Curved Tooth Face on a Bandmill Blade
Some bandmill owners prefer curved teeth, and sharpen the teeth themselves. August 31, 2005
Question
We have had better cutting success with curving the toothface so it sweeps into the gullet as opposed to a straight tooth face. I recently purchased blades with a 3/4 spacing, but the tooth face and the beginning of the gullet form a point. It appears the area would dam up the sawdust and create drag. Anyone with similar findings?
Forum Responses
From contributor B:
I have been using a Dremel tool with a 3/8 stone to sharpen my blades right on the mill, which leaves a curved face on the tooth. Works great and saws great.
From contributor A:
I think you are referring to one of the differences between a skip tooth and a hook tooth. I, by far, prefer hook, as the tooth face is curved as opposed to the other one, and that the tooth angle of attack is not 90 degrees but something around 80, which seems to be more aggressive.
From contributor I:
I sharpen my blades exactly like contributor B. Dremel 3/8" carbide and it takes me about ten minutes. A carbide tool will keep its shape and cut hundreds of blades.
From contributor B:
Contributor I, where do you get your carbide blades? Sounds better than a stone.
From contributor I:
There are an assortment of companies that sell this tooling. I get mine from a local welding supply company (mcmaster.com). You should be able to find a good fit. Also, use the double cut for cutting steel and the single cut for soft metals like aluminum.
Safety issue: Please wear eye protection and cover hands and arms. Very fine chips fly everywhere, like little needles (unlike grinding dust).
