Saw Blade Sharpener.....

[yorkiepap]

Hey guys,
Since I use a 14" dry cut saw & 10" table saw to cut the majority of my metal, I use my saws daily and finally there comes the time that the blades need sharpening. I was taking them to work to have the fellow who sharpens our company blades do mine also. It was getting to the point of having to wait 3-4 weeks for a return and, at times, stopped production because we only had one for each saw, my boss allowed me to get 4 additional like my own Freud Diablo blades. Finally, I decided to look at the new Harbor Freight Blade Sharpener since they now have a HF store only 10 mi. from me. The website nomenclature for the unit was really brief & didn't specify all the parameters of the unit. When I went to the store to look at the unit, I was quite impressed with the workmanship & quality and features that weren't described on the website. It was on sale for 59.99.....I bought it.

When I got it home, I set it up in my machine shop next to my spoolwinder and read the owners manual several times to understand the setup. The manual, as most of the HF manuals, leaves a lot to be desired regarding proper & precise instructions. For me, it was quite simple and I had it set up & ready in a half hour. My old tool & die days helped me remember the proper technique for sharpening tungsten carbide. I took the blade(14") from the dry cut saw and got the alignment & stop assembly to the correct positioning & indexed the blade to each tooth to check for correct grind angle. When I was satisfied everything was correct, I proceeded to grind each tooth. WOW!!! It was it easy and each tooth came out perfectly. The rake was ok so I didn't have to grind the rake at all. They did furnish the xtra grinding wheel to do the rake, but I will set up another fixture to do that instead of constantly changing wheels to do each operation.

I put the blade back in the saw, put a piece of 2"(.125 wall) sq. tube in the vise & cut.... just like new again. I like the unit & believe it will quickly pay for itself since I have (6) 10" non-ferrous C-6 AL blades, (6) 10" ferrous C-7 blades, and (5) 14" ferrous C-7 blades. Attached are the photos of the setup. If anyone is contemplating resharpening their blades, this unit works great. Of course, familiarization & understanding tooth configurations will benefit your ability to get superb results. Also, take care and take your time to get the setup to the proper configuration for optimum results.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=96687

Denny

[Monte55]

Thanks for the report..........Sounds like a deal.

[MAC702]

Thanks for the write up! Might be worth looking into when I get back that direction and pull my DeWalt out of storage.

[vicegrip]

Economy-wise,
I think some sharpen the rake & clearance alternately....
for the most out of the carbide.

Sharpening the cleance or Back-off leaves the carbide more stout.
but sharpening the rake...helps not use-up all the gullet.

vg

[tigster]

yorkiepap,
thanks for the input on this purchase. i was interested in this same sharpener. i called harbor freight and asked them if they sell replacement blades for this sharpener. they said no. will have to buy another sharpener to get another blade! - unless someone knows of a replacement. let us know how much mileage you get out of the sharpening blade. i would interested to know. can the extra grinding wheel for the rake be used to sharpen the teeth also? thanks.

[petersenj]

I'm not in the market for one of these but I did see on at the store and wondered if it was a good tool. Nice write-up as always, and I will keep it in mind if I can ever justify the $60.

[yorkiepap]

Hey tigster,
I couldn't remember the post where we discussed that sharpener. I was very reluctant to buy one on a "chance". The HF product listing really doesn't give much detail and finally they put in a HF outlet just 10 mi. from me. I went to look at it, check the setup, look at the construction & precision of the adjustments. I was surprised. I could do any blade from 7 1/2" to 15", had a very easy setup to configure grind & stop for each tooth, & was very smooth on the guide rails. The wheel is a diamond wheel and they furnish the xtra wheel for back clearance. I apologize for the misnomer on the rake & clearance on my first post. The changeover for both wheels is really a pain if you have several blades to do, so I am going to make a tandem setup add-on to grind the back clearance with the wheel they furnish. Since they say another diamond wheel is not available separately, I will check with our supplier at work to see what is available or make a modification to another if necessary. Looks like the furnished wheel will provide excellent lifespan as the re-grind isn't a severe one. Just a matter of re-touching the cutting edge to sharpness again.

The operating manual is not much as to defining procedures & setup & alignment configurations. It's really not hard once you get it on your bench & look at the unit as to functions. I also forgot to mention that a quick shot of WD-40 on the guide rails really makes it smooth. So far I have sharpened (3) of the 10" blades & (1) 14" blade(P-C stock blade). Just like new again.

If you get one & have problems, let me know & I'll try to get you up & runnin'.

Denny

[yorkiepap]

Hey tigster,
Just a followup on sharpening several of the 14" Diablo blades for my company. The first blade I re-sharpened, I had to cut 400 of our panel frames(rectangular) that have the frame material that is 1" X 1.5" X .047wall and the core of the tubing is filled with a combination of plaster & fiberglass. Then had to cut the cutoffs to refit into the shortened frames. So, I cut 400 frames(top/bot.) X 2 = 800 cuts. Then cut the cutoffs(2 at a time) for reduced configuration: another 800 cuts. The last 10 started to leave a heavy burr and I knew it was time to change blades. So, that's 1600 cuts, and I probably would have gotten another 400 cuts if the core was clear & not filled with the plaster/fib.glass. I feel that was quite acceptable considering the crappy frame material.

