Sawmill Blades 101
Learning Center:
Blade Sharpening 101
How to get the greatest value from your sawmill blades by keeping them in amazing shape
Just like how the teeth on your Woodland Mills Sawmill grips into your timber and can transform it into your next creative project, getting a grip on the maintenance of your sawmill blades is easier than you might think.
Blade maintenance is key to ensuring your blades last as long as possible, saving you time and money. The average blade can be resharpened up to five times, so with a ten-pack you get the equivalent of 50 fresh beginnings, maximizing their lifespan.
Using either the RS8 Bandsaw Blade Sharpener or the RS30 PRO Bandsaw Blade Sharpener will start you on your mission to renew the lives of your blades. Additionally, you can bundle either of those items with the Blade Tooth Setter to get the greatest use from your blades.
If you are new to blade sharpening and want to know more about the components and terminology associated with your blade, check out our tutorial to understanding key words you may want to know before starting the sharpening process.
What does blade sharpening do?
To give the quick version, when sharpening your sawmill blade, the grinding head on your sharpener contacts the face and of each tooth on the blade, following it along the length of the gullet before coming out of contact. The sharpener will then advance the blade to sharpen the next tooth.
Blade sharpening does two things: revitalizes the face of the tooth to refresh its ability to cut, and cleans out the gullet, removing any stress from it and preventing it from wearing down as it bends around the band wheel.
Before starting, ensure you are wearing protective gloves to prevent any injuries. When setting up your sharpener make sure to adjust the hook angle of the blade, as your Woodland Mills Bandsaw Blade Sharpener can index to provide an angle of 7°, 10° or 14°.
You would typically want to use a hook angle of 7° for frozen timber or hardwoods, 10° for general use and 14° for softwoods. You can also set it to your own custom angles too.
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A sawyer prepares to grind and revitalize his sawmill blade using the RS30 PRO Blade Sharpener.
How to sharpen
Once you complete the initial set-up steps laid out in the manual, you can use the knob on top to adjust the depth of the grind. You’ll want to fine tune the disc so it is flush with the hook face of the tooth. When sharpening ensure the grinding head makes full contact over the face and the gullet of each tooth. You will know you are doing this right if there is one long, consistent sound.
The grinding head is only removing 0.004” – 0.008” of material, enough to put some zip back into the blade and put it back to work milling your timber.
With either the RS8 or RS30 PRO, the forwarding arm will automatically advance the blade to the next tooth. You can adjust this arm to follow along with the pitch of the teeth. Make sure you cycle the advancing arm slowly at first to ensure the grinding wheel is making full contact with the blade.
Another step you’ll need to do is set up your grinding head so it is ready to start sharpening your blades. Out of the box the RS8's grinding disc has a square edge, which will need to be adjusted using a profiling stone and a template. The RS30 comes with a CBN disc so no profiling is required.
Other things to remember
How often should you sharpen? When sawing most normal species of wood, you should freshen up after approximately two hours of time that your blade was actively cutting wood. You may need to do this more often if you are cutting a more abrasive species.
With the auto-stop attached to the blade, once every tooth is sharpened it will automatically shut down the toggle switch to prevent you from accidentally regrinding any teeth.
Once your blade is sharpened you may also want to consider using a setter to restore the set to its factory standard. As you use your blade, the set teeth may be worn down and become aligned with the rake teeth. If a blade is damaged, using a setter will also help restore the blade to its original state, or help you to adjust the set to a custom width.
With your blade sharp and your set restored you are ready to reinstall it into your mill and get your machine running again. If you need any additional help you can check out Woodland Mills’ YouTube channel where co-founder Josh takes does in-depth explanations of the RS8 and RS30 PRO.