How To Sharpen A Circular Saw Blade By Hand?

The truth is, if you use your circular saw regularly, you’re going to have to sharpen the blade at some point. Even if you take good care of your tools, the blades will eventually become dull and need to be sharpened. Luckily, it’s not difficult to do this yourself with just a few simple tools. In this blog post, we’ll show you how to sharpen a circular saw blade by hand using a file and honing guide. 

Step By Step Guide On How To Sharpen A Circular Saw Blade By Hand:

Step:1

Begin by removing the blade from the circular saw. Use a flat head screwdriver to pry the metal plate that holds the blade in place up and away from the saw’s body (if it doesn’t pop off easily, don’t force it). You can now remove the blade itself. With these first few steps, you are performing what is called “ripping the blade.”

Step:2

Next, replace the saw’s blade with a new one and secure it in place by snapping the metal plate back into place. Then line up your circular saw so that you’re ready to cut a piece of wood (if needed).

Step:3

To begin sharpening the blade, use a mill file to file the serrations on the surface of the blade (keeping it flat against the honing guide). If you’re using a round or triangular file, position it so that you’re filing at an angle.

Step:4

After you’ve filed each serration once, flip over the blade and do it again until all of them are even in size. Repeat this process on both sides of the blade (the side with fewer notches will need more work than the other).

Step:5

Next, tighten your circular saw’s body back onto its base and attach your new sharpened blade. Adjust your saw’s tension screw if needed before cutting it into the wood for test cuts.

Tool You Required While Sharpen Circular Saw Blades With Hand.

A Sharpening Stone

An alternative to a file is a sharpening stone. If you select this method, start by attaching your circular saw’s body back onto its base and setting it for a 1/8″ cut. Then, find the bevel on the side of the blade that faces away from the handle (it will be an angled marking right below the tooth edge). 

Now place your stone against one side of that angle and push to create a 90° angle between your sharpening stone and the circular saw’s blade. That 90° mark should line up with one-half of a tooth on your saw’s blade. Proceed to sharpen each serration as described above in steps 3-5.

Circular Saw Blade

Although this blog post pertains to the use of a circular saw, these tips can be applied to other types of blades for tools like miter saws and reciprocating saws. Before sharpening your blade, check the user’s manual that came with your tool for specific instructions.

If you don’t have any documentation available or are still unsure about how to proceed then follow these steps. directions exactly as described, you should be able to make quick work of sharpening your circular saw blade using either a file or a sharpening stone. 

Both methods may take some practice before they become easy enough to execute on the first try without supervision, but our blog post should give you a good starting point. In addition, our blog post may be helpful if you’ve been interested in learning how to sharpen a circular saw blade by hand but have been intimidated by the thought of doing so until now.

If this blog post helped you share it with a friend who might benefit from these tips as well!

Safety Goggles

It goes without saying that, before you begin any task at all, you should always wear safety goggles. Sharp tools and machines can cause injury to the eyes if they come into contact with them so it’s important to protect your sight as much as possible.

Hearing Protection

Additionally, it’s also important to protect your hearing while using tools. The high noise levels involved with this activity can cause damage to your ears over time so it will be advisable for you to wear some earplugs or earmuffs while operating any power tool, especially if the sound of that tool is loud enough to reach uncomfortable levels.

Clamp or Vise

Not required but helpful, a clamp or vise should keep the blade still while you’re sharpening it so that your saw’s body does not move around and disrupt the path of your work. 

Conclusion:

We have shown that it is possible to sharpen a circular saw blade by hand if done correctly. The most important part of the process is being patient and taking your time. If you follow these simple steps, you will be able to get your blade razor sharp in no time!