Do you sharpen your own tools?

I started sharpening our tools when I was a sophomore in high school. Use whatever it takes. I've found that my rotary tool with a cut-off disc works real good on carbide saw teeth that are too hard to file.

Used the rotary tool to sharpen a couple Forstner bits this morning.

I sharpen everything but skilsaw, and band saw blades.

I would sure like to find a circular saw (skillsaw, table saw) sharpening service. Got a lot of blades that could provide useful service if they were sharpened.

Most everything else I do myself. Axes, knives, chainsaws, sicklebars,etc.

You can sharpen your saw blades on a bench grinder. just need to touch the backside of the tooth on the wheel.

I have been sharpening my my own tools as mentioned above. If I can't sharpen it usually buy a new one.

(quoted from post at 17:04:07 11/18/12) I would sure like to find a circular saw (skillsaw, table saw) sharpening service. Got a lot of blades that could provide useful service if they were sharpened.

Most everything else I do myself. Axes, knives, chainsaws, sicklebars,etc.

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Have you tried Tubergen in Grand Rapids???? They have done very good work for me including my buzzsaw blade.

I think Harbor Freight has some type of circular saw blade sharpener, don"t remember what it costs.

I bought one of HF's saw blade sharping machines. Couldn't get it to work so went back to using the rotary tool with a small cutoff wheel.

I use a Dremal with a cutoff disk/wheel to sharpen some tools/cutters in my tool shop. Like you, I use what ever I have at hand to get the job done.

The Belsaw Sharp-all is the best circular sharpening machine and you can hang out a shingle and make money doing it.
I taught Mommy to do it and she liked to do it cause she stuck with it for a long time.
You can buy a foreign diamond grinding wheel for cheap and do the Tungsten Carbide tipped blades just as well.
If you got one for sale, let me know by email.
ohfred41

I learned in highschool too - my dad taught me.

My dad was good at a lot of things, but unfortunately, sharpening tools was NOT one of them.

Later in life I learned on my own that a bench grinder was not the ideal way to sharpen a wood chisel.

I'll never forget the first time I finally figured it out - sharpening one of his old hand planes. I did have to grind it first to get the angle right after so many bad attempts by him - then honed it - stropped it - and actually got it so I could easily shave hairs off my arm with it.

I never realized you could get a tool that sharp without "fancy equipment" (as my dad always told me we'd need). I always thought shaving hair on your arm was some kind of exageration.

Just wish I had figured it out while he was alive. It's really simple once you "get it", but he just never learned how to do it right.

He always appreciated a sharp tool, but for him, that meant buying a new one, and that's as good as it would ever be.

I've learned that the difference between a plane or a chisel sharpened properly with care, and one that's "close enough" is hard to even put into words.

He really would have loved using a truly sharp plane. Wish I figured it out earlier - he was always so frustrated by dull tools.