Sorry if this is on topic. :-)

I suppose I could just google it, but here goes...

There was a 10" Delta 60 tooth on this table saw and it was covered in
all kinds of gunk and baked-on sap or something. I cleaned it all off
and scraped off every tooth individually.... yeah, I was bored and there
was a good CD on. :-)

Is there a way to tell if a saw blade is still sharp enough or needs to
be sharpened?
Is there a tried and true testing technique?
Or is it as simple as just trying it and seeing if it cuts clean, smooth
and fast?


--

-MIKE-

"Playing is not something I do at night, it's my function in life"
--Elvin Jones (1927-2004)
--
http://mikedrums.com

---remove "DOT" ^^^^ to reply

I'm not aware of an official method, but I would make a cut with it,
then switch to a known sharp blade, and make another cut from the same
stock. You should be able to feel if it's sharp or not.

Mike wrote:
I'm not aware of an official method, but I would make a cut with it,
then switch to a known sharp blade, and make another cut from the same
stock. You should be able to feel if it's sharp or not.

Look at it closely -- if it's sharp just like a blade the tooth edges
and corners will be crisp and not rounded. Carbide, of course, isn't
quite a sharp initially as HSS but general precept still holds.

--

"-MIKE-" wrote in message
...
Sorry if this is on topic. :-)

I suppose I could just google it, but here goes...

There was a 10" Delta 60 tooth on this table saw and it was covered in all
kinds of gunk and baked-on sap or something. I cleaned it all off and
scraped off every tooth individually.... yeah, I was bored and there was a
good CD on. :-)

Is there a way to tell if a saw blade is still sharp enough or needs to be
sharpened?
Is there a tried and true testing technique?
Or is it as simple as just trying it and seeing if it cuts clean, smooth
and fast?

I pretty much go by the quality of the cut or if I feel it slowing down.

If that is the original Delta blade that came with the saw, it may cost more
to sharpen than to replace it but a good sharpening make a difference. I
send mine to Ridge Carbide and they come back perfect.
http://ridgecarbidetool.com/sharpeni...f6aab304 3a2a
$15 for your blade, plus postage.

Ed Pawlowski wrote:
I pretty much go by the quality of the cut or if I feel it slowing down.

If that is the original Delta blade that came with the saw, it may cost more
to sharpen than to replace it but a good sharpening make a difference. I
send mine to Ridge Carbide and they come back perfect.
http://ridgecarbidetool.com/sharpeni...f6aab304 3a2a
$15 for your blade, plus postage.


That's a great price, Ed? How much was shipping?

This blade is a Delta 35-7646.
Looks to be a hundred dollar blade that can be had for 40 bucks. :-)

It's thick, flat, and the tips seem to be pretty thick... meaning I
guess they have plenty of room to be sharpened.

There's a sharpening shop, close to me. If they are as cheap as your
place, I may take all my blades. From what I hear from the guys at
Woodcraft, a properly sharpened blade cuts better than a new one.



--

-MIKE-

"Playing is not something I do at night, it's my function in life"
--Elvin Jones (1927-2004)
--
http://mikedrums.com

---remove "DOT" ^^^^ to reply

"-MIKE-" wrote in message
http://ridgecarbidetool.com/sharpeni...f6aab304 3a2a
$15 for your blade, plus postage.

That's a great price, Ed? How much was shipping?

This blade is a Delta 35-7646.
Looks to be a hundred dollar blade that can be had for 40 bucks. :-)

It's thick, flat, and the tips seem to be pretty thick... meaning I
guess they have plenty of room to be sharpened.

There's a sharpening shop, close to me. If they are as cheap as your
place, I may take all my blades. From what I hear from the guys at
Woodcraft, a properly sharpened blade cuts better than a new one.

First blade is $9, ea additional is $1, but five blades is free shipping.

I sent a DeWalt blade from my miter saw that was in rough shape from cutting
laminate flooring and it came back better than when new.

Ed Pawlowski wrote:
First blade is $9, ea additional is $1, but five blades is free shipping.

