhlmann)

   http://www.pbase.com/dr_dichro

1. 
   Steinmetz | Dec 29, 2003 04:49pm | #7

   Dr Dic, Do you mount the diamond hone on your tablesaw? do you index?

   Add a index stop?

   Are all 'Laps' perpendicular to the blade's center line?

   Or are they splayed left and right?

   Is the wheel charged on it's face? Rim?

   Cup

   I have tons of carbide to dress up. Thanks in advance Stein.?

1. 
   JBD | Dec 29, 2003 05:17pm | #8

   Yo Stemitz,

   I was referring mainly to one of those small, hand held diamond hone "slip stones" that one can get anywhere these days.  About 1" wide x 4" or so. 

   As far as angle indexing, I follow the rule of all tool edge work - follow the existing angle as closely as possible, making sure to provide edge clearance, not removing too much to alter the angle - just hone back to razor sharpness.  WD-40 is a great cutting fluid for these stones too.   My biggest use for these is quickly whetting a razor edge back on my utility knife blade edges.  Much faster than changing blades - even with the quick-release. 

   I ground the long edges of my diamond hones at a back-angle to allow them to get into the inside cannels of drill bits and carbide router bits.  Very useful for carbide straight bit honing as well as power plane knives.

   The circular diamond sharpening blades I referred to later allowed me to get a higher carbide removal rate, and allowed the edge to hone the inside faces of each tooth of the blade, which is 90° to the plate, and I follow the existing hook angle for each blade (some are negative hook, and most are positive hook).

   I practiced on 7-14" blades and then did my older carbide 10" blades.  My two FS Tool, high ATB, negative hook  melamine blades will never see my hand sharpening - will always send them out.  Ever use negative hook melamine blades?  Absolutely ZERO bottom tearout crosscutting veneer plywoods and melamine.

   - JB 

   "The furniture designer is an architect." - Maurice DuFrenes (French Art Deco furniture designer, contemporary of Ruhlmann)

   http://www.pbase.com/dr_dichro

1. 
   Steinmetz | Dec 29, 2003 11:49pm | #9

   DrDic, I have two of those credit card hones that I use to dress up some router bits also sharpen my chef knives and plane irons.  Never used W D for that purpose though? (Must try it)  Thanx for the info Stein  A K A ED from CT

2. 
   Steinmetz | Jun 21, 2004 10:00pm | #10

   Dr.D,I was just checking the archives for a post I had made reguarding sharpening, when I spotted a reply from you in december 0?

   I must have missed it then , but thanks for your nice reply and thanks for YOUR tip (grinding a back bevel on your diamond 'Credit card" honing stone.

   Today, there's a spate of new guys requesting advice on Drill Doctor  bit sharpening, so I was searching past posts to find and forward it to the new guys

   I,ve been hand sharpening drill bits for over 50 years and can do it in the dark or very dimly lit rooms

   If I  find my original post , I,ll update it and send it in for all to read. Steinmetz

1. 
   JBD | Jun 22, 2004 12:31am | #12

   Thanks for your comments, Steinmetz.  After re-reading my posts, I realized I was a little too vague on my explanation of the circular diamond hone blades, as they are mounted on an arbor, vs the small diamond pocket hones I also referred to, which most are familiar with.  I'll try to explain again the circular hone:

   Ever since that earlier post, I've sharpened many of my good blades to insane sharpness (equal or better to pro sharpening), and can't speak enough of how nice it is to be able sharpen your own saw blades with an arbor-mounted diamond hone. 

   It all began when my neighboring glass studio showed me a stack of 8" DIA fine diamond circular blades with a continuous-rim diamond edge (diamonds throughout, not plated) they bought at a sale.  They thought they were for glass, and I tried cutting glass with it, even with water feed, and they were way too fine.  Then I realized they were for sharpening carbide, not cutting glass.  The blade edge is about 1/16" (kerf), with continous diamond about 5/16" deep, and they had 1" arbors, so I machined a reducing bushing down to 5/8" arbor and mounted them on my table saw, knowing that I could hit the inside faces of my carbide teeth, as the "blade" could easily get into the gullet.  Laying my dull saw blade flat on the table, I aligned the existing hook angle and marked the center arbor hole with a magic marker on the cast-iron top of te T-saw table.  Then it took about 5-7 minutes to sharpen the whole blade, shooting WD-40 every so often to clean the clogged carbide. 

   At 30-40 bucks a blade, I saved between 200 and 300 bucks that afternoon and didn't hassle with traffic to drop off a stack of blades. 

   If anyone needs one of these honing blades, e-mail me.  We have at least five good blades left, and I'll only use one for the rest of my life.   - JB  

   "The furniture designer is an architect." - Maurice DuFrenes (French Art Deco furniture designer, contemporary of Ruhlmann)

   http://www.pbase.com/dr_dichro   http://www.johnblazydesigns.com

2. 
   Steinmetz | Jun 22, 2004 01:52am | #13

   Dr D, Thanks for clearing that circular diamond honing wheel misunderstanding of mine.

   I mistakingly assumed you fashoned a jig to hand hone the blade in place on the arbor using an indexing stop and a ramped jig to guide the credit card diamond hone to dress up the teeth.

   Now Isee it very clearly

   I used to have a 'Knee' type milling machine  (Burke)and had to make plenty of bushings for use with various milling cutters and grinding wheels with odd sized IDs

   My son lives nearby and owns a tool and die business Everything is C N C now but I still use some of his older machines just to keep busy

   I have a set up in a corner there ,with my buffing and polishing gear  (I resurect old tools/planes/chisels etc etc. Stein

   I recently purchased a 3/4 " x 5" diamond wheel for his bench grinder for carbide tool bits for  $10.00 at a flea mkt

   I'm a retired locksmith/carpenter/wood worker/ tinsmith/ and I sew leather and canvas Just finished 5 awnings for a friend's restaurant.

   Edited 6/21/2004 6:54 pm ET by steinmetz

7. 
   bones | Jun 21, 2004 10:07pm | #11

   Forrest sharpens blades. You can also check your local yellow pages under sharpening services.  I would get an esitimate. You did not say how much your blades cost, so if the blade is not very expensive, buying a new one might be cheaper.