Saw Blade Sharpening

[jar45]

FYI:
  I recently used Festool Sharpening Service to have 2 blades for my 10  year old Festool TS 55 REQ and 2 blades for my Kapex 120 EBsharpened.  Each blade was shipped individually by United Parcel Service (UPS).  I packed a blade and dropped it off at the local UPS Store here in the US. The time frame from the initial shipment, sharpening and return of a blade took between 7 -10 business days.  I am completely satisfied with the results. In each case, it was the first time the used blade was sharpened.  The cost, which ranges from $35 to $ 45, includes shipping.  If you are interested, here is the link to the service which is done entirely online using a Credit Card:  https://festoolsharpen.com/

John

 

[Clarke Builds]

Thanks John for the info. In comparison, what is the cost of a new blade?

 

[tjbnwi]

This is the company that did the actual sharpening. I’ve used them for the last 10 years or so, I send them ~12 various blades every other month. Never had an issue with their service.
https://quinnsaw.com/

Tom

 

[squall_line]

Thanks John for the info. In comparison, what is the cost of a new blade?

Festool branded blades for the Kapex start around $175 retail.  There's a 2-pack with two different tooth counts for under $250, but that only makes sense if you actually need both styles of blade.  Forrest, Tenryu, and others make compatible blades for different prices, but neither of those are as low as $45.

 

[Steve1]

I have never had a saw blade sharpened.

But last year, I bought a Forrest Hi A/T blade.
The cut - very nice.
The price - not so nice.

That blade will get sharpened when I see a drop off in cut quality.  Hoping I can find somebody within driving distance. 

 

[Cheese]

I have never had a saw blade sharpened.

But last year, I bought a Forrest Hi A/T blade.

That blade will get sharpened when I see a drop off in cut quality.  Hoping I can find somebody within driving distance.

Save the box the Forrest blade originally came in and you can use that to return the blade to Forrest for sharpening. Forrest advertises 7-10 days and their prices are reasonable. I wouldn't compromise cut quality for the convenience of a local sharpener, done that.

My Forrest blades are resharpened by Forrest...my Festool blades used to be resharpened by Leitz, now it's Festool/Quinn.
https://www.forrestblades.com/forrest-factory-carbide-saw-blade-sharpening/

 

[Packard]

I don’t know if this applies here, but perhaps it is useful.

When I had my picture frame shop, I used a Lion Miter Trimmer on occasion to correct bad miters.  The trimmer used razor sharp guillotine blades about 7” long and 1/2” thick.  They were made from high quality steel and stayed sharp for a long time.  I could slice the material so thin that I could use it as tracing paper.

About that time, there became available much cheaper (but entirely usable) knockoffs from China.  The Chinese blades were physically interchangeable with the Lion blades, but of lower quality steel.  They got dull much quicker.

A few days later I got the blades “back”, but they were no my blades.  They were the Chinese blades.

Apparently the sharpening service kept several sets in stock so that they could make quick shipments.  I asked that my blades be returned.  They had no way to identify which was my blades, and they probably shipped my blades to the next company sending in Lion-type blades for sharpening.

If you have good quality blades, I recommend that you etch your name on the blade and insist that they return the original blade to you.

Grinding your name onto the face may affect the balance, and they clean the blades thoroughly after sharpening, so magic marker will not work.

 

[Cheese]

If you have good quality blades, I recommend that you etch your name on the blade and insist that they return the original blade to you.

All Forrest blades have a unique serial number.  [cool]

All Festool blades have a month & year that can be used for identification purposes. Some also have a random identifier such as XT 29, K32, F29 or 48.14.  [blink]

Large 14" diameter Milwaukee blades for their cold saws have a number & letter identifier such as 45KKW or 99SK.

All the other saw blades I own have nothing...CMT, Freud, Bosch, Evolution, Delta & Mafell.

 

[Bill Zickel]

The Festool Sharpening Service will laser engrave all customers saw blades with their name on them.

 

[Crazyraceguy]

The Festool Sharpening Service will laser engrave all customers saw blades with their name on them.

That's somewhat like what Leitz does with the blades we have sharpened. They are given a serial number, and tooth count, etched right into the side with some kind of machine. It looks like and old-fashioned dot-matrix printer.

It helps us keep a log of inventory.
Each saw type and the blades they use.....how many of those we have.
What and when they go out.
Again, when they come back.
All stored in a custom made cabinet

 

[Packard]

I would definitely opt to have your blades etched with your identification.

I wish I had thought of it back then.  I have one set of genuine Lion blades, and one set of Chinese blades.  But I bought two sets of Lion blades.

The real crime is that the Chinese version of the miter trimmer worked as well as the original. It put Lion out of business.

 

[Crazyraceguy]

A few days later I got the blades “back”, but they were no my blades.  They were the Chinese blades.

Apparently the sharpening service kept several sets in stock so that they could make quick shipments.  I asked that my blades be returned.  They had no way to identify which was my blades, and they probably shipped my blades to the next company sending in Lion-type blades for sharpening.

I would think that this would require some kind of legal disclaimer? A "sharpening service" is exactly that a service to your property.....not a subscription of "like for like" which just keeps you supplied with freshly sharpened blades.
How they keep track of whose are whose is their problem, not yours. They just have to do it and theoretically it is no business of the customer how they do it, as long as they do.
Either way, this should be something that is agreed upon, whether it is in fine print somewhere or some other way.