I sent a DeWalt blade from my miter saw that was in rough shape from cutting
laminate flooring and it came back better than when new.


I called a place here in town (where I bought my lathe) and their prices
are pretty much the same as that place.

Do I assume that the process is automated somehow and will have great
results?
Don't know.


--

-MIKE-

"Playing is not something I do at night, it's my function in life"
--Elvin Jones (1927-2004)
--
http://mikedrums.com

---remove "DOT" ^^^^ to reply

On Sep 24, 10:05*am, -MIKE- wrote:
Sorry if this is on topic. * :-)

I suppose I could just google it, but here goes...

There was a 10" Delta 60 tooth on this table saw .... *I cleaned it all off

Is there a way to tell if a saw blade is still sharp enough or needs to
be sharpened?

Or is it as simple as just trying it and seeing if it cuts clean, smooth
and fast?

Yep, that's it. Some (high-end) tools can log the torque on
the motor and the total energy usage so you can look for
the watt-hours per foot of cut, or the force on the teeth, but
mostly you make a fast cut on a bit of scrap and figure it might
be dull if the motor complains.

Slow cuts or unstraight bits of wood will not be good tests.

The cut (remember, cut it FAST) should not look polished; that
polished look is the first sign of a dull blade.

whit3rd wrote:
The cut (remember, cut it FAST) should not look polished; that
polished look is the first sign of a dull blade.

That's great info.

Not to second guess you.... well, yeah, I guess I am.... :-)
Where did you get that info? Experience?


--

-MIKE-

"Playing is not something I do at night, it's my function in life"
--Elvin Jones (1927-2004)
--
http://mikedrums.com

---remove "DOT" ^^^^ to reply

If you see the blood before you feel the pain, then it is still plenty
sharp. Otherwise have it sharpened right away.

On Sep 24, 10:05*am, -MIKE- wrote:
Sorry if this is on topic. * :-)

I suppose I could just google it, but here goes...

There was a 10" Delta 60 tooth on this table saw and it was covered in
all kinds of gunk and baked-on sap or something. *I cleaned it all off
and scraped off every tooth individually.... yeah, I was bored and there
was a good CD on. * :-)

Is there a way to tell if a saw blade is still sharp enough or needs to
be sharpened?
Is there a tried and true testing technique?
Or is it as simple as just trying it and seeing if it cuts clean, smooth
and fast?

--

* -MIKE-

* "Playing is not something I do at night, it's my function in life"
* * *--Elvin Jones *(1927-2004)
* --
*http://mikedrums.com
*
* ---remove "DOT" ^^^^ to reply

-MIKE- wrote:
Ed Pawlowski wrote:
First blade is $9, ea additional is $1, but five blades is free shipping.

I sent a DeWalt blade from my miter saw that was in rough shape from
cutting laminate flooring and it came back better than when new.

I called a place here in town (where I bought my lathe) and their prices
are pretty much the same as that place.

Do I assume that the process is automated somehow and will have great
results?
Don't know.

Yes and no...like (almost) anything else, there's art behind the science
and skill besides simply bolting a blade to a sharpening mandrel.

Good places will true the blades before sharpening (where the most skill
is) and repair damaged teeth, etc., etc., ...

OTOH, a sorry place may well end the life of a blade permanently (or at
least w/o expensive retrofitting).

If I don't have specific knowledge via folks who've used a service that
I trust to know when they got a good result, I'll start w/ a blade I
won't care too much if it does come back in bad shape before I'll trust
them w/ the good stuff.

Ridge Carbide is one I've used as well that I will concur is
good--there's another closer to us in Tulsa I'd have to look up
specifically I use generally that's also excellent.

Forrest will sharpen/repair/retune other blades besides theirs as well.
About the same price as others for basic sharpening, but if you've got
a sweet blade, can't beat them for making it sing best tune it possibly
can if they work their full magic on it. It'll cost some extra
depending on what they do so I don't waste it on inexpensive blades that
aren't going to benefit...

