Things to Know About Circular Saw Blade Sharpening
Circular saw blade sharpening is very important to keep its cutting efficiency and extend its service life. The sharp blade can not only ensure accurate cutting and clean cuts but also reduce wear on your circular saw blade.
In this blog, we will talk about all the essential information you need about saw blade sharpening, hope this will benefit you whether you want to provide the related saw blade sharpening service, or want to buy a circular saw blade sharpening machine for your production, or just want to learn the related information.
Why does Circular Saw Blade Need to be Sharpened?
Circular saw blades are consumable parts. Once used, they need to be sharpened from time to time. This is mainly due to the following three reasons:
To Improve the Cutting Efficiency
A sharp circular saw blade significantly enhances cutting performance and accuracy. For most industries, everybody wants to cut materials effortlessly with clean and smooth cuts, especially when you have high requirements for cutting accuracy. The sharp blades can also reduce the energy consumption.
To Improve Cutting Safety
Using a dull blade to cut materials is very dangerous. Dull blades are easy to bind and overheat, this not only results in poor cutting quality but also has many potential production risks. The sharp blades can improve overall production safety.
To Save Cost
Sharpening circular saw blades is a cost-effective way to save costs. If you change the saw blade once it dulled every time, the cost will be very high. You can choose to sharpen circular saw blades once they are worn out.
Signs of Circular Saw Blade Needs Sharpening
Before sharpening saw blades, how do we know when we need to sharpen them? We need to observe these signs.
Cut Quality
One of the most obvious signs that your circular saw blade needs sharpening is a noticeable decline in cut quality. If you find a rough edge or jagged edge on the cutting ends, this means your saw blade is dull. Sharp blades can produce clean and smooth cuts, but dull blades will produce uneven cuts.
Burn Marks
If your cutting materials have burn marks, you need to sharpen the circular saw blade. As the blade dulls, it generates more friction and heat during the cutting process, so the burns will appear on the material, this is a sign of low cutting efficiency.
Increased Effort
If you find that you need to use more energy than usual to cut through the material, it means that the circular saw blade has become dull. At this time, you need to resharpen it to improve cutting efficiency and accuracy.
Noise
Noises are always present during cutting, but they are usually consistent and regular. If you experience unusual noises during cutting, this may be a sign that the saw blade is no longer sharp and needs to be resharpened for efficient cutting.
Types of Circular Saw Blades
When people talk about circular saw blades, some refer to the different materials they are made from, while others focus on the tooth geometry. Therefore, when addressing the issue of sharpening saw blades, it’s essential to first understand the blade materials and tooth configurations.
Material Types
The common types of circular saw blades on the market are roughly divided into the following types according to the materials.
Carbide Saw Blades
Carbide Saw Blades are popular due to their durability and ability to stay sharp longer than other types. The carbide tips are extremely hard, making the saw blades suitable for cutting hardwoods and metals. We recommend you sharpen the carbide saw blades with professional saw blade sharpening machine.
Steel Saw Blades
Steel saw blades are used for common-purpose cutting, they are generally cheap and easy to sharpen. The saw blades made from steel material dull faster, so they need to sharpen frequently.
Diamond Blades
Diamond blades are used to cut concrete, tiles, and other masonry materials. These blades are extremely hard, so the tooling used to sharpen the diamond blades is quite different from the above two types of saw blades.
Tooth Design
If circular saw blades are classified according to tooth shape, the following are the common types on the market.
Alternate Top Bevel (ATB)
ATB saw blades have teeth that alternate between left and right bevels, this kind of cutting tooth is suitable for crosscutting wood and providing clean, smooth cuts. When sharpening the ATB saw blade, you need to pay attention to maintaining the correct bevel angles on each tooth.
Flat Top Grind (FTG)
FTG saw blade has flat top teeth, it is very durable and suitable for cutting wood.
Combination (Combo) Blades
The combination blades mean the mix of the tooth design, generally, it is the combination of ATB and FTG teeth. When sharpening the combo blades, will be more complicated than sharpening single-type teeth.
Triple Chip Grind (TCG)
TCG blades have a pattern of alternating flat and trapezoidal teeth, suitable for cutting hard materials, like plastic and non-ferrous metals. When sharpening TCG blades, you will need more professional service or more professional equipment to maintain the precise geometry of the triple-chip pattern.
Circular Saw Blade Sharpening Tools and Equipment
Here are some tools and equipment that are used to sharpen the saw blades, you can choose the suitable type according to your specific needs.
Files
Using the file to manually sharpen the circular saw blade is one of the methods, but we don’t recommend this way. using the file to sharpen will consume a lot of time and energy, difficult to ensure the grinding accuracy, and easy to damage the blade.
Honing Tools
Honing tools, such as diamond hones, can be used to fine-tune and maintain the edge of a blade. Compared with files, the honing process is quicker and can keep the blade sharp for a longer period.
Bench Grinders
Bench grinders are suitable for small workshops and personal use, they are easy to use, but their operating efficiency is low, the functions are relatively simple, and it is not suitable for high precision requirements.
Saw Blade Sharpening Machine
The specialized saw blade sharpening machine is specifically designed for sharpening circular saw blades. These machines can provide precise and consistent sharpening with adjustable angles and automated grinding processes, which are a great choice for carbide-tipped blades and other complex tooth designs. If you need to sharpen large quantities of saw blades, this is a cost-effective investment.
How to Sharpen a Circular Saw Blade?
Here is the step-by-step process of how to sharpen a circular saw blade, including a video:
Preparation
Wear safety glasses, gloves, and hearing protection when working with saw blades and sharpening tools. Ensure your workspace is well-ventilated to avoid inhaling dust and particles.
Remove the Blade from the Saw
Turn off the saw blade machine and use tools to carefully remove the saw blade from the machine.
Inspection
Clean the surface of the saw blade so that you can check the condition of the saw blade more clearly.
Put the blade on a flat surface to check for any warping or bending.
Check for any chipped, broken, or missing teeth. If the saw blade is seriously damaged, you need to consider replacing a new one.
Circular Saw Blade Sharpening Process
Maintenance Tips for Prolonging Blade Sharpness
- Regular Cleaning: You need to clean your blade regularly to prevent pitch and resin build-up. Use water or specialized blade cleaner and a soft brush or cloth to clean the circular saw blade, remember to dry it thoroughly after cleaning.
- Proper Storage: Store the blade in a dry place, you can use a box to protect the saw blade or hang them on the hooks to protect the teeth and prevent them from knocking against each other.
- Proper Use: when you use the circular saw blade for cutting, you need to pay attention to on cutting speed, cutting material, cutting depth, and even the cutting frequency. You’d better follow the saw blade manufacturer’s instructions to maximize the service life of the blade.
Circular saw blade sharpening is not an easy job, but a professional saw blade sharpening machine will make the work easy. Whether you need the circular saw blade for metal or the saw blade sharpening machine, TubeBenderN is a professional manufacturer and you can get all the information and products you want from us.
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Denis Lau
Denis Lau has 20 years of work experience in the metal processing industry. His major in university was mechanical engineering, and after graduation, he started from the bottom of the workshop, gaining extensive hands-on professional experience and the ability to tackle challenges from various industries.
