How to sharpen Circular saw blade

You should know that it is a handy tool to have in your arsenal. But, your circular saw will only remain handy as long as the blade remains handy. As you continue to feed materials to your saw blade, the blade will eventually wear out, become dull. And the blade will stop giving you the desired outcomes.

In such situation, you would think that you are pretty much left with only one option. And that is to get a brand new blade, right? Wrong! You have another option, my friend. Instead of getting a new blade which could be expensive, you have another option. And that is to sharpen your old blade.

Before you start getting thoughts about this job being a tiresome work, let me assure you that it is not! Also, you might have zero past experience. I say that is no problem either. Because sharpening a circular saw blade can be done with a few simple steps. In all honesty, it only requires you to have a good concentration level.

Blade Sharping Machine?

Nowadays there are many blade sharpening machines. They make the job a lot easy. But, they can be expensive for many woodworkers. So, it is of no problem to sharp your old blade without the use of those machines. Though there are some saws that require you to go to an expert, most can be done by yourself. You just have to concentrate and give a little effort.

Are You Sure Your Blade Needs Sharpening?

Sometimes, many people could make a silly mistake. They might think that their blade has become dull, but in reality the blade has just got some dirt that needs to be cleaned. This is why the first point that I am going to make is so important.

Before Starting

Before you even start the sharpening, you need to clean up nice. For cleaning, you will most definitely need a brush. When using the brush, you can use Vaseline or petroleum jelly. Remember to brush with the direction of the blade. Because if you rub against the blade, there is a chance of cutting yourself. Consequently, using industrial degreaser will help in breaking down the resin. Moreover, cleaning your blade will make the job of sharpening easy. So, do not be lazy and make sure you clean!

And at this stage, you will also know for sure if your saw blade actually needs sharpening or not. Before I start stating the steps of sharpening, there are few things that need to be cleared.

Know Your Blade’s Teeth

Now, as you might already be aware that there are different types of blade or blade-tooth (steel-toothed, carbide tipped, etc.). The steel-toothed saw blade can be sharpened using a file. It is pretty straight forward and really easy to do. The carbide tipped is not that easy. There are two reasons why it is recommended that you go to a professional for sharpening the carbide toothed blade:

1. You would need a diamond wheel sharpener. Because the carbide toothed blade is very hard. And the diamond wheel sharpener is rather a bit expensive.
2. Carbide tipped not only cuts with the teeth’s tips but also with the sides. Sharpening this sort of blade is rather a bit complicated. For this reason, you can ruin the blade.

And you will find many blades which cannot be re-sharpened. So, make sure that yours is not one of them. Also, some blades are just not worth sharpening. They are too worn out and dull. And even though you can sharpen them, they will only exhaust your motor and not going to give you the best results. You don’t have to throw them out though, keep them for other uses.

You can use a hand file, crank sharpener, or automatic sharpener on any saw blades. These are used when you are sharpening yourself. You can get your work done faster using an automatic sharpener. But, the negative point is that the automatic sharpener could be rough on your precious blade. So, if you do use it, you need to be careful and take it easy.

Using a file will need more effort from you. It will usually take more time also. But, this easy to do manual procedure is better to sharpen circular saw blade. Now, let’s get to the steps on how to sharpen your circular saw blade.

Let’s Start Sharpening

1. As mentioned earlier, the cleaning. I know I am repeating myself, but this has to be the first step. Don’t underestimate the cleaning! It will only serve you better.
2. Remove the blade. The saws these days have a blade release switch. This makes the task of removing the blade a lot easy. But, there are some (older ones mainly) where you need to have a wrench to remove the blade by unbolting.
3. After removing the blade from your saw, put down the blade with its teeth facing you. Position the blade in such way by holding it with a vice grip. Get a firm good grip with the vice and position the blade’s teeth towards you. But, be careful and do not hold the blade too tightly. Because that can and might twist your blade’s teeth or bend some part of your blade.
4. This step is rather an optional one. Get a chalk. Use this chalk and make a mark on the top of the blade in the position from where you start the sharpening. The reason for doing this is not to sharp the same teeth twice. Having a mark will make you aware of your starting point and where you need to stop from going any further. Too much sharpening is bad like not sharpening at all.
5. Now, the way to go with the sharpening is pretty straight forward. Your circular saw has bevels on its surface. And so it requires you to stay keen on them. Sharp one tooth and then skip the next one. Again, sharp the following one and skip the next. Continue like this until you are all done, until you complete going around the whole blade.
6. After you are done going around the whole teeth, flip over the blade and do exactly the same with the other side. Sharp one, skip the next. Sharp one again and skip the next one. Exactly like the previous step.
7. Now, for the finishing touch, file the tips of your blade’s teeth one by one. Be patient with this step as you go around and touch all the teeth. Also, be careful not to overdo the filing.
8. Well, what are you waiting for? You are all good to go man! Install the blade back to your circular saw and start cutting. How to install the blade back depends on your saw. See the user’s manual for that.

But, how do you know if you have sharpened your blade enough? When you are sharpening, you will start seeing bright steel. That’s your indication that you need to stop sharpening. And of the files that you can use to get this job done, there is the diamond file. I am mentioning this because the diamond file is the one to get the best outcome.

So, the next time someone asks you how to sharpen circular saw blade? Then you have got the perfect answer now!