In a previous thread on saw sharpening the discussion turned to using
circular blades and some comments about not sharpening them as it
wasn't cost effective. And this leads to my question.
I'm a hobbyist WW with a contractor saw. Awhile back I bought a 40
tooth Oldham blade for it. It worked well for me so I got another for
$40 as a backup assuming I would be sending the original out for
sharpening. Well I put the new one on the saw and the first cut
trimmed off my wooden miter fence. Runout one the new blade was
0.020 inches (about ten times what the old one is).. So that one went
back. I then got a WWII. On my saw runout is virtually the same with
the WWII and the old Oldham. To recondition the Olham (one new tooth,
postage, etc) at Forrest will cost $40. At this point I have only
made a few cuts with the WWII. The Oldham is twice as loud but I was
happy the smoothness of cuts. Is it worth sending the Oldham out? On
one hand why would I spend $40 to recondition a $40 blade? On the
other hand can I get a blade as flat as my WWII for $40?
So is there value of a flat blade?
TIA, Bob
"rjdankert" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> I then got a WWII. On my saw runout is virtually the same with
> the WWII and the old Oldham. To recondition the Olham (one new tooth,
> postage, etc) at Forrest will cost $40. At this point I have only
> made a few cuts with the WWII. The Oldham is twice as loud but I was
> happy the smoothness of cuts. Is it worth sending the Oldham out? On
> one hand why would I spend $40 to recondition a $40 blade? On the
> other hand can I get a blade as flat as my WWII for $40?
>
> So is there value of a flat blade?
>
> TIA, Bob
Buying $40 blades is a bit of a crap shoot, as you can see. Good sharpening
services will equal or better the quality of the blade you send them. These
guys are less than the price you mentioned.
http://www.ridgecarbidetool.com/sharpening.php?osCsid=23c4f4b0ef38e7c7ea623b8bf9fe4ae8
I was going to replace the factory blade from my DeWalt miter saw but when
it came back from Ridge, it was better than new.
On Dec 14, 2:45 pm, MB <[email protected]> wrote:
> On Dec 14, 9:43 am, "Leon" <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> > <[email protected]> wrote in message
>
> >news:[email protected]...
>
> > > keep the good oldham as a backup when you send out the WWII for
> > > sharpening. I think that over time, you will like the WWII more and
> > > more - especially if you use it for edge jointing for gluing panels.
>
> > > shelly
>
> > Good advise and also use the Oldham when cutting questionable material.
>
> I too have a contractors saw, an oldham, and a WWII. Is your WWII a
> thin kerf? I have the thick kerf WWII and hardly ever use it because
> of excessive burning and very slow cutting speed. I also have a thin
> kerf Freud and it cuts fast and smooth with zero burning. The oldham
> is almost thin lerk (3.5/32"). I had ordered the thin WWII, but
> amazon sent me the thick, and I decided to keep it. Perhaps I can sell
> it...
I have a cheap (200$) Hitachi contractors from lowes (you can stop
laughing). It's a pain, but it does the job. I have a 30 tooth, thin
kerf WWII, with a forrest stabiliser. I was able to edge-joint 1" oak
for making steps. If I did the cuts well, the pieces fit together
perfectly.
A thin kerf should help, but there must be some other issue with the
full kerf WWII.
shelly
On Dec 13, 10:42 pm, "Ed Pawlowski" <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> I was going to replace the factory blade from my DeWalt miter saw but when
> it came back from Ridge, it was better than new.
Ed, are you saying your DeWalt blade came back better than new? If
so, was it a good one to begin with or the one that came on the saw?
Would you mind some details? What size blade, how many teeth, and
what tooth set? And of course, what it cost from Ridge? I have seen
their name brought up here many times, but never have used them.
We have some great sharpening services here for planer blades and
really large saw blades of all types, but nothing for smaller (12" and
under) circular blades.
Robert
On Dec 13, 7:06 pm, rjdankert <[email protected]> wrote:
> In a previous thread on saw sharpening the discussion turned to using
> circular blades and some comments about not sharpening them as it
> wasn't cost effective. And this leads to my question.
