There are multiple ways you can sharpen a large circular saw’s teeth by hand. In this step-by-step guide, you can grab the knowledge of how to use the file and chisel method. This method is both cheap and best for sharpening large circular saws. This guide will help you study how to sharpen your circular saw’s teeth by hand step-by-step so that you know how to properly sharpen your own saw when it needs sharpening next time.
Tools required for sharpening:
Sharpening a large circular saw means sharpening the saw teeth, and that is not possible when the blade is attached to the circular saw body, and even if it is possible, that can be hard and risky. And for sharpening a circular saw blade by hand, it is suggested to remove the blade from the saw and then sharpen the teeth by hand. And to do that, you will need the following tools to make your task of sharpening a large saw blade by hand easy and safe.
- Sharpening File/ sandpaper stick in a piece of wood
- Wrench
- Hammer
- Clamps (optional)
- Industrial gloves
To sharpen a large circular saw by hand
This step-by-step guide includes both removing the blade from the saw body and placing it in a stand so that you can sharpen the blade by hand easily. The process includes the following steps
Step 1: Unplugging the saw
Unplugging the circular saw from the power source is one of the important tasks to do before removing and sharpening the teeth. It is a basic safety precaution to save you from any possible injuries, and you won’t want any unwanted injuries during the removal process of the saw. If your saw blade is a battery-powered saw, remove the battery or remove the electricity connection for safety purposes.
Step 2: Removing the blade
For removing the blade from the saw first thing you need to do is wear thick industrial gloves to protect your hand. The next task is to use a wrench and loosen the bolt that attaches the large circular saw blade to the saw body. In this step, remember that the bolt at the center of the blade loosens in the same direction where the blade rotates during cutting. This is because if the bolt loosens in the opposite direction of the rotation of the blades, then over time, it may get loosened by itself. Before removing the bolt, lock the saw blade using the lock button or manually put a piece of wood in the rotational direction of the blade to jam and lock-free rotation of the blade. Then with a wrench, remove the bolt. After removing the bolt and the washer from the shaft of the saw body, carefully remove the saw blade from the saw body. If any upper or lower guard protects it, then remove or slide those guards before removing the saw.
Step 3: Place the blade in a stand and clamp it
After removing the blade from the saw body, the next step is to place it somewhere where you can easily sharpen the blade, and the blade will not move and standstill. For that, you can use a wooden stand and clamp the blade with the stand. It will tightly hold the blade for filing.
Step 4: Marking starting tooth
Before starting to file the teeth of the saw blade, use a pen or a pencil and mark the starting point or mark the tooth, you are starting with. It will help you keep track of what tooth you are starting with, and you won’t be sharpening the same tooth twice.
Step 5: File the teeth
Now use a sharpening file and sharpen the teeth with the file. To sharpen the blade teeth with a sharpening file, you should be careful about how you are using the file because using the wrong technique will reduce the work progress and make the sharpening file dull. When you are starting to file saw blade teeth, start with the top of every tooth and then sharpen the front side of the tooth that is perpendicular to the center point of the blade. In most circular saws, the blade teeth are slightly bent to left and right to the center point of the blade body for giving thicker kerf cut. And, whenever you are sharpening, always sharpen in the direction where the tooth is bent. Don’t sharpen any tooth backward, or it will make the file dull. Don’t sharpen the backside of any teeth. The back of the teeth in most of the blade is leaning backward, which has nothing to do with cutting.
Step 6: Adjust the tooth left and right bending
Adjust the tooth left and right bending after sharpening the tooth. And for making the adjustment use a wrench and grab every tooth of the blade and proportionally bend to its direction. And if any tooth bending is already in its position perfectly, don’t bend that tooth. Without proper left and right bending, the blade will not cut a perfect kerf and will also create a high amount of heat while rotating and cutting any wood.
Step 7: Attach the blade with the shaft
After sharpening the blade with your hands, it is time to place the saw blade to its position in the saw. But don’t forget to wear a glove and the glove must be thick. With a sharpened blade, the chance of getting your hand cut is also greater. Place the blade on the shaft of the saw body and attach the bolt and washer tightly. With this step complete, you will have your blade sharpened by hand.
Expert Tips
- Sharpen in the leaning side of the teeth only. Don’t sharpen on the opposite side.
- Sharpen the bottom of the front side of every tooth. It is important because, over time, the blade teeth will get shorter with every sharpening, and to maintain the height of the teeth, sharpen the teeth bottom with a thin file. It will reduce the
- Don’t sharpen the teeth front too much, or it will make the teeth front lean forward like a steep, and when you make a cross-cut with claw-like teeth, it will grab and try to rotate the timber.
- Don’t use the Phil back and forth, or it will dull the file and blade teeth as well
Bottom Line
If you follow the given guide above, you will be able to sharpen your large circular saw blade with your hand without any problem but don’t forget to take safety precautions. Following this step-by-step guide to sharpening a large saw blade will not only help you sharpen in a proper way but also will save time with experts tips given in below the steps.