Shop Work: Blade Sharpening

Website: www.FishersShopOnline.com
Plans: www.FishersShopOnline.com/plans
Instagram: / fishersshop
Store: www.Amazon.com/shop/fishersshop
T-Shirts: www.FishersShopOnline.com/store
Podcast: webuiltathing.libsyn.com/
In this video I demonstrate how I take a dirty, grimy, and dull blade and make it as good as new again with an easy cleaning process and a good sharpening. If you've got some worn out blades in your shop, implementing these practices can bring them back to life and save you lots of money in the long run. Check out the video, give it a like, and leave me a comment below!
00:00 - Intro
01:20 - Cleaning process
03:26 - Run-down of the machine
06:44 - Using the machine
11:33 - Worth it?
13:33 - Outtakes
Check out and subscribe to Mark!
Gunflint Designs KZbin channel: / gunflintdesigns
LA's Totally Awesome: amzn.to/3kQpUGx
Blade Sharpener: amzn.to/3KDEr2G
UPDATE: Looks like they might be sold out. I found this machine which is very similar, and cheaper, but I've never dealt with the company selling it. Good luck! tinyurl.com/cbsmachine
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[@jonclearwater3189]

I love your videos. I wait with anticipation for new all the time. So easy to follow. Easy to understand. And the outtakes at the end give it a humble human Factor that makes it relatable. I appreciate you

[@FishersShop]

Thanks, Jon!

[@dia35]

Your narration and small references always crack me up.... it's never a DULL moment when watching your videos.

[@FishersShop]

Hehe, thanks! Glad you like them

[@partytempo]

"I flipped the album over to side B" - begrudgingly laughing at that one

[@greghomestead8366]

Very nice, not sure how often I'd use it so I'm shipping my blades to your next door neighbor so they'll end up at your place. Looking forward to receiving them back from you sharpened. Have a Jesus filled day everyone Greg in Michigan

[@FishersShop]

Haha, thanks Greg

[@JasonPeltier]

Sign me up for this also. I seem to have lost my flat head screwdriver.

[@carlmclelland7624]

This should be considered a 'must have' tool for any woodworkers shop. I bought a Harbor Freight model ($55.00) and yea... it's Harbor Freight quality. I took it apart, modified a few critical components to suit my needs - AND - it does a stellar job! As for blade cleaning, I use the wife's liquid laundry detergent and put the blade in an old cookie sheet. Let it soak a while and use a toothbrush, and it comes out as clean as new.

[@FishersShop]

Thanks for sharing

[@kikyamart8749]

Well, even your neighbor runs out of sharp blades eventually... so it's good to know how to sharpen!

[@Mike-vt6is]

Best part about that cleaner they sell it at the dollar store use it all the time.

[@FishersShop]

Yup

[@masoodamg6633]

I just joined this channel. It was accidental. You have a well-equipped workshop, I have never seen. congratulations

[@FishersShop]

Welcome to the channel

[@SSFWElyone]

Great review, thanks. (I use oven cleaner on my blades. (do it outside, the stuff stinks). A few sprays, wait a few min, wipe off. done. Gets off the worst sticky tree resin, whatever,)

[@FishersShop]

Nice!

[@MystiqueULH]

I have bought this machine because between a friend and myself there are plenty of blades to sharpen. But the directions on putting it together were lousy then I went to see if there was something on youtube to explain it step by step an there wasn't . But watching your video and seeing how the machine was put together helped me to put mine together. Thanks for putting up this video, it was a great help and your explanation on how to sharpen them was great also.. Now to sharpen some blades .......................................................................................

[@andrebrazeau-te9ng]

Good job cleaning

[@FishersShop]

Thank you 😊

[@stevepieri3536]

As always, a great video - thanks for sharing. “Flat head screws and some sawdust”… I love it!!

Thank you very much. I've ordered the machine here in Germany and now the blades are sharpened in no time. It is not just the money as you said, you have to go to he shop and then wait a week. Keep up the good videos.

[@FishersShop]

Great to hear!

[@danhunik7949]

As a guy that spent 18 years in a sawmill filing room repairing and sharpening saws I watched this with interest. To truly get a blade 100% sharp you should sharpen the top of the teeth as well. We did this every 4th or 5th sharpening on our saws. To clean the blades we used a wire cup wheel on a grinder because there was no coating on our saws. This can remove the coating on home shop blades so care would have to be used. All in all a very good video and the machine looks like it will do 1000s of saws.

[@FishersShop]

Thanks, Dan!