>
> I'm a hobbyist WW with a contractor saw. Awhile back I bought a 40
> tooth Oldham blade for it. It worked well for me so I got another for
> $40 as a backup assuming I would be sending the original out for
> sharpening. Well I put the new one on the saw and the first cut
> trimmed off my wooden miter fence. Runout one the new blade was
> 0.020 inches (about ten times what the old one is).. So that one went
> back. I then got a WWII. On my saw runout is virtually the same with
> the WWII and the old Oldham. To recondition the Olham (one new tooth,
> postage, etc) at Forrest will cost $40. At this point I have only
> made a few cuts with the WWII. The Oldham is twice as loud but I was
> happy the smoothness of cuts. Is it worth sending the Oldham out? On
> one hand why would I spend $40 to recondition a $40 blade? On the
> other hand can I get a blade as flat as my WWII for $40?
>
> So is there value of a flat blade?
>
> TIA, Bob
keep the good oldham as a backup when you send out the WWII for
sharpening. I think that over time, you will like the WWII more and
more - especially if you use it for edge jointing for gluing panels.
shelly
"Ed Pawlowski" wrote:
> It was $17 plus shipping. Far better than the $100+ I planned to
> spend on a new blade. I send two Freud blades also and they came
> back as good as new.
SFWIW, here in SoCal, had 3 blades (24T, 50T, 80T) sharpened by a
service using a computer controlled Swiss made, sharpen machine,
during 2008.
Less than $15/blade.
Replacement carbide tips, if req'd, would be additional.
Lew
<[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
>
> keep the good oldham as a backup when you send out the WWII for
> sharpening. I think that over time, you will like the WWII more and
> more - especially if you use it for edge jointing for gluing panels.
>
> shelly
Good advise and also use the Oldham when cutting questionable material.
"MB" <[email protected]> wrote in message
I too have a contractors saw, an oldham, and a WWII. Is your WWII a
thin kerf? I have the thick kerf WWII and hardly ever use it because
of excessive burning and very slow cutting speed. I also have a thin
kerf Freud and it cuts fast and smooth with zero burning.
************************************************
Sounds like you got a lemon. I'd send it to Forrest for adjustments.
"MB" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
On Dec 14, 9:43 am, "Leon" <[email protected]> wrote:
> <[email protected]> wrote in message
>
> news:[email protected]...
>
>
>
> > keep the good oldham as a backup when you send out the WWII for
> > sharpening. I think that over time, you will like the WWII more and
> > more - especially if you use it for edge jointing for gluing panels.
>
> > shelly
>
> Good advise and also use the Oldham when cutting questionable material.
I too have a contractors saw, an oldham, and a WWII. Is your WWII a
thin kerf? I have the thick kerf WWII and hardly ever use it because
of excessive burning and very slow cutting speed. I also have a thin
kerf Freud and it cuts fast and smooth with zero burning. The oldham
is almost thin lerk (3.5/32"). I had ordered the thin WWII, but
amazon sent me the thick, and I decided to keep it. Perhaps I can sell
it...
It really sounds like your saw may need to be better set up. I use nothing
but thick kerf even when I was using a 1 hp Craftsman. Burning was never an
issue. A premium quality and sharp blade should not burn.
"Lew Hodgett" <[email protected]> wrote in news:C9D1l.1864$c35.981
@nwrddc02.gnilink.net:
>
> SFWIW, here in SoCal, had 3 blades (24T, 50T, 80T) sharpened by a
> service using a computer controlled Swiss made, sharpen machine,
> during 2008.
>
> Less than $15/blade.
>
> Replacement carbide tips, if req'd, would be additional.
>
> Lew
Lew,
Where do you get the blades sharpened?
