How To Sharpen A Circular Saw At Home

Sharpening circular saws
Sharpening of circular saws Material and properties of carbide teeth In domestic saws, sintered tungsten-cobalt alloys of VK (VK6,

Sharpening angles of teeth

The sharpening angles are determined by the purpose of the saw. Those. The cutting of which material and in which direction it is intended. Rip saws have a relatively large rake angle (15 °.25 °). For cross-cut saws, the γ angle usually ranges from 5-10 °. Versatile cross and rip saws have an average rake angle. Usually 15 °.

The sharpening angles are determined not only by the direction of the cut, but also by the hardness of the material being cut. The higher the hardness, the smaller the anterior and posterior angles should be (less sharpening of the tooth).

The rake angle can be not only positive, but also negative. Saws with this angle are used for cutting non-ferrous metals and plastics.

Sharpening circular saws

Material and properties of carbide teeth

In domestic saws, sintered tungsten-cobalt alloys of grades VK (VK6, VK15, etc., the number means the percentage of cobalt) are used as a material for cutting plates. Bk6 has a hardness of 88.5 HRA, BK15. 86 HRA. Foreign manufacturers use their own alloys. Hard alloys VK consist mainly of cobalt-cemented tungsten carbide. The characteristics of the alloy depend not only on its chemical composition, but also on the grain size of the carbide phase. The smaller the grain, the higher the hardness and strength of the alloy.

Attach the carbide plates to the disc by high-temperature brazing. As a material for soldering, at best, silver solders (PSr-40, PSr-45) are used, at worst. Copper-zinc solders (L-63, MNMTs-68-4-2).

Sharpening circular saws

Circular saws are used throughout the construction industry. Many works require resizing the building materials used, making cuts and much more. The circular saw allows you to quickly cut a wide variety of materials, while the cutting speed is very high, and the quality of the cut made is the best. The constant use of the equipment in question determines that the cutting tool begins to become dull, this has a significant impact on the efficiency of the work carried out and their quality. That is why many people think about how to sharpen circular saws with their own hands. After all, the ability to perform such work with high quality will significantly save money.

how to sharpen a circular saw at home

When do you need to rebuild your circular saws?

Quite an important question can be called determining when the sharpening of circular saws should be carried out. Heavy wear and tear can lead to the inability to carry out such work. Three clear signals can be distinguished that determine the need for sharpening the circular saw blade:

  1. The appearance of smoke, heating of the protective casing. The fixture usually has a special protective cover that can get hot if the disc is dull. It should also be noted that in special cases, smoke appears due to the strong heating of the cutting zone.
  2. Also, with a mechanical feed, when the pressure is adjusted with your own hands, a lot of effort should be applied to obtain the desired result.
  3. When processing wood or other material, traces of carbon deposits and a corresponding odor appear in the cutting area.

In the above situations, it is recommended to sharpen the circular saw blade.

Required tools

With your own hands, discs for a circular plate can only be sharpened with special tools. There is also a machine that allows you to automate the process and make it more efficient.

To carry out work on sharpening a disc with your own hands, you can use the following tools:

  1. Assembly vise;
  2. File;
  3. Block of wood.

It is also possible to use a circular saw sharpener, which does not require the above tools.

How to sharpen a circular saw blade correctly and at what angle

The use of circular saws is especially common in construction. Most of the work requires making cuts and changing the shapes and sizes of finished materials. The circular saw helps you tackle these tasks quickly and get quality results. But the instrument is not capable of serving forever, sooner or later it may become dull. It is for this that you need to know exactly how you can sharpen saw teeth in a domestic environment.

  1. How to determine wear and tear?
  2. Types of cutting teeth
  3. Instruments
  4. Sharpening principles and angles
  5. How to sharpen: basic methods
  6. Manual way
  7. Using a machine

How to sharpen: basic methods

There are two methods available for sharpening circular saws. Manual and machine. In order to sharpen the disc correctly at home, some nuances must be taken into account.

Manual way

Special saw blade sharpening machines are rarely used in a domestic environment because their cost is high. Therefore, in the absence of such a device, you can cope with sharpening with improvised devices, for example, an angle grinder. In this case, it is forbidden to hold the circle in your hands without fixing it with anything. Otherwise, it will not be possible to achieve a sufficient cutting angle for further work with the material.

To securely fix the circle in the correct position, use a flat stand.

  1. The surface of the stand coincides with the level of the axis of the grinding wheel;
  2. On it, the gear wheel is placed in such a way that the sharpening plane becomes perpendicular to the saw blade;
  3. The design of the device is complemented by a swivel joint.

The stand will help you to comfortably position the saw blade for cutting in relation to the abrasive material. Before starting work, clear markings are carried out. A colored marker is used for this. They draw a mowing line, which will allow the element to be sharpened at the desired angle. The vise will help secure the disc to the surface.

Sharpening disc for circular saw angle grinder:

Circular from an angle grinder

If you have your own “angle grinder”, it is very good. To create a “circular”, you need to make an axial handle and a sliding stop to the unit. The design of the sliding stop includes a pair of steel angle pieces located on the sides of the saw blade. With the help of nuts and bolts, they are connected by a transverse bundle, and the gap between the working part and the sidewalls of the structure will be provided with washers.

On the “angle grinder” you need to pre-tighten the metal band clamp with a screw tie down. Then you need to attach the double-folded metal strip to the holes for the sliding stop. The stand and clamp can be combined, but in this situation the metal strip will be too thick.

Then, in the gearbox of the future tool, you will need to make several holes for the bolts. For this purpose, the body is disassembled, and the points where drilling will take place are indicated. With the help of the holes made, the axial handle is fixed, because the “standard” handle will not allow making a good cut, even if the master has very strong hands.

The handle is created from a metal tube or rod. Designs can be shaped like horns or braces. The ends of the element with which it will be attached to the gearbox must be provided with holes for installing fasteners.

You also need to make a barbell that will regulate the process. For this purpose, you need to take a piece of a metal rod, make a loop from one end of it, rivet it slightly and make a hole for the front stop bolt.

The other end of the rod needs to be threaded, which will allow you to connect it to the handle. In advance, one strong nut should be screwed onto this thread, and after the structure is assembled, the second. By lowering and pulling them, you can adjust the cutting depth. By the way, if you use a drill instead of an angle grinder, you can make a similar tool.

Thus, you can independently make a good circular saw out of an ordinary angle grinder, with which you can cut various materials.

Compact benchtop machine

Above we talked about how to assemble a hand circular. Now we will tell you how to turn this device into a stationary one. This process involves the manufacture of a U-shaped bed from a pipe, as well as the installation of a transverse arm. The lower ends of the structure should bend horizontally in the direction of the cut. They are bolted to the table. Stability is provided by additional supports.

Lever mobility provided by cutting the horizontal segment into two identical parts, which are fixed to each other with clamps. The saw blade is attached to the vertical element of the bed with clamps.

How to make a stationary or manual circular with your own hands

A hand-made circular saw is an excellent tool that allows you to solve a large number of household and other tasks. In fact, it is not difficult to make this device on your own, even in that situation, if you do not have any special skills, the most important thing is to understand at least a little the principle of processing metal alloys.

The materials needed for the job can be found in the home workshop or in the garage. So, circular from a circular saw do it yourself is made of the following elements:

  • Corner of strong steel;
  • Rectangular shaped tube;
  • Engine.

The finished circular saw can be positioned on a workbench. If you don’t have one, you will have to make the table yourself. The engine can be taken from an old tiller or washing machine.