FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions about Woodland Mills Blade Sharpeners

Want to learn more about how to sharpen your bandsaw blades or chainsaw chains at home? Check out these answers to important questions below

Taking care of your equipment means having sharp blades to ensure it's working to maximum efficiency. 

Cutting into wood with dull blades causes wavy, uneven cuts that can be difficult to straighten. On a chainsaw, a dull blade increases chance of kickback, increasing risk of injury for the operator.

So having the means to sharpen your blades and chains at home improves your efficiency, and reduces your cost for buying new blades or having them sharpened elsewhere.

What do you need to know before buying a new sharpener? Let's get into it.

What is the best bandsaw blade sharpener, RS30 PRO or the RS8 Blade Sharpener?

Both the RS8, RS15 and RS30 PRO are automatic sharpeners that do a great job bringing dull blades back to life. The main difference is speed. The RS8 runs at a single speed of about 8 teeth per minute, while the RS30 PRO has an extra speed setting and can sharpen up to 28 teeth per minute. The RS30 PRO also features a long-lasting CBN grinding disc and 3 cam profiles to accomodate different blade profiles.

Since both models run hands-free, you can let them work while you focus on something else. So the real question is: how much is your time worth, and how much do you want to invest to get through sharpening faster?

What are the benefits of owning a sharpener?

Owning your own sharpener lets you extend the life of your blades or chains by sharpening them multiple times, helping reduce replacement costs and keeping sharp tools ready whenever you need them. It also cuts down on downtime compared to manual sharpening, so you can get back to work sooner. And for those running higher volumes, owning a sharpener can even open up opportunities to offer sharpening services to others.

How do sharpeners work?

Both blade and chain sharpeners use a grinding wheel to remove a small amount of material from the cutting edges. This light touch restores sharpness and improves cutting performance, helping prevent issues like drifting or difficult cuts, and excessive wear on your equipment.

What happens if I saw logs with dull blades?

Sawing with a dull blade can lead to wavy or uneven cuts, and you’ll often see a telltale pattern in the wood when your blade’s past its prime. It can also become harder to push the blade through the log, and dull blades tend to drift off course, which can ruin your cut.

Keeping your blade sharp helps you make clean, straight cuts and reduces the risk of breakage, saving you time, frustration, and the cost of replacing blades too soon.

What does a tooth setter do?

The tooth set refers to the pattern of the teeth on your bandsaw blade. Instead of all teeth pointing straight, most blades follow a pattern where two out of every three teeth are bent upwards or downwards. This ensures that you are removing more material than the thickness of the blade, reducing friction and heat built up in the blade.

Over time, the set can come out of the teeth, which affects cutting performance. A tooth setter helps restore the original set, putting the right bend back into the teeth so your blade cuts cleanly and efficiently again.

What maintenance does a sharpener require?

Not much. Just keep an eye on the condition of the grinding wheels, occasionally check for any loose hardware, and ensure your power source or battery is ready for use. With basic upkeep, your sharpener will deliver consistent results for years to come.

What is the best bandsaw blade sharpener for quick results?

If your main goal is speed so you can get your bandsaw blades sharpened quickly, the RS30 PRO Chainsaw Chain Sharpener is the fastest bandsaw blade sharpener in the lineup.

With a sharpening speed of 28 teeth per minute, it’s built to keep blades moving and minimize downtime, especially if you’re running through multiple blades in a day.

All models, from the RS8 to the RS30 PRO, are designed to remove just enough material to consistently restore a sharp edge while maintaining the blade profile. The real difference comes down to how quickly you want to get through your stack:

• • RS8: 8 teeth per minute

  • RS15: 16 teeth per minute

  • RS30 PRO: 28 teeth per minute

If you’ve got a few blades to sharpen, any of them will get the job done. Sizing up to a faster sharpener buys you quicker sharpening time, but if you're on a budget then the RS8 and RS15 can also provide sharp, consistent results. If you’re trying to move fast and stay productive, the RS30 PRO is the one that keeps up.

What is the best value-for-money bandsaw blade sharpener for a small commercial operation?

The RS15 sits right in that sweet spot between speed and price, great for small businesses or workshops where you need a fast bandsaw blade sharpener at an affordable price.

At 16 teeth per minute, it’s fast enough to keep up with regular sharpening without jumping all the way to a higher-end unit. For a lot of small sawmill operations or mobile milling setups, that balance just makes sense.

A sawmill blade sharpener also tends to pay for itself pretty quickly. Instead of constantly buying new blades or sending them out, you’re keeping them in rotation and getting more life out of each one, reducing the operating costs to run your sawmill.

If you’re only sharpening occasionally, the RS8 is a solid starting point. If you’re going through blades all the time, the RS30 PRO speeds things up even more. The RS15 lands right in the middle for everyday use.

Which portable chainsaw chain sharpener is best for occasional sharpening in a workshop or garage?

For occasional use at home, theRCS28 Chainsaw Chain Sharpener is a great place to start.

It’s a semi-automatic chainsaw chain sharpener, so once you’ve got it set up, it grinds each cutter tooth while the pusher arm advances the chain automatically. You’ll just need to pivot the grinding head once to switch sides. This makes for a great, practical blade sharpener capable of putting new life in your chainsaw blades while balancing price.

It’s simple, consistent, and a big step up from hand filing if you want repeatable results without spending a lot of time on it.

If you’d rather let the machine do the full sharpening job without needing to interact with it, the RCS28 PRO takes it a step further by sharpening both sides of your chainsaw blades in one cycle. Set it up, let it run, and come back to a finished chain.

What is the best chainsaw chain sharpener for professional loggers who need fast, precise sharpening on-site?

If you’re sharpening chains regularly and need something you can rely on anywhere, at home or deep in the brush, the RCS28 PRO is built for that.

This chainsaw chain sharpener runs on a 12V battery, so you’re not tied to a shop or power outlet. You can bring it wherever the work is, whether that’s out on your property or on a job site.

It’s also fully automatic, grinding both sides of the cutters in one pass while advancing the chain on its own. That means you can set it up, step away, and come back to a sharpened chain.

With a sharpening speed of 15 teeth per minute, it keeps things moving without sacrificing consistency. If you’re going through chains regularly, it’s a reliable way to keep everything sharp and ready without slowing down your day.