Thanks,
Steve
Ed Pawlowski wrote:
> "MB" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> I too have a contractors saw, an oldham, and a WWII. Is your WWII a
> thin kerf? I have the thick kerf WWII and hardly ever use it because
> of excessive burning and very slow cutting speed. I also have a thin
> kerf Freud and it cuts fast and smooth with zero burning.
>
> ************************************************
>
> Sounds like you got a lemon. I'd send it to Forrest for adjustments.
>
>
I second that.
I had a full kerf WWII on my old Jet CS and it cut well.
Forrest is outstanding with service. They reflattened a Chopmaster for
free for me. I fessed up that _I_ had gotten it stuck in maple and
requested a quote for reflattening costs.
On Dec 14, 7:24=A0am, "Ed Pawlowski" <[email protected]> wrote:
> It was $17 plus shipping. =A0Far better than the $100+ I planned to spend=
on a
> new blade. =A0I send two Freud blades also and they came back as good as =
new.
> IIRC, it was about a week from door to door.
Wow! Thanks, Ed. I appreciate the post. At those prices it would
indeed make sense to sharpen even some of my mediocre blades.
For a "pretty good" blade these days you will be in the $75 range, so
sharpening a good one makes sense at those prices.
Thanks for the link, too.
Robert
On Dec 14, 9:43=A0am, "Leon" <[email protected]> wrote:
> <[email protected]> wrote in message
>
> news:[email protected]...
>
>
>
> > keep the good oldham as a backup when you send out the WWII for
> > sharpening. I think that over time, you will like the WWII more and
> > more - especially if you use it for edge jointing for gluing panels.
>
> > shelly
>
> Good advise and also use the Oldham when cutting questionable material.
I too have a contractors saw, an oldham, and a WWII. Is your WWII a
thin kerf? I have the thick kerf WWII and hardly ever use it because
of excessive burning and very slow cutting speed. I also have a thin
kerf Freud and it cuts fast and smooth with zero burning. The oldham
is almost thin lerk (3.5/32"). I had ordered the thin WWII, but
amazon sent me the thick, and I decided to keep it. Perhaps I can sell
it...
On Sun, 14 Dec 2008 08:42:20 -0600, "Leon"
<[email protected]> wrote:
>
>"rjdankert" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>news:[email protected]...
>> In a previous thread on saw sharpening the discussion turned to using
>> circular blades and some comments about not sharpening them as it
>> wasn't cost effective. And this leads to my question.
>>
>> I'm a hobbyist WW with a contractor saw. Awhile back I bought a 40
>> tooth Oldham blade for it. It worked well for me so I got another for
>> $40 as a backup assuming I would be sending the original out for
>> sharpening. Well I put the new one on the saw and the first cut
>> trimmed off my wooden miter fence. Runout one the new blade was
>> 0.020 inches (about ten times what the old one is).. So that one went
>> back. I then got a WWII. On my saw runout is virtually the same with
>> the WWII and the old Oldham. To recondition the Olham (one new tooth,
>> postage, etc) at Forrest will cost $40. At this point I have only
>> made a few cuts with the WWII. The Oldham is twice as loud but I was
>> happy the smoothness of cuts. Is it worth sending the Oldham out? On
>> one hand why would I spend $40 to recondition a $40 blade? On the
>> other hand can I get a blade as flat as my WWII for $40?
>>
>> So is there value of a flat blade?
>>
>> TIA, Bob
>
>Is there value of a flat blade? What exactly are you asking there? Is
>there value in having a flat blade? ABSOLUTELY. Is there value in
>flattening a cheap blade? Some.. Typically a good blade is flat and will
>stay flat. A cheap blade is more likely to warp from heat build up.
>Is it worth $40 to tune up and sharpen a $40 blade? Maybe if you damaged
>the blade and it was fine up until that point.
>A cheap blade will typically have much smaller chunks of carbide and lesser
>quality carbide. They will dull more quickly and cannot be resharpened as
>many times as a more expensive higher quality blade.
