How to check and maintain a saw blade?

29th February 2020


	How to check and maintain a saw blade


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			A saw will not work efficiently if the teeth are not in proper working condition. After each use, you should carefully wipe down each tooth with a dry cloth to remove any dust or chippings which may have become lodged in the teeth when sawing. Once the teeth are clean you can check them over.

			Important: If you’re using a saw with teeth that are not designed to be resharpened, and you notice that the teeth are damaged or broken, you should dispose of the blade, and replace it with a new one. If your saw has resharpenable teeth, and you notice any broken or damaged teeth, there is good chance you will be able to restore them.

			Here are some things to look out for when checking the blade:

			Missing or damaged teeth
			Sometimes a tooth will completely break off, and sometimes it will just be partially broken. If there are lots of teeth missing, you may have to file down the whole blade and create a new set of teeth. But remember, you can only file a saw that has not been hardened. If only one or two are missing, the saw should still be able to cut.

			Extremely bent teeth
			On most modern saws, the teeth are ‘set’ (bent out away from the blade). You can see this if you turn the saw over and look straight down the blade. The teeth are bent sideways so that the saw produces a cut that is wider than the width of the blade, in order to prevent it becoming stuck in the material when sawing. Some saws have a wider ‘set’ than others, to accommodate a larger blade.

			Because of this, the teeth on most saws will be bent out to some degree. However, if any teeth are bent out at an extreme angle (i.e. protruding further out than the rest) they could snag on the material when sawing and either cause the saw to cut off course or become stuck. They could also tear the material’s fibres, creating a rough finish.

			If there are any teeth like this, the saw will have to be ‘re-set’. Re-setting is a process which involves adjusting the angle at which teeth are bent outwards from the saw blade. Please note that although hardened teeth cannot be resharpened, they can be re-set.

			Blunt teeth
			The very process of sawing will cause teeth to become blunt over time, so there is no way of avoiding this. Blunt teeth will not cut through material properly, and may cause the saw to wander off course. Sharp teeth, on the other hand, cut and remove material efficiently, and help to guide the saw in a straight line.

			If you’re using a saw with hardened teeth, and you notice that the teeth have become blunt, you will not be able to sharpen them. If your saw has resharpenable teeth, there is a good chance you will be able to restore them, once they become blunt. If you’re not sure if your teeth can be resharpened or not, see our section: Hardened saw teeth vs. resharpenable saw teeth.

			Please note Some saws, such as those designed for cutting masonry, have teeth with rounded tips, which look blunt, but actually aren’t. These teeth will still have a sharpened edge for cutting through very tough materials.