Blog Archives - Super Sharp Shop

Tramontina Knives

Author: BigDaddy | Category: Blog, Knife Sharpening Service | Tags: 12c27, tramontina, tramontina knives

Tramontina Knives

Yesterday a customer brought seven knives from his kitchen’s knife drawer to the shop. None were alike and some had no maker’s mark or name so I did a little experimenting with sharpening angles and identification. Eventually, I found the faded mark on the Chef’s 8″ knife – it was a Tramontina.

Since this was my first experience with this brand of knife, I tried several different angles of sharpening and found the blade resisted creation of a burr until I started sharpening at about a fourteen or fifteen degree angle. The blade quickly responded to the diamond wheel at this setting and I followed the sharpening with a good polishing of the edge with rouge on the strop. I followed the polishing with cutting myself with the knife. Twice!

After a little first-aid, I checked out the knife on the company website and was impressed to read the knives “receive a thermal treatment which consists of hardening (heating the blade), subzero (cooling from 50 to -196 degrees), and tempering (increasing the steel elasticity) for a longer and more efficient life. “

The knives are stainless steel and certainly take an edge nicely. All in all a pretty good knife.

Published: January 10, 2019

Circular Saw Blade Sharpening Services

Author: BigDaddy | Category: Blog, Carpentry Tools Sharpening Service, Circular Saw Blade Sharpening Services | Tags: circular saw blade anatomy and grind types, freud circular saw blade, saw blade anatomy

Circular Saw Blade Sharpening Services Near Mobile Alabama

One of the sharpening services finished in the shop today was a freud 11562618 – 50/11, a 12″ inch, 100 tooth rip-cut blade. Freud makes superb blades and when I receive these in the shop I recognize the investment the owner has in the blade and enjoy bringing the blade back to like-new or better-than-new condition.

Circular Saw Blade Anatomy

This blade has a 10 degree hook angle bevel with an ATB grind and from-the-factory side grind polish. Sharpening this type of blade takes quite a bit more time than most of the common home-owner or building contractor type of blades. More time is required because the diamond wheels I use for sharpening must be alternated for every other tooth. And, the side of each tooth should be polished – usually with 4,000 grit diamond stones.

This diagram may help clarify some of the terms I use. Tooth design is the determining factor in deciding which blade is best for any application. Here’s a quick overview of how subtle changes in bevel, gullet and kerf affect cutting performance.

Bevel – Teeth can have a single bevel, two bevels or no bevel at all. Types of bevels can alternate from tooth to tooth on a given blade. The bevel is what gives a blade its specific cutting pattern.

Gullet – This is the space between teeth that clears the work piece of chips after the cut. The deeper the gullet, the more efficiently chips are cleared.

Kerf – This is the face of the tooth, where the actual cutting takes place. The pattern of alternating kerfs, known as the grind, decides what applications a blade is best for.

Circular Saw Blade Grind Types

Circular Saw Blade Anatomy – Tooth Grinds

Flat Top Grind (FTG) – best for ripping

Circular-Saw-Blade-Anatomy-Flat-Top-Grind

Alternate Top Bevel (ATB) – for cross-cutting, cut-off and trimming

Circular-Saw-Blade-Anatomy-Alternate-Top-Bevel

Triple Chip Grind (TCG) – perfect for hard, abrasive materials like non-ferrous metals, hardwoods and plastics

Circular-Saw-Blade-Anatomy-Triple-Chip-Grind

Multi-Purpose Carbide Tipped (MCT) – for ripping and crosscutting, miter

Circular-Saw-Blade-Anatomy-Multi-Purpose-Carbide-Tipped

Tri-Grind (TRI) – combination grind

Left Trim Grind (3/1) – good finish, one side only

Circular-Saw-Blade-Anatomy-Left-Trim-Grind

Right Trim Grind (3/1) – good finish, one side only

Circular-Saw-Blade-Anatomy-Right-Trim-Grind

Solid Surface Grind (SSG) – for extremely dense man-made materials

Circular-Saw-Blade-Anatomy-Solid-Surface-Grind

High 30 degree ATB (MH) – chip-free cuts on melamine and plywood

Published: January 2, 2019

Router Bit Sharpening

Author: BigDaddy | Category: Blog, Carpentry Tools Sharpening Service | Tags: freud 99-569, raised panel

Freud 99-569 3-1:2-Inch Raised Panel Bit with Back cutters

With today’s geometry and materials used in router I highly recommend to sharpen them only with precision equipment. Since sharpening router bits changes the profile in subtle ways, be aware that if the bit is used for jointing, it is better to buy new ones. For example, if a specific dimension is to be routed, i.e., 3/4″ wide dado, a re-sharpened bit could give less than that, making additional milling necessary to get a good fit into that dado. However, if the bit is strictly a decorative style, resharpening the bit is the way to go.

Freud 99-569
3-1/2″ (Dia.) Raised Panel Bit w/Backcutters with 1/2″ Shank

One of the items to be sharpened today is this freud 99-569 raised panel router bit. I have found that Freud’s carbide micrograin technology accepts a good edge with diamond honing at 600 grit.

If you are interested in making raised panel doors, freud offers “A Shop Guide to Making RAISED PANEL DOORS on the Router Table.”

Published: January 1, 2019