[@grumblycurmudgeon]

@Fisher's Shop: I'm absolutely not kidding about this: I discovered some years ago that *liquid laundry detergent (Gain, Tide, whatever. I use Persil) serves as a (bafflingly-) fantastic blade cleaner.* Same process as you described: submerge (only needs about 5 minutes of soak time), toothbrush, then simply rise with water and pat dry. Resin, burn mark, and even the gym locker room smell falls right off. Not a clue why it works. But I swear on my table saw's life it does. The great part about this is everyone already has this sitting around the house (pretty much guaranteed), it's totally non-toxic, and if you spill any on yourself? Your clothes get CLEANER. Important pro tip: while the solution absolutely IS reusable, same at the one you illustrated, it's really, REALLY important you not pour it back into the starting bottle. My wife didn't talk to me for a week. In my defense: who washes all of their white clothes at ONCE? Also, when you're pouring a normally-sky-blue liquid and it comes out... we'll call it "Space Gray", who shrugs, thinks, "huh. Weird." and _chucks it into the machine with all their white clothes anyway!?_ ...Additional pro tip: The above questions are _not_ the correct response when confronted by ones wife about this matter.)

[@henrysara7716]

Thank you for sharing. Sharpening tools is complementary job that require same attention as the any trade itself.

[@thecockneyworkshop]

My wife’s just bought me one It’s good spent the whole day sharpening Im hooked Cheers mate

[@FishersShop]

Hah awesome! She's a keeper

[@fredjohn808]

Thank You, You are the only one that made a tutorial the made sense. Just subscribed, very concise and right to the point. Best, Fred

[@FishersShop]

Glad it helped!

[@dgoddard]

Great vid!

[@bobbg9041]

I liked it, thought you were Sharp and to the Point.

[@blueblur6447]

I know as a content creator it must at times be difficult to come up with your next idea 💡 for us. You are always original or have a refreshing new take on a old idea... This falls into the realm of why hasn't anyone done this video topic this well yet! Really enjoyed this and inspired more than I expected. Need to steal all my neighbors dull blades and get one!

[@FishersShop]

Thanks! I appreciate that!

[@jeremymcclanahan2389]

This right here....100% agree

[@MiscMitz]

Wow! Very cool

[@YourLocalHandyman]

Good info. Great humour.

[@jennieanddavis]

When I was a janitor, the LA’s totally awesome was our secret weapon - it always got any oily residue or grossness off when nothing else would cut through! It’s amazing on greasy cabinets (especially over the stovetop) in your kitchen! -Davis

[@FishersShop]

Yeah, I was quite impressed! I'll definitely be using this moving forward

[@raydillon4405]

As always very informative and great video. Thank you Drew for sharing.

[@FishersShop]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@TreeOfLifeWoodworking]

This absolutely seems essential to every workshop!

[@danmorgan3068]

Very practical and helpful, I'm ordering one from the link. I really appreciate the thorough evaluation.

[@lodidave]

Enjoyed the humor.

[@bskelly]

Nice work

[@whitevanman8703]

Try vinegar for a cleaning solution, it works great and saves a trip to the store. Use cheap stuff, if you use your wife's best Italian balsamic specially infused with exotic herbs vinegar it leads to marital discord.

[@bradleytuckwell4881]

You always a pleasure to watch And re-sharpening is a great money saver also a lot of fun and very rewarding. Thanks for sharing

[@FishersShop]

You bet!

[@oojagapivy]

This was fun to watch after hearing all the fuss about it on the podcast. 👍🏻

[@FishersShop]

Hehe. Thanks for listening to the show

[@rickwatts2642]

very good video. Clear, concise and great editing.

[@FishersShop]

Thanks!

[@sammisworkshops3762]

nice video Drew, You always make me smile, was having a not so great day, its better now after your video, Thanks man, your a blessing!

[@FishersShop]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@jernkar]

I bought this sharpener and the instructions left a lot to be desired. This video is awesome, I had it set up and working in a few inutes.

[@FishersShop]

Nice! Yes, the instructions are horrible, lol! Glad my video helped

[@k2largerthanlife209]

Jerry, I agree. I watched this video when it came out and finally bought this unit. Like you I then watched the video for actual setup help. This weekend is sharpening time for me.

[@copperdolphin5291]

Yep I found this to be both... thanks for bringing this to my attention. I had seen a flimsy one on another video. I have a ShopSmith Mark 5 that has a 1" & 1/4 dia. arbor hole. so have not been able to sharpen it.

[@caskwith]

Great video but would highly recommend some dust extraction there, carbide dust is nasty, like seriously nasty.