When you go to the autoparts store to get a starter/alternator (whatever) you know full-well you are getting a rebuilt/remanufactured unit and turn in your old one as a credit. So the cycle can be completed with the next buyer.
Or you go to a rebuilder yourself (if you live in a city big enough to have such a thing) then you can get the same one back. It takes longer, probably costs more, but would be higher quality too.

Or you buy a brand new one.....point being, you know what you are getting because you chose it

 

[jar45]

A few comments.  I am a DYI Hobbyists ,woodworker, and feel fortunate having an understanding wife and Festool products. 
I used the first blade on my TS55 REQ until I felt the blade needed to be replaced. Likely the blade sent for sharpening were past due.  I didn't feel comfortable having someone else sharpened my Festool Blades.  I've had my Table saw blades sharpened.  I don't recall the cost, it has been several years.
I had crudely engraved my initials on the four blades sent to be sharpened.  The blades came with my full name, professionally engraved.  In addition, the blades received an ultra cleaning which removed most of the Festool Paint.  If needed, 3  teeth are replaced, included in the cost.  In spite of cutting all sorts of wood, I hadn't broken a blade tooth and I know I have hit buried nails when the sparks flew.  I had saved the original card board containers the blade came in, so I used these in shipping.   
A good experience with Festool Sharpening Service.
John

 

[xedos]

I fail to see the appeal of festool's sharpening service.

Why not just send them to Quinn yourself and save the middleman's markup ???

 

[squall_line]

I fail to see the appeal of festool's sharpening service.

Why not just send them to Quinn yourself and save the middleman's markup ???

Quinn's pricing doesn't include shipping nor "free" tooth replacement up to three teeth.  If you were to send a 40-tooth TS55 blade to Quinn and it needed two teeth replaced, you'd pay $32.50 plus shipping in both directions.  No teeth replaced?  $22.50 marked up to $25 (minimum order size) plus shipping in both directions.  Festool's charge would be $35 all-in.  At current UPS/FedEx rates, you're still money ahead unless you have your own shipping account, in which case you probably have a sharpening service at the ready.

There isn't much markup involved, if any. It's more likely that Festool is taking a cut of Quinn's margin.

 

[Cheese]

I fail to see the appeal of festool's sharpening service.

Why not just send them to Quinn yourself and save the middleman's markup ???

Actually Quinn is more expensive than Festool.
Shipping is extra for Quinn in both directions.
Quinn charges $5 per broken tooth.
Quinn charges $5 for a modified TCG grind.
Quinn has a 1.5x up-charge for TS 55/60/75 blades.

So for a 160 mm x 42 tooth blade, Festool charges $35. Quinn charges $30, plus two-way shipping, plus $5 per chipped tooth.

Where Quinn is potentially cheaper is for ripping blades or for a Kapex blade providing there are no chipped/broken teeth.
Quinn rip blade is $22.50 plus shipping vs $35.
Quinn Kapex blade is $20 plus shipping vs $45.

Wow [member=75217]squall_line[/member] you beat me to it...guess that's what happens when I start a post, decide to make breakfast and then resume with the post an hour later.  [big grin]

 

[Peter Kelly]

$30-$35 for a 42-tooth blade is pretty expensive even if it does include postage and re-tipping. Dynamic Saw charges 1/2 that price and $3.25 per broken tooth if needed. I've actually sawed clean through a hidden drywall screw and didn't so much as chip that OEM Festool blade so I've never needed it done. A medium USPS flat-rate box fits at least 6 250mm / 10"  blades and only costs $18.40.
https://www.dynamicsaw.com/sawblades.html

 

[xedos]

Guess I really ought to update my price list then  [crying] [crying]
Still, sounds like only the 42t tracksaw blades are a "deal"

You fellas must lead a rough life if you're replacing teeth on your saw blades regularly enough for this to be a selling point ?  I've needed a grand total of 1 tooth replaced on all my blades in the last 40 years.  And that wasn't so much a replacement as re-brazing of the orig. tooth.

 

[squall_line]

$30-$35 for a 42-tooth blade is pretty expensive even if it does include postage and re-tipping. Dynamic Saw charges 1/2 that price and $3.25 per broken tooth if needed. I've actually sawed clean through a hidden drywall screw and didn't so much as chip that OEM Festool blade so I've never needed it done. A medium USPS flat-rate box fits at least 6 250mm / 10"  blades and only costs $18.40.
https://www.dynamicsaw.com/sawblades.html

$18.40 * 2 = $36.80.  $36.80 > $35?

I mean, I guess it depends on how many blades someone is planning to send in at a time.  For a hobbyist or occasional sharpener, it seems to work out pretty fairly. 

I'm sure that the main focus is grabbing the people who don't otherwise have the time or inclination to research other sharpening services, rather than the professional who already has a service that they use and like.

 

[Crazyraceguy]

You fellas must lead a rough life if you're replacing teeth on your saw blades regularly enough for this to be a selling point ?  I've needed a grand total of 1 tooth replaced on all my blades in the last 40 years.  And that wasn't so much a replacement as re-brazing of the orig. tooth.

It happens with an annoying frequency in cabinet shops. Careless handling can chip teeth pretty easily.
We also have SawStop get tripped about every other month too.