Your 2nd question on the other wheel furnished: No, it cannot be used to sharpen the tungsten teeth as it is not a green wheel or diamond wheel. It is simply to do the back clearance. I'm checking on a replacement tungsten wheel...just-in-case. Denny

[tailshaft56]

Might have to pick one up for my table saw. I'll swing by there and check it out if I can find the time.

[Monte55]

Hey tigster,
Just a followup on sharpening several of the 14" Diablo blades for my company. The first blade I re-sharpened, I had to cut 400 of our panel frames(rectangular) that have the frame material that is 1" X 1.5" X .047wall and the core of the tubing is filled with a combination of plaster & fiberglass. Then had to cut the cutoffs to refit into the shortened frames. So, I cut 400 frames(top/bot.) X 2 = 800 cuts. Then cut the cutoffs(2 at a time) for reduced configuration: another 800 cuts. The last 10 started to leave a heavy burr and I knew it was time to change blades. So, that's 1600 cuts, and I probably would have gotten another 400 cuts if the core was clear & not filled with the plaster/fib.glass. I feel that was quite acceptable considering the crappy frame material.

Your 2nd question on the other wheel furnished: No, it cannot be used to sharpen the tungsten teeth as it is not a green wheel or diamond wheel. It is simply to do the back clearance. I'm checking on a replacement tungsten wheel...just-in-case. Denny

Was driving by Harbor Freight today and it hit me there was something I was going to get per your post. Now I am the owner of a blade sharpener. Now I have to learn how to use it. I have a Dewalt Multi-Cutter and need to sharpen the blade. I have a new one I got off of e bay for $70 as a spare. I have been thinking for a long time about making a sharpener. Now I have one. Any extra tips on use will be appreciated. Thanks ..........Nick

[Monte55]

Stated in the previous post I got the HF blade sharpener. I went to sharpen my carbide tipped metal blade for my Dewalt Multi Cutter DW872. I finally figured out how to set it up to grind the face of the tooth with the diamond blade. Now I need to grind the top of each tooth for the back relief I guess you call it. Mine are worn some and rounded toward the front of the tooth. I could grind the face back more but it would take quite a bit of grinding to get back that far. I can't figure out how to set up the diamond blade to do that. The instructions say to use the other wheel but if it's not for carbide, how can it be used for the top the the carbide tooth? Any help would be appreciated. Pics would be great.
Thanks.........Nick

Ps I have two Dewalt 70 tooth blades DW7747. Same number but the blades are different. One blade has a wierd center hole that takes an aluminum adapter to fit on the saw. The teeth are ground perpendicular to the blade
side. The other has a round hole and doesn't need the aluminum adapter to fit the saw. Also the face of each tooth is ground at a 7 degree angle. The side ground alternates with each tooth. Make any sense?

[Monte55]

Here are some pictures of the sharpener with a 14 inch 70 tooth
DeWalt metal cutting blade with carbide teeth.
First pics are of sharpening top of the tooth (rake?)
Pay close attention to the setup of motor position, blade position, etc.

[Monte55]

These pics are of grinding the face of the carbide tooth. Again, pay close attention to the setup of the motor, blade holder and the last pic (which is the tooth indexer stop). It springs one direction as you turn the blade and acts as a stop when you reverse the direction so each tooth will be ground the same.

[Monte55]

Here is a pic of the sharpened blade and a couple of a piece of metal I cut with the blade I just sharpened. The grinding operation may not be perfect but it worked. I think, for the $59 price, it is well worth it; especially coming with a diamond blade. This could also be used to sharpen tungstens, lathe turning tools, etc.
FINAL NOTE; (AND I FEEL THIS IS A VERY IMPORTANT STEP) WHICH I DID NOT DO UNTIL I THOUGHT ABOUT IT AT THE END AND REGROUND THE BLADE.

It is very difficult to tell if the face of your carbide tip is flat against the diamond wheel because it is so small.
Take a Sharpie marker and on the side of the blade, mark your starting tooth to be sharpened...ALSO mark the face of the tooth with the black marker. When you feel you have your setup proper and ready to grind, do a very light test grind on this blackened tooth face. If you are not even across the face it will be evident and you must readjust your setup. Remark the tooth face and do another light test grind until you have the geometry correct. Do not move to another tooth until you have this correct. Once correct and your indexer stop is set properly, every tooth will be identical and the grinding will go very quickly. Spending $59 to save the life of $100 plus blades is a NO BRAINER.

[Roger]

A great saw shop will replace missing carbide saw tooth. Is that next on your to do list.