coupla questions on sharpening bandblades

[Kelvin]

1. How many times around on the machine is typical for your band blades? 
2.  How often do you grind the wheel? 
3.  How much down pressure do you use on the wheel, does the grinder motor really bog down or hardly slow? 
4.  How fast, all the way up on the dial, or 1/2 way? 
5.  Do you make the whole gullet shiney or is there always someparts that get by?
6.  Which is most important sharpening or setting? Or 50-50, 75-25?
7.   Do you set to within .001? or how far a spread is aceptable?
I've got an old woodmizer auto sharpener with hand setter w/ gauge type.  Only once and a while do i get a blade that really feels like a hot knife in butter.  Usually i want to take the blade off after about 300 bd ft, or it starts wandering.  This seems low, so i think my blades aren't getting a real nice sharp square point on them, no matter how long i leave them on the machine.  What do you guys do?
Thanks
kelvin

[Brad_S.]

I don't have a WM sharpener, but another well known brand that is similar but is a dry grind.
1. Twice normally, after setting. If I had hit metal, 3 or 4. Really hammered blades go through twice before setting, then twice again after setting.
2. As needed to maintain profile. Often varies, sometimes every blade, sometimes twice per blade, sometimes every other blade. I don't know why it holds profile better some times than other times.
3. Gravity lowers my grinder. I take off just enough to get the job done. If the motor lugs, I'm blueing my blade.
4. Don't know what the WM speed dial does, but I also have a variable but run flat out.
5. Everything is hit by the wheel, face to gullet to tip.
6. 50-50 Too little set and you pack sawdust and wander, too much set and you leave a lot of sawdust on the board and burn up horsepower. Any thing less than a very sharp blade also eats hp and cuts slowly right from the get go.
7. I try for perfection, but consider up to plus or minus .002 acceptable for normal jobs.

[Tom]

!. one or two trips around.  One to shape the teeth and the second to fine hone the tip.

2. Once to shape the wheel when new and usually a touch-up after every 1 or 2 passes of a blade to expose new grit.  You can see the burning on the band (black streaks) if the wheel is loading up.

3. Gravity contols the pressure.  I don't grind off much at all.  It's more of polishing thing than a heavy grinding.  If the motor losis much RPM I back off on the amount I'm grinding off and make another pass.  Heavy grinding just destroys stone.  "Light's Right".

4. on my woodmizer dial I sharpen on 2 usually.  3 sometimes. 

5. Yes I grind the entire profile unless it is a blade with a profile that is steeper than my cam.  Then I will touch the face and back to sharpen the tip.  After a couple of sharpenings the teeth will fit the profile and they get ground on all surfaces.

6. 50-50 though sharpening is the maintenance that will get you through the most problems.  You can't cut good lumber unless the blade is "right".  Setting, whether light or heavy, must be balanced.

7.  I set my teeth at .021 as close as I can.  I probably waver a thousand either way.  It's important that they all be pretty much alike and that one side matches the other.

Want it to cut like a hot knife?  don't get in a hurry.  Don't use your grinder like it is a side grinder or cut-off wheel.  Use it more like a whet stone and pay special attention to the edge and corners that you put on each tooth.  Face grinds are important, but, accomplish the sharpening by back grinding and gullet cleaning.  A big failure of many folks is allowing the teeth to become too short.  Create at least a 3/8" tooth from tip to transition curve at the base of the face.

Use water or some other lubrucant and coolant.

[Bro. Noble]

Be sure the clamp is holding the blade solid while you are grinding.  If it gets a little dirty and allows the blade to move the least bit,  you will get a poor job of sharpening.

[BBTom]

I agree with Tom.  I run my WM sharpener just about as slow as it will run, never letting the grinder bog down.  My sharpener is set up close to the mill, so I let one blade sharpen while I am sawing.  After a couple of sharpenings, I send it back to Resharp to have it sharpened and set.  I do not have the patience to do a good job of setting, so I let the pros do it.

[woodmills1]

I agree with the info above on sharpening, 2 light passes at around 5 or 6 on the speed, and redress wheel often, as well as let stone hit gullet and keep clamp clean.  However on setting, which I hate to do, I buy woodmizer blades set for pine and use them then sharpen and use again on pine with out setting.  If I have the right jobs I then use them on hardwood, sharpen and use again on hardwood with out setting.  I then set back to pine specs around 25 thousanths, then sharpen and do the same routine.

