Sharpening bandsaw blades on my radial arm saw

[NMFP]

Interesting!!  Few thoughts:

As the band is worn down, how do you adjust the height of the table to compensate for band wear?

As the wheel wears, how do you compensate for that wear as well?

Do you get any bluing of the teeth using a full profile dry like that?  Doesn't take much to harden and weaken steel with heat.

All in all, very innovative and looks neat!

[Kcwoodbutcher]

I think the original poster was referring to a post I made several years ago about sharpening this way. I have been doing this for years. It works great and you can play with the profile easily with a diamond dresser. Use an aluminum oxide wheel and you will get hundreds of sharpenings from it with just a little touchup every few sharpenings. Silicon carbide is easier to dress but doesn't last long. Make your passes through the blade quickly with just a light cut or you will burn the blade. You must start with a 1" width wheel to make a 7/8" profile so make sure the arbor on the saw is long enough to hold the wheel. I was able to put the original saw guard back on my setup. Running without one looks scary and dangerous. You can change the hook angle simply by swiveling the saw head but you have to adjust the profile when you do. I try to think of a few more tips and post them later.

[caveman]

I have a couple of questions for KCwoodbutcher.  First, would it make sense to have a different grinding wheel for each different degree of blade that you sharpen?  Second, can you provide a link to your post of using a radial arm saw to sharpen?

NRP0450, the setup that you have looks like it should work well and may inspire several of us to build one of our own.  I am going to have to go look at my radial arm saw and determine if the auxiliary shaft is long enough to accommodate a 1" grinding wheel.

Thanks to both of you,
Caveman

[hackberry jake]

They also sharpen planer blades
 

 

[nrp0450]

Yes, it was a post from you, KCWOODBUTCHER, that got me started. You had a picture of the setup that was very helpful. Like yours, my arbor was just barely long enough to take the 1" wheel.

Caveman, here is KCWOODBUTCHER's original post. If your arbor won't take a 1" wheel you might be able to use a smaller one and tilt the RAS head to the angle of the backside of the teeth (instead of the front). Looks like a 1/2" wheel would work in that configuration. It would be more work to dress the wheel to the right profile but it should still work.

NMFP, I just turn the crank that lowers the RAS head to adjust the height. It works well. I haven't seen any blueing of the steel. I don't think the quick passes generate much heat. I put my finger on a tooth right afterward and couldn't detect any heat. (I don't know if that means it wasn't hot a second earlier though.)

[VictorH]

Hey Jake  - are you pulling your RAS head across the blade or pushing the planer blade in a jig?  Also what kind of stone are you using?  The pink suggests a chainsaw stone I've seen.
Thanks
Victor

[hackberry jake]

I was pulling the head across the blade and it is a pink chainsaw sharpener stone. I just had to use a 5/8 to 3/4 adapter bushing to mount it on the arbor.

[Kcwoodbutcher]

I have made a few different wheels for different profiles/hook angles. I also have one for 3/4 pitch blades. It take about an hour to dress the wheel so don't get carried away with a bunch of profiles. I use a cam lock on the guide to stiffen the blade when the wheel hits it. If I don't I get a ragged cut. One last thing, at 200+ teeth per blade your arm can be a little sore from pulling the saw head through the blade. Every time I sharpen a blade I think of automating the whole process but there's never the time.

[papow22]

I would like to see Kcwoodbutcher setup,this seem to be a interesting topic on this idea. specially the cam wheel setup.I know pictures speak millions.To me to see that in photos is better than  reading all day.

[nrp0450]

Kcwoodbutcher, I would like to see your camlock too. Do you have to engage it and disengage it for every tooth?

Nathan

[Kcwoodbutcher]

I'll get a picture tonight. Yes you do have to engage it every tooth but it is little effort and you kinda develop a rhythm.

[36 coupe]

I remember my wood bench top burning from the spark stream from a grinding wheel.Red glow about 1 inch in diameter.Too much sawdust around my saw to try that.I would try grinding the top and face of the tooth leaving the gullet alone.I have used a Belsaw  Sharpall since 1970.Sharpened a lot of saws for customers.A fellow who top ground new band saw blades found he was taking off .004/.005.Bandsaw blades will break long before the gullets have to be deeper.

[Peter Drouin]

Bandsaw blades will break long before the gullets have to be deeper.

The gullet is what takes the sawdust out of the cut. You have to keep the tooth the same height for it to work right. That means the gullet has to grind down with the tooth.  Doing that will grind away the cracks  in the gullet and the blades will last longer.

[leroy in kansas]

That is really slick. You have raised the price of radial arm saws to double. (I gave mine away also.)

[36 coupe]

Bandsaw blades will break long before the gullets have to be deeper.

The gullet is what takes the sawdust out of the cut. You have to keep the tooth the same height for it to work right. That means the gullet has to grind down with the tooth.  Doing that will grind away the cracks  in the gullet and the blades will last longer.Have to disagree..005 is not much lost.I understand the gullets function but have sharpened many 30 inch cordwood saws that cut well with shorter teeth.Photos Ive seen show deep scratches left by grinding wheels that I think start cracks.There is no way you can sharpen and keep a new saw profile.I have had a new blade break after little use.Setting hardened teeth will always be a problem.

[Peter Drouin]

Bandsaw blades will break long before the gullets have to be deeper.

Have to disagree..005 is not much lost.I understand the gullets function but have sharpened many 30 inch cordwood saws that cut well with shorter teeth.Photos Ive seen show deep scratches left by grinding wheels that I think start cracks.There is no way you can sharpen and keep a new saw profile.I have had a new blade break after little use.Setting hardened teeth will always be a problem.

I can keep a tooth profile and setting hardened teeth is easy. You can do it your way. I was just trying to help and share what I have learned In the last 27 years of sharping saw blades.

[36 coupe]

I started sharpening cordwood saw blades in the mid 50s.I still have the cordwood saw my dad bought from Sears Roebuck.I have about 60 years in sharpening tools.I am trying to get people to sharpen the face and tip only.I started to build a bandsaw sharpener but cataracts shut down my sharpening last year.Bandsaw blades should be set first and then sharpened.Simonds ran a ad in American Lumber & Pallet that shows what happens when the teeth are set after sharpening.Had the last eye surgery this morning.Ill finish my grinder and test my idea.

[36 coupe]

They also sharpen planer blades
 

 (Image hidden from quote, click to view.)

Looks like the grind is too heavy, too much sparking.

[hackberry jake]

It was too heavy. If you grind too heavy the blade will bow from the heat and will have a less than straight edge. First try at it though. Next time I dull them out I will definately use a lighter grind.

[Darrel]

Well, that settles it.
There really isn't anything that can't be done with a radial arm saw. 
Pretty cool.

You've got that right.  If I could only have one tool in my shop, it would be my radial arm saw.  This looks really good, I think I may give this a try.

I have found when doing precision work on my radial arm saw, that if I go a little too low with the hight adjustment then come up, I have better luck.  Also from where I sit on this side of my iPad, it looks like you may have been grinding a little heavy.  And now that you know that your idea works, you might want to consider making your clamping device out of steel. 

This looks like a money saver to me!