--

SonomaProducts.com wrote:
If you see the blood before you feel the pain, then it is still plenty
sharp. Otherwise have it sharpened right away.


I know that's true with razor blades.
You don't know you're cut until you feel some piece of your clothing get
wet.


--

-MIKE-

"Playing is not something I do at night, it's my function in life"
--Elvin Jones (1927-2004)
--
http://mikedrums.com

---remove "DOT" ^^^^ to reply

On Thu, 24 Sep 2009 12:05:07 -0500, -MIKE- wrote:

I'd put it on the saw and make a test cut...

If it cuts clean and doesn't bind, go with it..

Sorry if this is on topic. :-)

I suppose I could just google it, but here goes...

There was a 10" Delta 60 tooth on this table saw and it was covered in
all kinds of gunk and baked-on sap or something. I cleaned it all off
and scraped off every tooth individually.... yeah, I was bored and there
was a good CD on. :-)

Is there a way to tell if a saw blade is still sharp enough or needs to
be sharpened?
Is there a tried and true testing technique?
Or is it as simple as just trying it and seeing if it cuts clean, smooth
and fast?


mac

Please remove splinters before emailing

-MIKE- wrote:

Is there a way to tell if a saw blade is still sharp

Ask it to do partial differential equations ...


--
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tim Daneliuk
PGP Key: http://www.tundraware.com/PGP/

Scientifically they photograph the top and sides and measure the
radius of various sides in microns.

As a rule of thumb, if you think it might be dull then it is.

I am going to second Whit3rd. Not sure how he got his data but he is
correct. The only thing I would caution is that a very clean cut is
different from a polished cut. Remember you are cutting fibers in
wood. You want a very sharp, even edge to sever the fibers cleanly
instead of pulling them out and stretching. A dull blade will pull
the fibers out, stretch them and leave a fuzzier surface. A duller
blade will pull the fibers out and the next tips will run over the
pulled out fibers and polish them.

Wood fibers do have certain amount of pullback or snap back but not a
great deal. It is best to clearly sever the fibers. This is a lot
easier to see when you cut a chunk of hemp rope with a very sharp
knife, a dull knife and a really dull knife. Cutting natural wood
is a lot like cutting hemp rope as far as the behavior of the fiber is
concerned. It is just much more obvious with hemp rope.

As to how I go my data. I manufacture top end, custom saw blades.
We work with Forintek http://www.forintek.ca/ and have done research
for and with hundreds of mills plants and saw shops over the last 28
years. You can see some of our research at www.carbideprocessors.com.

Having said all that, your question is extremely good. How to
determine sharpness is always a question in research. There is no
single, definitive way to determine sharpness. I mentioned edge
radius above. If you are cutting brittle materials you with something
such as an ATAF (alternate top / alternate face) with a high ATB
(alternate top bevel) you will want a separate determination for point
sharpness and well as edge sharpness.

Finally different materials also help determine how well a blade will
cut irrespective of sharpness. A cermet 2 tipped blade has a much
lower coefficient of friction then carbide and will cut better than a
carbide blade with an identical edge.

Tom Walz

Tim Daneliuk wrote:
-MIKE- wrote:

Is there a way to tell if a saw blade is still sharp

Ask it to do partial differential equations ...


When it cuts you, you say, "Ouch, that smarts!"
badoomp-chink! Tip your waitress.


--

-MIKE-

"Playing is not something I do at night, it's my function in life"
--Elvin Jones (1927-2004)
--
http://mikedrums.com

---remove "DOT" ^^^^ to reply

Thomas Walz wrote:

Tom Walz

Great stuff, Tom. Thanks.

I don't know if this group has a FAQ, but that should go in it.


--

-MIKE-

"Playing is not something I do at night, it's my function in life"
--Elvin Jones (1927-2004)
--
http://mikedrums.com

---remove "DOT" ^^^^ to reply

Tim Daneliuk wrote:
-MIKE- wrote:

Is there a way to tell if a saw blade is still sharp

Ask it to do partial differential equations ...