>The important question is, will the blade stay flat under normal use or will
>you be having to reflatten it often? If the blade has to be reflattened 2
>times more often that a premium quality blade, IMHO, NO it not worth the
>repair bill. If the brand new blade was not flat to begin with, I would
>think about seeking a better quality blade. You were probably lucky with
>the first one.
>A blade that simply cuts good and fast is not necessarily good for better
>wood working, it needs to cut true and flat also.
>Consider also, checking run out on your arbor. No blade will typically cut
>well on an arbor with excessive run out.
>Also try repositioning a suspect blade 180 degrees on the arbor and see if
>the situation improves or gets worse. If either happens you probably have a
>combination of run out problems.
...great advice. I own two Forrest blades: a WWII 40 tooth ATB thick
kerf and an 80 tooth 12" Chopmaster. Both have performed as
advertised ...I've had the runout checked on the TS blade and they
(Accurate Cut Carbide in Salt Lake City) adjusted it with no
probs...I've resharpened 2 or 3 times. Fine products. That said, I
ran into a brand named "Tenyru" that are the finest I've seen yet...I
know, not USA, but what a great blade. I use the "Gold Medal" 10" 40
tooth on my TS and kinda alternate with the Forrest and always end up
going back to the Tenyru. Got a melamine-design 10" 100 tooth that
is phenomenal. FWIW...stick with what works for *you!*
cg
>
>
>
>
"B A R R Y" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Ed Pawlowski wrote:
>> "MB" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>> I too have a contractors saw, an oldham, and a WWII. Is your WWII a
>> thin kerf? I have the thick kerf WWII and hardly ever use it because
>> of excessive burning and very slow cutting speed. I also have a thin
>> kerf Freud and it cuts fast and smooth with zero burning.
>>
>> ************************************************
>>
>> Sounds like you got a lemon. I'd send it to Forrest for adjustments.
>
>
> I second that.
>
> I had a full kerf WWII on my old Jet CS and it cut well.
>
> Forrest is outstanding with service. They reflattened a Chopmaster for
> free for me. I fessed up that _I_ had gotten it stuck in maple and
> requested a quote for reflattening costs.
Every time I send my Forrest back to Forrest it goes with instructions to
bring it back to factory specs. Please contact me if repairs will exceed
$50. The bill has not ever been over $28 including return shipping.
>"Ed Pawlowski" wrote:
>
>
>>It was $17 plus shipping. Far better than the $100+ I planned to
>>spend on a new blade. I send two Freud blades also and they came
>>back as good as new.
>
>
>SFWIW, here in SoCal, had 3 blades (24T, 50T, 80T) sharpened by a
>service using a computer controlled Swiss made, sharpen machine,
>during 2008.
>
>Less than $15/blade.
>
>Replacement carbide tips, if req'd, would be additional.
Last year I had a local service sharpen the Ridgid 12" 90-tooth
side-polishing blade from my miter saw. My cow-orker had used it to cut
a nail, and it was smoking when I cut pine crown molding.
I paid $20.80 to sharpen the $80.00 blade. Next time I'll just buy a
new blade. They didn't do a good job on the side-polishing teeth, even
though I pointed out the feature, and now I get circles on the ends of
boards. The ends were previously glass-smooth.
--
Steve Bell
New Life Home Improvement
Arlington, TX USA
"MB" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
On Dec 14, 9:43 am, "Leon" <[email protected]> wrote:
> <[email protected]> wrote in message
>
> news:[email protected]...
>
>
>
> > keep the good oldham as a backup when you send out the WWII for
> > sharpening. I think that over time, you will like the WWII more and
> > more - especially if you use it for edge jointing for gluing panels.
>
> > shelly
>
> Good advise and also use the Oldham when cutting questionable material.
I too have a contractors saw, an oldham, and a WWII. Is your WWII a
thin kerf? I have the thick kerf WWII and hardly ever use it because
of excessive burning and very slow cutting speed. I also have a thin
kerf Freud and it cuts fast and smooth with zero burning. The oldham
is almost thin lerk (3.5/32"). I had ordered the thin WWII, but
amazon sent me the thick, and I decided to keep it. Perhaps I can sell
it...
