Clearly I am blessed to have been using LA Grinding to do all of my metal working tool sharpening and custom grinding for the past 50+ years. They have set the standard, establishing the state-of-the-art, using CNC sharpening machines when those are appropriate.
Back in 1959 when I opened my first large woodworking shop closer to my home in Pasadena I used a marvelous fellow who worked by himself sharpening woodworking blades and bit. His tiny shop was close to my woodshop. In that area his reputation was outstanding. He used a minimum of technology because he had so much experience and became 'at-one' with the bits and blades. Of course back then carbine tips were just becoming practical in woodworking. Unfortunately he died about 1980.
So I asked LA Grinding if they sharpened woodworking blades. They assured me they had been doing so for a long time. That was when I started using them for all my tool sharpening. The day I was making up my mind to buy my first Festool TS55 I phoned LA Grinding to see if they would deal with those blades. They assured me they had been sharpening Festool blades for the major movie studios for a few years.
Many times I have written that to be successful in business you need to become virtual partners with your key vendors. When I was a kid my Apaw taught me how to set my saw blades and hone my chisels and plane irons. So when I needed to source my sharpening I felt I could recognize dedicated talent. This is how I feel about LA Grinding, which actually is located in Burbank. I know my primary plywood and hardwood vendor knows their business better than I do, so I feel a bond with them.
As for one blade maker refusing to sharpen a competitor's blades, IMO that is nuts. If they do not understand why Festool blades are designed they way they are, then they are far behind state-of-the-art. What do they mean "We sharpen all blades"? To me they are saying "We sharpen all blades we know how to sharpen and we have no interest in buying modern equipment and learning how to us it to sharpen state-of-the-art blades".
