# can you use a chain saw grinder to sharpen bandsaw blades



## millbilly (Aug 18, 2014)

I've cut trees for over 40 years and wanted a saw mill bad. I saw one on Craig's list, a portable saw mill called a Rip Saw, Its much like an Alaskan mill except it uses a band saw blade to do the actual cutting. It can either be powered by gas chain saws or electric. Mine is electric, powered by a Milwaukee 3hp. angle grinder. Its not the fastest thing in the world but I'm sawing logs. It will cut a 12 inch wide ash board, 9 ft. long in about 1.5 minutes and stays fairly true in thickness. Anyway after sawing around 60 linear feet, the blade is noticeable dull.
I have an Oregon chain grinder I was wondering if I could fashion it to be able to sharpen band saw blade. I have no clue how to sharpen this thing.
I will post some pictures later, thanks all


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## BobL (Aug 19, 2014)

Sorry can't help with the sharpening but . . . . .
There was a member called WoodShop who used a Ripsaw extensively with a Husky power head . He hasn't posted for more than 4 years but someone might know how to contact him.


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## rwthom279 (Aug 19, 2014)

millbilly said:


> I have an Oregon chain grinder I was wondering if I could fashion it to be able to sharpen band saw blade.



In short, Yes. You most certainly can.

You will have to fabricate a blade clamp to support the blade when the wheel makes contact. Short of advancing the for the next tooth manually, you may want to consider an indexing arm so you get consistent removal of material between all the teeth. There are several folks that make and sell such a sharpener, and/or even the base and bolt your grinder head to it. If you have the means, building your own probably wouldn't be a problem. Keep in mind, you will only be sharpening the face, so your blade life will probably be reduced.

Due to the low HP/torque output, you are going to want a lower hook. IMO, 4 deg. would the best, regardless of the species being sawn.

You should also look for a way to accurately set the teeth as well. The tooth set is just as important as a sharp cutting edge. Improper and/or inconsistent set creates a host of problems that will make your milling experience less than pleasurable... both in terms of your sanity and the quality of the product produced.

Hope this helps.


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## blades (Aug 20, 2014)

Narrow band saw blades( anything under 2" wide) - teeth are harden to about rockwell 65-75( in other words as had as a file) as such you can not simply use a a setting tool to bend them left or right for clearance. They will just snap off. I do not believe you can use a swaging tool either for the same reason. Yes you could touch them up maybe once after that you would lose any kerf clearance factor. Band saw narrow blades ranges from .025-.042" thick depending on the type of blade the kerf total is about .020. All in all trying to extend the usefulness of narrow blades is rather fruitless for the time and energy spent. That said there very well may be a supplier of blades that are resettable in the narrow band category. I am unaware of such. Blades that are 3" up and wider are another story, I do not have any real experience with them other than knowing the basics and being able to resharpen them in my shop - frankly for me it is a losing proposition dollar wise. I have 3 machines capable of grinding bandsaw blades ( none are chain saw grinders) 40 Years ago we use to buy raw stock band and grind and set are own blades for customers. The advent of the harden blades and pricing factors lead to the demise of that part of the business. There are several companies that specialize in this type of grinding- I would not waste my own time on sharpening but deal with them instead, these people have it down pat for very reasonable prices. Course shipping anything now has become unreasonable.


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## hamish (Aug 20, 2014)

All narrow bandsaw blades can have the teeth reset, very easily, and no they wont snap off.

Most available millbands are .035/.042/.045/.055 thick and the typical set is .018-.023 per side.
So the total kerf on a millband that is .042 thick and having a side set of .020 per side would have a total kerf of .082.

There are thousands of people out there that sharpen bandsaw blades with a chainsaw grinder set up everyday.


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## rwthom279 (Aug 21, 2014)

hamish said:


> All narrow bandsaw blades can have the teeth reset, very easily, and no they wont snap off.
> 
> There are thousands of people out there that sharpen bandsaw blades.



X 2

Thanks Hamish, I was having difficulty putting together a reply, without ruffling feathers 

To "blades"... I'm still at a loss for words regarding your statement, but it is very misleading. Especially to an individual who may not know any better or hasn't had time to research blades and the technology behind them. 

*Most* brands of sawmill blades are indeed manufactured to be re-sharpened/re-set. There are a handful that are meant to be used in a re-saw application (run for a shift and thrown away) Sometimes a couple add'l runs can be salvaged with a re-sharpening, but the blade body can only make so many revolutions before it becomes work-hardened and breaks anyhow.... maybe these are the kind of blades you've had experience with??

Some blades are better than others in regards to re-sharpening. I've re-sharpened blades for myself and other sawyers for several years and I've had just about every brand/profile come through my doors. To provide a top-notch service requires specialized and expensive tooling, but more importantly, it requires the knowledge/experience and a solid understanding of blade technology.

I HATE to get blades that have been done on a modified chainsaw grinder: scorched teeth, gouged out gullets, inconsistent tooth height and forget any kind of decent tooth set. But if that is all the customer had available, I can understand. I'd probably try it also if no other options were available.

A modified chainsaw grinder is better than nothing, but remember, its like only sharpening a knife only on one side. Yeah, the blade will have a better edge... on the face, just don't expect miracles. Not to mention the reduced blade life from cracks developing in the gullet.


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## Trx250r180 (Aug 21, 2014)

http://www.stihlusa.com/WebContent/CMSFileLibrary/instructionmanuals/USG_Manual.pdf

Around page 20 shows a hedge trimmer holder ,it may hold the bandsaw blade also ,the usg will sharpen circular saw blades also


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