======
Have you checked that the fence is parallel with the blade? I just squared
out and trued up everything on the saw tonight, the first time in maybe 6
years. I'm more than a little amazed at how far the miter gauge slots can
migrate in cast iron. It was pinching about .015" in 8" on the left slot. If
you've had a kickback or two since the last time you checked, it's probably
time. The trunion bolts on contractor saws don't hold at all well against
shock loads.
I use a thin kerf WWII for everything. It doesn't burn at all when the saw
is setup right. I would expect the 1/8" blade to cut even better, if
anything.
<[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> On Dec 13, 10:42 pm, "Ed Pawlowski" <[email protected]> wrote:
>>
>> I was going to replace the factory blade from my DeWalt miter saw but
>> when
>> it came back from Ridge, it was better than new.
>
> Ed, are you saying your DeWalt blade came back better than new? If
> so, was it a good one to begin with or the one that came on the saw?
>
> Would you mind some details? What size blade, how many teeth, and
> what tooth set? And of course, what it cost from Ridge? I have seen
> their name brought up here many times, but never have used them.
>
> We have some great sharpening services here for planer blades and
> really large saw blades of all types, but nothing for smaller (12" and
> under) circular blades.
>
> Robert
>
It was the original that came on my 12" DeWalt. I'm not sure of the set,
whatever the stock blade is and 60T. It was OK when new so I figured when
it needed sharpening I'd replace it. I lent the saw to a friend so he could
cut some laminate flooring, not worried that the blade would be dull when
returned. He insisted on paying to have it sharpened so I sent it to Ridge
Carbide. It was dull too, burning a 2 x 4 I tried to cut with it. It came
back so much better than when new, I have no intention of replacing it.
http://www.ridgecarbidetool.com/sharpening.php?osCsid=23c4f4b0ef38e7c7ea623b8bf9fe4ae8
It was $17 plus shipping. Far better than the $100+ I planned to spend on a
new blade. I send two Freud blades also and they came back as good as new.
IIRC, it was about a week from door to door.
On Sun, 14 Dec 2008 20:49:47 -0800, Charlie Groh
<[email protected]> wrote:
>On Sun, 14 Dec 2008 08:42:20 -0600, "Leon"
><[email protected]> wrote:
>
>>
>>"rjdankert" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>>news:[email protected]...
>>> In a previous thread on saw sharpening the discussion turned to using
>>> circular blades and some comments about not sharpening them as it
>>> wasn't cost effective. And this leads to my question.
>>>
>>> I'm a hobbyist WW with a contractor saw. Awhile back I bought a 40
>>> tooth Oldham blade for it. It worked well for me so I got another for
>>> $40 as a backup assuming I would be sending the original out for
>>> sharpening. Well I put the new one on the saw and the first cut
>>> trimmed off my wooden miter fence. Runout one the new blade was
>>> 0.020 inches (about ten times what the old one is).. So that one went
>>> back. I then got a WWII. On my saw runout is virtually the same with
>>> the WWII and the old Oldham. To recondition the Olham (one new tooth,
>>> postage, etc) at Forrest will cost $40. At this point I have only
>>> made a few cuts with the WWII. The Oldham is twice as loud but I was
>>> happy the smoothness of cuts. Is it worth sending the Oldham out? On
>>> one hand why would I spend $40 to recondition a $40 blade? On the
>>> other hand can I get a blade as flat as my WWII for $40?
>>>
>>> So is there value of a flat blade?
>>>
>>> TIA, Bob
>>
>>Is there value of a flat blade? What exactly are you asking there? Is
>>there value in having a flat blade? ABSOLUTELY. Is there value in
>>flattening a cheap blade? Some.. Typically a good blade is flat and will
>>stay flat. A cheap blade is more likely to warp from heat build up.
>>Is it worth $40 to tune up and sharpen a $40 blade? Maybe if you damaged
>>the blade and it was fine up until that point.
