STS Technical Info
Sharpening & Retip
Overview
The following diagram details the specifics of an Integral Flange Series Circular Sawblade in relation to the product material and spacers.
Overview
Portion of the tip remaining after grinding
Area worn away during cutting
(look at sum of other two areas to see roughly what the worn tip looks like before grinding)
Area removed in grinding process in order to achieve sharpness of the new cutting edge
General Concept
Your sawblades get slightly thinner with each sharpening (see image above)
It shows most clearly on the top view that they lose a small amount of tip-to-body side clearance each time
How Much Thinner?
The two most important factors are:
1) The clearance angles ground into the sides of the tips
2) How dull the sawblades are run between sharpening services
When Should the Sawblades be Removed for Sharpenning?
The dulling mechanism depends partly on heat. When a cutting edge gets worn. It generates more heat, so the RATE of dulling (rounding) Is lowest when the edge is sharp, and gets higher as the edge gets dull. So, if you are in a position to sharpen early and often, you will get more total lineal distance of material through the sawblade during the life of the tips.
Should the Sawblades be Retipped or Replaced?
Often with normal straight-plate sawblades it is a false economy to retip the sawblades. However. with you, Super Thin Saws Integral Flange style sawblades. a much large, portion of the value is in the steel body, so it is usually worthwhile to retip this type of sawblade, as long as the body is still in good shape.
How Many Sharpenings are Required Before Retipping?
For any particular species, grade, moisture content & feed rate (and there are other factors as well) there will be a minimum tip-to-body side-clearance. If the side clearance is any less. the friction with the sawdust chips will heat the saw body and cause snaking or burning. So we work "backwards" on that question. We look at how much thinner your sawblades will get with each sharpening (see above) and then we help you weigh the trade-off that there will be between
1) How many sharpenings will you get between retippings
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2) What kerf do you want the sawblades to cut at when they are brand new (or freshly retipped.)
Point of Retip
Notes:
NOTE: If you only face grind (or only top grind,) you must remove more material to get a truly sharp edge, so you will get fewer sharpenings in the life of a tip)
NOTE: It is not sufficient to merely grind all the surfaces without inspecting the results. At Super Thin Saws we inspect every tooth of every sawblade under a microscope
NOTE: It is obviously also a bad idea to grind away more material than necessary. This can produce a sharp blade, but it will give you fewer sharpenings.
NOTE: Look at gray and black together to see roughly what the worn tip looks like before sharpening.