Yeah, right. Mine can't get past determining whether a solution exists. I
guess only half the circumfrence is sharp...

On Thu, 24 Sep 2009 12:05:07 -0500, -MIKE-
wrote:

Sorry if this is on topic. :-)

I suppose I could just google it, but here goes...

There was a 10" Delta 60 tooth on this table saw and it was covered in
all kinds of gunk and baked-on sap or something. I cleaned it all off
and scraped off every tooth individually.... yeah, I was bored and there
was a good CD on. :-)

Is there a way to tell if a saw blade is still sharp enough or needs to
be sharpened?
Is there a tried and true testing technique?
Or is it as simple as just trying it and seeing if it cuts clean, smooth
and fast?


Cut a small piece of cabinet-grade ply. If the cut edge is clean and
not hairy, chances are good you got a sharp blade. The gunk is most
likely from cutting sappy wood, perhaps pine.

Phisherman wrote:
Cut a small piece of cabinet-grade ply. If the cut edge is clean and
not hairy, chances are good you got a sharp blade. The gunk is most
likely from cutting sappy wood, perhaps pine.

I guess it's sharp.

http://www.mikedrums.com/DeltaBladeTestCut.jpg


--

-MIKE-

"Playing is not something I do at night, it's my function in life"
--Elvin Jones (1927-2004)
--
http://mikedrums.com

---remove "DOT" ^^^^ to reply

Phisherman wrote:
On Thu, 24 Sep 2009 12:05:07 -0500, -MIKE-
wrote:

Sorry if this is on topic. :-)

I suppose I could just google it, but here goes...

There was a 10" Delta 60 tooth on this table saw and it was covered
in all kinds of gunk and baked-on sap or something. I cleaned it
all off and scraped off every tooth individually.... yeah, I was
bored and there was a good CD on. :-)

Is there a way to tell if a saw blade is still sharp enough or needs
to be sharpened?
Is there a tried and true testing technique?
Or is it as simple as just trying it and seeing if it cuts clean,
smooth and fast?


Cut a small piece of cabinet-grade ply. If the cut edge is clean and
not hairy, chances are good you got a sharp blade. The gunk is most
likely from cutting sappy wood, perhaps pine.

Trick I learned by accident a while back--if your blade is all gunked up,
use it to saw a few strips off a piece of UHMW.

J. Clarke wrote:
Trick I learned by accident a while back--if your blade is all gunked up,
use it to saw a few strips off a piece of UHMW.


Hmmmmmm.



--

-MIKE-

"Playing is not something I do at night, it's my function in life"
--Elvin Jones (1927-2004)
--
http://mikedrums.com

---remove "DOT" ^^^^ to reply

J. Clarke wrote:


Cut a small piece of cabinet-grade ply. If the cut edge is clean and
not hairy, chances are good you got a sharp blade. The gunk is most
likely from cutting sappy wood, perhaps pine.

Trick I learned by accident a while back--if your blade is all gunked
up, use it to saw a few strips off a piece of UHMW.

Isn't UHMW the same as PVC only different?

HeyBub wrote:
J. Clarke wrote:


Cut a small piece of cabinet-grade ply. If the cut edge is clean
and not hairy, chances are good you got a sharp blade. The gunk is
most likely from cutting sappy wood, perhaps pine.

Trick I learned by accident a while back--if your blade is all gunked
up, use it to saw a few strips off a piece of UHMW.

Isn't UHMW the same as PVC only different?

No. PVC is vinyl, UHMW is polyethylene or polypropylene processed for very
long molecular chains with much crosslinking. It has quite remarkable
resistance to abrasion and some self-lubricating properties--I don't know
what it does to a saw blade when you cut it but I do know that I had a blade
that was burning everything I cut--I was ready to send it out for
sharpening--and I cut a piece of UHMW with it and after that it was working
like new. I don't know whether it got some UHMW in the pores or whether the
UHMW gave it a good cleaning or both.