>>A cheap blade will typically have much smaller chunks of carbide and lesser
>>quality carbide. They will dull more quickly and cannot be resharpened as
>>many times as a more expensive higher quality blade.
>>The important question is, will the blade stay flat under normal use or will
>>you be having to reflatten it often? If the blade has to be reflattened 2
>>times more often that a premium quality blade, IMHO, NO it not worth the
>>repair bill. If the brand new blade was not flat to begin with, I would
>>think about seeking a better quality blade. You were probably lucky with
>>the first one.
>>A blade that simply cuts good and fast is not necessarily good for better
>>wood working, it needs to cut true and flat also.
>>Consider also, checking run out on your arbor. No blade will typically cut
>>well on an arbor with excessive run out.
>>Also try repositioning a suspect blade 180 degrees on the arbor and see if
>>the situation improves or gets worse. If either happens you probably have a
>>combination of run out problems.
>
>...great advice. I own two Forrest blades: a WWII 40 tooth ATB thick
>kerf and an 80 tooth 12" Chopmaster. Both have performed as
>advertised ...I've had the runout checked on the TS blade and they
>(Accurate Cut Carbide in Salt Lake City) adjusted it with no
>probs...I've resharpened 2 or 3 times. Fine products. That said, I
>ran into a brand named "Tenyru" that are the finest I've seen yet...I
>know, not USA, but what a great blade. I use the "Gold Medal" 10" 40
>tooth on my TS and kinda alternate with the Forrest and always end up
>going back to the Tenyru. Got a melamine-design 10" 100 tooth that
>is phenomenal. FWIW...stick with what works for *you!*
>
>cg
...and it's spelled "Tenryu!" Sheesh...
>>
>>
>>
>>
"rjdankert" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> In a previous thread on saw sharpening the discussion turned to using
> circular blades and some comments about not sharpening them as it
> wasn't cost effective. And this leads to my question.
>
> I'm a hobbyist WW with a contractor saw. Awhile back I bought a 40
> tooth Oldham blade for it. It worked well for me so I got another for
> $40 as a backup assuming I would be sending the original out for
> sharpening. Well I put the new one on the saw and the first cut
> trimmed off my wooden miter fence. Runout one the new blade was
> 0.020 inches (about ten times what the old one is).. So that one went
> back. I then got a WWII. On my saw runout is virtually the same with
> the WWII and the old Oldham. To recondition the Olham (one new tooth,
> postage, etc) at Forrest will cost $40. At this point I have only
> made a few cuts with the WWII. The Oldham is twice as loud but I was
> happy the smoothness of cuts. Is it worth sending the Oldham out? On
> one hand why would I spend $40 to recondition a $40 blade? On the
> other hand can I get a blade as flat as my WWII for $40?
>
> So is there value of a flat blade?
>
> TIA, Bob
Is there value of a flat blade? What exactly are you asking there? Is
there value in having a flat blade? ABSOLUTELY. Is there value in
flattening a cheap blade? Some.. Typically a good blade is flat and will
stay flat. A cheap blade is more likely to warp from heat build up.
Is it worth $40 to tune up and sharpen a $40 blade? Maybe if you damaged
the blade and it was fine up until that point.
A cheap blade will typically have much smaller chunks of carbide and lesser
quality carbide. They will dull more quickly and cannot be resharpened as
many times as a more expensive higher quality blade.
The important question is, will the blade stay flat under normal use or will
you be having to reflatten it often? If the blade has to be reflattened 2
times more often that a premium quality blade, IMHO, NO it not worth the
repair bill. If the brand new blade was not flat to begin with, I would
think about seeking a better quality blade. You were probably lucky with
the first one.
A blade that simply cuts good and fast is not necessarily good for better
wood working, it needs to cut true and flat also.
Consider also, checking run out on your arbor. No blade will typically cut
well on an arbor with excessive run out.
Also try repositioning a suspect blade 180 degrees on the arbor and see if
the situation improves or gets worse. If either happens you probably have a
combination of run out problems.