[@kevindavis1219]

Another great video! I have a handful of circular blades and have though about sharpening myself. Thank you

[@FishersShop]

Thanks for watching!

[@patrik978]

amazing!

[@markwhitis]

I just watched your video and another suggesting LA totally awesome for blade cleaning. People use your la totally awesome cleaner as a dechrining solution to strip chrome off of parts. Saw blades have chrome in the carbide and sometimes as a coating/plating on the side of the blade. A number of common cleaners seem to strip chrome off in as little as 15-20minutes. Some which have been mentioned as attacking chrome sre LA totally awesome, 409, fantastic, simple green, several purple cleaners, bleach, oven cleaner, etc. Many of these were mentioned on the model cars mag forum. Simple green themselves says a long soak can leach chromium from carbide which I found after someone said it could damage the side coatings on newer blades.

[@FishersShop]

Simple green definitely damages the side coatings. I have numerous blades that lost all their printing and coatings due to soaking in simple green but I didn't get the feeling it was deteriorating the blade. It literally just caused the powder coating or the print to come off.. I wasn't aware that it could due further damage. Interesting, thanks for sharing

[@BruceAUlrich]

Great video! You really explained it well. And you will save a ton over the years on sharpening and probably have less frustration with your woodworking because of sharp blades.

[@FishersShop]

Very true! Already it's been a game changer. You never really realize just how dull your blades have gotten until you cut with a newly sharpened one.

[@djowpeter3445]

VOCE É SUPER PROFISSIONAL, SÓ MAQUINAS DE PRIMEIRA,PARABÉNS.

[@clydebalcom3679]

Educational, entertaining, and enjoyable.

[@FishersShop]

Thanks!

[@TheSMEAC]

I’m a ~95% hand tool only shop, but I always enjoy your content. This winter when I went through my subscriptions to do “some clean-up”, your channel was a no-brainer to keep even if it falls outside my primary use and interest. Thank brother, keep it up. 👍

[@FishersShop]

I'm glad I made the cut! :)

[@matthysloedolff]

I found this video quite interesting and informative. I always wondered how one would go about sharpening circular saw blades. Also, I thought it was quite a nice touch at the end of your video as you walked out your shop and turned off the lights. 👌

[@FishersShop]

Glad it was helpful! Thanks for watching!

[@EthanCarterDesigns]

Lookin sharp!!! That is such a cool machine...I couldn't quite picture how it would work from listening, but now I get it and what a cleaver design!

[@FishersShop]

Thanks, Ethan! Yeah, it's done a fantastic job so far.

[@vman2kay]

Subscribed not only because of the video, but the little humour in between :) Like it!

[@FishersShop]

Welcome aboard!

[@stankrieger3598]

Nicely done thank you

[@FishersShop]

No problem 👍

[@2979paul]

Great video

[@FishersShop]

Thanks!

[@MCsCreations]

Really fantastic machine, Drew! 😃 Thanks for all the tips!!! Stay safe there with your family! 🖖😊

[@FishersShop]

Thanks!

[@SawdustmakerLori]

Oh boy.....you got a new toy! Looks like it does a great job and would be well worth the investment for anyone who needs a lot of blades sharpened. Thanks for the tool review/demo!

[@FishersShop]

You bet. Thanks, Lori

[@AlienLeader4]

Sweet video as always. Thanks taking the time to explain this machine it will help in any furture decisions I make on whether is is worth getting one or not.

[@FishersShop]

Glad to help

[@ingemardean3203]

Excellent demonstration, I enjoyed the video. Then I ordered the same machine. Thanks again

[@FishersShop]

Glad it was helpful!

[@ingemardean3203]

@@FishersShop I laughed so hard at the bloopers, your good at it. Stay safe

[@ingemardean3203]

I ordered mine from Amazon, I should have it by November 27/23 God willing. Thanks again

[@clarkthornock5828]

Thanks for the video. It was very informative. The alternate sharpener you suggested is actually the same model. If you look closely at the pictures, you can see the model number.

[@user-jchjkitv77896]

Love your content ☺️

[@FishersShop]

Thank you!!

