When you’ve been using your table saw for a lot of projects you probably notice a difference in the performance of the saw. This is because the blade becomes warn down over time. This causes the blade to become. While many woodworkers just go out and buy a new blade, there is a less expensive alternative. You can easily sharpen your table saw blade and get a lot more use with it. In fact, a sharpened blade will work as good as a new one. It doesn’t take long and you can have it done in less time than it would take you to go down and buy a new one. Not to mention, you’re saving money. Here are a few tips to cut down on the number of table saw blades you’ll need to buy and how to sharpen them properly.
Buy a diamond blade
You just need to make one investment to sharpen your table saw blade. Invest in a diamond blade. Carefully switch out your circular blade for the diamond saw blade. Turn off your table saw and make sure that it is unplugged for safety.
Use safety equipment
After you’ve switched out the blades, put on safety gear. It’s better to be safe than sorry. The machine can be loud when it operates so use a pair of earphones to protect your hearing by reducing the noise. Also, wear a pair of safety goggles to protect your eyes from the metal shavings that will be produced when you sharpen your saw blade.
You’ll also need a pair of sturdy gloves to protect your hands while you’re working with the metal. Some people who sharpen their blades also us a respirator but this is a matter of personal choice. Also have a jig available to worth will so you can prop up the blade while you’re sharpening. If you don’t have a jig you can use a piece of sturdy material in place of it.
How To Sharpen a Table Saw Blade?
Step 1: Prepare and practice runs
When you have everything set up and your safety equipment is on, take the dull blade that needs sharpening and places it against the diamond blade. It’s important to note that you are going to sharpen the inside of the tooth of the blade because that is where the carbide is. You will sharpen each tooth by briefly touching it up against the diamond blade quickly. Make a few practice runs so you can get the hang of it before you turn the table saw on.
Step 2: Turn on the saw
Plug in the table saw and turn it on.
Step 3: Sharpening the first tooth
Push the first tooth of the dull blade against the diamond blade only touching the diamond blade briefly, then pull it back.
Step 4: Sharpening each tooth on the blade
Move on to put the next tooth up to the diamond blade and repeat the process that you did for the first tooth. Keep going until you’ve sharpened each tooth on the dull blade. That’s all it takes to sharpen a table saw blade so it will work as good as it did when it was new.
Step 5: Clean the blade and the work area
Wipe your blade of all the shavings and dust created from the sharpening process. Also, sweep or wipe the surface of the table saw. Turn off and unplug the machine before you complete this final step.
When It’s Time To Buy a New Table Saw Blade
There are some times when you should not sharpen an old dull blade. If you have an older table saw with a blade that has a curve versus a straight edge, it’s not a good idea to try to sharpen the old blade. It’s better to replace this kind of blade with a new one. Also, you can only sharpen a table saw blade so many times before it is too worn to be useful. If there is not enough carbide left on the blade to sharpen it, there will not be enough blade to work with and it’s time to replace the blade with a new one.
Final Verdict
Sharpening your dull table saw blade doesn’t take long and it can save you a lot of money in the long run. It’s an easy process to learn and it only takes one investment in a diamond blade. If you follow the safety procedures and the steps outlined above, you can sharpen your dull table saw blades several times to get a lot more use out of each one. It will save you time and money through time.
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