How Long Should a Good Saw Blade Last?

[Pat Germain]

I recently bought a Forrest WWII blade for my table saw. I'm very pleased with the cuts, but wondering how long it should last before it requires sharpening. Today I made some cuts in 8/4" hard maple and my saw was seriously bogging down. Is it possible the blade just needs a good cleaning, or am I just kidding myself and in dyre need of a sharpening?

Granted, I've been doing some heavy duty cutting, but I was hoping to get more life than this out of it. Since I bought the blade, I've made three cutting boards from 8/4" hard maple and walnut, cut a few pieces of 3/4" birch ply and cut some pine here and there. How much use should I expect from a WWII before it's dull?

[Matt Meiser]

Have you cleaned it? We had a talk by a pro sharpener at our woodworking club and he said that many of the blades he got in for sharpening didn't need anything more than a cleaning. Mine hasn't been sharpened in a few years and I've just started noticing a decrease in cut quality. I just picked up a backup blade tonight so that I can send it in for sharpening. I've cut a ton of oak, plywoods, maple, and various other things with it before getting to this point.

[Pat Germain]

Not yet, Matt. I don't have any kerosene or Simple Green in the shop. I called LOML while she was at my local Target, but they didn't have any Simple Green. I plan to find some Simple Green tomorrow and give the blade a good cleaning.

I need to tell LOML whether I'm done cutting until I can get a sharpening, or if there's a good chance cleaning will help. From your post, Matt, I get the impression a gunky blade can behave like a dull blade. Does is make that much of a difference? I was under the impression a gunky blade was just more likely to cause burning. If your blade hasn't been sharpened in a few years, I should have a few more years of use. My blade is only a few months old.

[Dan Barr]

yup, me too

i clean my whenever i see the burn marks starting to show up on any cuts. other than that, i dont think i'll need any sharpening for quite a while.

also, its just like a brand new blade everytime i clean it. wood just glides right through.

v/r

dan

[Gary Keedwell]

For more years then I care to admit...I used oven cleaner. A few years ago I started to use Formula 409. Works great. Spray it on...wait a couple of minutes and wipe off with paper towel. Sometimes I'll scrub with an old tooth brush. I change my blade frequently because I'm one of those guys that likes to use a dedicated blade for each operation. Only takes a few minutes to clean while you have it off the saw.
Gary

[patrick anderson]

If this makes any difference to your thinking I picked up a almost new CMT crosscut blade (80 tooth or something). Anyway, when I put it on it was like the proverbial slicing through butter until I stupidly tried to take a thin rip off a 4" tall piece with the blade at full height. It smoked a bit and popped a fuse and I swear it doesn't cut the same. I think it needs a bloody good clean as I can see yellow crap on the teeth

[Pat Germain]

I've seen many threads about what to use to clean a blade. Oven cleaner seems to scare lot of folks, but hey, if it works, it works. I recall seeing a post from a Forrest rep who recommended kerosene, but I'd rather not have a container of fuel sitting around just for blade cleaning. I guess if I get a kerosene heater, it will be more practical.

It seems the most common consensus is Simple Green and kerosene are the safest options. I understand oven cleaner can compromise the carbide bond.

Just to be clear, you guys are telling me if my blade needs a good cleaning, it can behave as if it's dull. Correct?

[Dan Barr]

Yep.

clean it up good with formula 409 and you'll be back to new.

v/r

dan

[Dan Barr]

Yes,

it will give burn marks and seem slower than when clean. if you look at the teeth you'll probably see plenty of resin on the sides and backs of the teeth. just strip that off nice and clean and you'll be back to sawdust.

v/r

dan

[Pat Germain]

Thanks, Dan, and everyone else. I'll go ahead and clean the blade with 409. It's probably pretty gunked up.

My $20 contribution to SMC just paid for itself. I hope anyone else who can contribute will do so. I sure need this forum to keep going!

[Bruce Wrenn]

I recently bought a Forrest WWII blade for my table saw. I'm very pleased with the cuts, but wondering how long it should last before it requires sharpening. Today I made some cuts in 8/4" hard maple and my saw was seriously bogging down. Is it possible the blade just needs a good cleaning, or am I just kidding myself and in dyre need of a sharpening?

Granted, I've been doing some heavy duty cutting, but I was hoping to get more life than this out of it. Since I bought the blade, I've made three cutting boards from 8/4" hard maple and walnut, cut a few pieces of 3/4" birch ply and cut some pine here and there. How much use should I expect from a WWII before it's dull?

Two magic words- 8/4 and maple. I would suggest that you use a dedicated ripping blade with about 24-30 teeth for this. I also concur with cleaning your blade regularly. I have blades that are over ten years old and have cut thousands of feet of 3/4 birch ply. One day they will need sharpening, not now though.

[Jared Cuneo]

I've tried a few different cleaners and I tell you, the best by miles is the CMT blade cleaner. I spray it on, and less then 30 seconds, the gunk wipes right off, and it has a nice smell too

Oh, and it comes in a handy spray bottle.....you have to use VERY little.....I've cleaned my blade 5 times and it hasnt even made a dent in the bottle....

http://www.highlandwoodworking.com/i...OD&ProdID=1288

Woodcraft carries it and I'm sure many others....

JC

[glenn bradley]

Blade cleaner review:
http://www.empiremfg.com/products/in...0cleaners2.pdf

[Andrew Nemeth]

I second CMTs cleaner. The product works great and it's non-toxic. I bought some of it when I was picking up a second WWII blade at Woodcraft to use as a backup before I send my other WWII out for sharpening and a tooth repair. Well, I got home cleaned my old blade and it worked so well I dug out some older freud blades stuck in a drawer. They cleaned up so well, and cut so cleanly, that I returned the second WWII and I now have two backup Freud blades to use while I get my Forest fixed. I bet the pitch buildup could cause enough friction to bog down a motor IMHO.

[Lance Norris]

Today I made some cuts in 8/4" hard maple and my saw was seriously bogging down.

How much horsepower are we talking about? If you have less than 3 hp, your saw is going to struggle some in 2" hard maple