Question about Blade Sharpening

Bodger · May 05, 2011, 02:17:35 PM

I bought a sharpener along with my mill and like the idea of processing my own blades. Most I run a couple of times...some even three times to be sure the gullet is ground. Added a couple of things, one is a lighted magnifying glass on a extended arm to inspect and observe what's going on. I am able to turn out a pretty consistent blade that cuts. The only part of the job I have not been able to replicate each time is knocking off the burr on the inside of the blade. When WM trained me they said to flip the blade and use a piece of hardwood and scrape, scrape, scrape around the outside of the blade. I do basically the same thing...I scrape with hardwood on the inside before I flip. It probably gets most of the burr but not all - especially when the blade has been run three times around. I would like to know if anyone else, who does their own sharpening, has a better mousetrap for this. Thanks

Kansas · May 05, 2011, 02:52:27 PM

The question is, why bother? Once that blade is in the cut, those burs will be gone anyway. Maybe there is a reason I don't know.

cypresskayaksllc · May 05, 2011, 02:54:31 PM

Cooks catclaw comes with a deburring tool. It is a HSS 1/4" square bar about 4" long. Works pretty good.

Bodger · May 05, 2011, 03:06:22 PM

the reason to deburr is to assure accuracy of set...is that little tool from Cooks just to rub on the blade to deburr?

Tom · May 05, 2011, 04:05:20 PM

Yes the purpose of deburring is so that you can set accurately. I found a long time ago, that if I set first and sharpened afterwards, I didn't have to worry about the burr. I also found that my grindstone was able to put the preferred shape of the tooth onto the tip.

You will find a lot of arguments about the sequence to perform setting and sharpening, but I prefer to set first and then sharpen.

It also shortens the amount of time you spend in your barn after a full day of sawing.

ely · May 05, 2011, 04:08:59 PM

yes the tool bit that cooks provided is to rub around the inside of the band to deburr it.

i used to be all anal about that but now days the way i sharpen there is a very minute burr if any, and when i saw the first board its gone.

i always set before i sharpen the band for that very reason. i do sometimes use the burring tool to clean the pitch and sap off the band before i set it though.

customsawyer · May 05, 2011, 05:15:26 PM

I sharpen before I set but the reason I do this is that I cut mostly dirty logs and have the HP to push a blade till it gets dull. When this is done there is a bit of a rounded point on the cutting tip of the set teeth. I tend to grind a bit more off than most to get a good edge on the face of the tooth. I do not deburr the blade as I have the cooks setter that lets me zero out the dial indicator to offset for the burr.

terrifictimbersllc · May 05, 2011, 07:26:58 PM

The presence of a burr also affects the measurement of how much set there is. With a burr there appears to be more set than there actually is. It doesn't matter, if the burr is a thousandth or less, which is what I've concluded is left after pulling the blade around a square piece of hardwood screwed to the rafter over where I work. Once in a while I measure how much burr there is, by measuring before and after filing it off gently with a fine file.