[highpockets]

How are you dressing the wheel.  Is there a radius dressing tool (holder) on these sharpeners?

[woodmills1]

the wheel is tilted at the rake angle, I use 10 degrees.  The bottem is dressed flat, I just put the dressing stone on the blade guide and lower the wheel onto it by hand.  A small radius is made on the and a back cut on the right both by hand.

[Sawdustslinger]

I just recently switched brands of blades. I was using old blades that I got when I bought my mill. I was told that they were Woodmizer blades. I use a cat claw sharpener. I bought the cam that is suppose to be for the Woodmizer blade. I have sharpen them many times. Now they are all gone to the big junk pile in the sky. So I have just recently bought a box of Woodmizer blades. Now no matter what I do I can not get the sharpener to follow the Woodmizer profile. Just how important is the profile?

[Tom]

The profile is like a new model of automobile.   Sometimes the manufacturer comes up with a  winner that will perform better and sometimes it's just a different look that does what the old one did.   

A fisning lure made in 1906 will still catch fish in 2006.  It may catch more and it may catch less.  It depends on whether the fish got fooled.

Woodmizer has gone through quite a evolution in blades.  When I started, the Woodmizer blades had shorter teeth and flat gullets.   They changed to the sweeping gullet and taller teeth and have been making gullets deeper and teeth taller ever since.  they also began to change the slope of the back of the tooth.   There are reasons, but, some of the old configurations still cut as good.

Woodmizer has more than one profile now.   Judge your sharpener and cam on the profile that works best for you.   If the new blades cut better, perhaps you need a new cam that profiles differently.

Take note that the size of the stone and setup of the sharpener has a lot to do with your success too.

[woodmills1]

woodmizer will sell you a cam that matches tyhe profile of the blades you buy.  In the scope of total band cost the cam is cheap.  Look at it this way, you need to buy bands or you cant cut any thing.  Now you can sharpen yourself or pay for it.  Equipment cost is up front but will pay for itself if you stay in business.  My sharpener is now paid fopr so....... :P doing a job next 2 days probably gross $800 need at least 10 blades which would be $85 plus shipping so more than 10% of the job.  I look at the small amount of labor time as 85 bucks made, by the way I wasnt makin money with that sharpen time anyway. :D

[Sawdustslinger]

Will Woodmizer sale a cam that will fit a cat claw sharpener?

I usually sharpen at night when it's too dark to saw. I'll get plenty of sleep after I'm dead.. smiley_dizzy :D

[LeeB]

If WM doesn't, try Cooks. They will make one for you for whatever brand of blade and sharpenewr you are using. Just tell them what you need. LeeB

[LeeB]

What type wheel does every one use? I was getting mine from Wm and then tried the pink ones from Menominee. I liked the edge from the pink rocks but they sure don't last long. LeeB

[highpockets]

Woodmills1, if I understand you right, you are putting a flat on the stone.  Assuming this, I assume that when the stone comes down the front of the blade and extends to the gullet, the gullet will have a flat profile until it starts up the back side of the tooth.  What width stone are you using? 

[Tom]

Highpockets,
The shape of the stone has more to do with the transition curve from the face to the gullet.  the cam takes care of the rest of the gullet.   How the stone is shaped for the back of the tooth also helps to determine tooth height.   I've used the shaping to help me grind a blade pitch that didn't fit the cam too.   Like 3/4 when the cam was for 7/8.

The transition area must be smooth, but not flat.  A sharp corner in the transition area will weaken the blade.  A flat spot will stop sawdust from flowing into the gullet and it will back up the face of the tooth.  The transition area is the only place on the profile where the stone isn't moving and the shape is dependent on the stone.

[Kelvin]

Thanks for all the info guys.  I guess slow is most popular.  I usually have the advance running full tilt, woodmizer number of about 8-9, and the machine makes about 5 loops to make an edge.  Try 2-3 and see if i get more metal off per pass.
By the way, i use plain old engine coolant in my coolant tray, mixed with water.  Metal shops seem to use this in their metal cutting saws.  Any reason not to?  Thanks
Kelvin

[woodmills1]

I use just plain water in the tray.  the flat doesnt make a flat cut because the cam starts lifting it almost immediataly.  The woodmizer sharpener is almost as invaluable to my business as the HD 40 itself.

[highpockets]

Thanks Tom and Woodmill1, I am building a sharpener if I can ever get back to it.  I guess until I can see it move , there is still some confusion in my little mind.