[@myopinion6328]

Dish soap and water works great too 😊

[@Earlkeating82]

Love the outakes 🤣

[@chetankumer1372]

I need this Machine

[@MarvinResper]

Thanks for the awesome information I have a lot

[@FishersShop]

Glad to help

[@JrgenGyhrs]

God og informerende video. Du har også en god humor 😅. Har selv en slibemaskine og er godt tilfreds. Savklingerne er dog blevet billigere og det skal man lige ha med i sine overvejelser inden man køber den. 👍

[@FishersShop]

A good saw blade is still pretty expensive. I've saved a lot of money by using this machine so far. It paid for itself the very first time I used it

[@dpmeyer4867]

thanks

[@phillipstanfill5392]

Awesome man thanks

[@FishersShop]

No problem 👍

[@robandsharonseddon-smith5216]

I want one! I totally don't need one though - I probably get one blade sharpened per year so I'd have a fairly long payback time. Well worth it if you do sharpening as a hobby though.

[@marcslonik5096]

I followed the story of this particular video on the podcast. Sorry it turned out the way it did, especially that it is a great one - as always. Hope the video does great on YT.

[@FishersShop]

Thanks for listening, Marc! :)

[@floydc3664]

Totally Awsome $1.00, 20oz bottle at Doller General, it works as good if not better than other blade cleaners for 10x the price. Great on router bits too...

[@cidercreekranch]

That cleaner is AWSOME! And cheap from the dollar store. I also use Simple Green BBQ cleaner to clean blades.

[@FishersShop]

Yup, I use Simple Green too. This was my first time using LA's totally awesome and I like it just as much... probably a bit more than Simple Green.

[@partytempo]

LATA cleaner is at my local St Vincent's thrift store and it is surprisingly good

[@JasonPeltier]

I soak my blades in Simple Green on the lid of a 5-gallon bucket. It takes maybe 15 minutes and the pitch just floats off. I like that idea of using the bottom of a bucket and making a spout. Time to upgrade my process!

[@misterwolf9227]

I saw your woven cutting board, very interesting very nice. Then I saw link to this channel click Learn how to sharpen blades at home. Now I don't know what I wanna do more..make a few woven cutting boards or shapen blades.. great work,love your channels.

[@FishersShop]

Thanks and welcome

[@farzanali5589]

Very help full tanks

[@FishersShop]

Happy to help

[@teaguewhite26]

Thanks Drew, always quality educational informed video. Also, you blade sharpening unit already sold out, 🤣😂🤣

[@FishersShop]

Haha, I saw that! Oh well. That design is produced by a number of companies though. Not sure about what they charge, but you can find it if you really hunt for it. I'll probably come up with a list of companies that sell it before I release this vid to the public. Thanks for watching and for your support!

[@mirthenemrys]

Love using Totally Awesome, never had a mess it couldnt deal with. Works great on car interiors as well, used it on a 15 year old car that had kids in the back, never been cleaned fully... seats looked like new after using the stuff..... would have NEVER considered using it on saw blades... like ever.... (oh, its also generally really cheap to get the concentrate at places like dollar general as well, so yay)

[@jimbo2629]

I have this machine. I had the same problem with the blade fouling on the motor casing. It’s a big design fault. I ended up buying a grinding wheel that sharpens on its back. I recommend marking every other tooth as it’s easy to lose track part way round. Typical Chinese product, really good almost but one major fault that you have to get around. Remembering how to set up between sharpenings is also a problem. Best to make notes beside the machine, or refer to this video and don’t let anything slip during the sharpening process. If you own this you don’t use your blades when they are dull. Time to sharpen is at least half an hour allowing for getting your head around its use. You are only going to use it very infrequently. Don’t try if you are tired.

[@John-gm8ty]

totally time to install a DIY shadow line lamp in your mitre saw too ;) it makes it SO much easier for accurate cutting!

[@ThisTall]

In my opinion shadow line indicators serve zero purpose at all. I’ve had many and you still have to drop the blade to at least 1 inch from the wood to see where it’s going to cut. You may as well just drop the blade right to your line. With the blade all the way up, you can’t even see where the blade shadow is on the wood.

[@John-gm8ty]

@@ThisTall you need a high intensity LED such a s a true CREE and it calibrated properly to the blade, in mine, I used one from a push bike super bright headlight, the line is super clear with the blade well away from the work piece.

[@WreckDiver99]

Hey, bring me back my blades. You said you were just "Borrowing" them! Nice little machine for sure.

[@garymalkinfishing2397]

This is a great video and I thank you. When I went to your amazon link, it showed this product was out of stock and was not sure when or if it will be back in stock. I guess other people liked it as well.

[@FishersShop]

Looks like it

[@Ding_Bat]

The use of the toothbrush is brilliantly ironic! Probably the first time a toothbrush was used in any workshop to clean, well, teeth.

[@FishersShop]

Hehehe... what do you use? I can't even think of what else I'd use instead of a toothbrush.

[@Ding_Bat]

@@FishersShop I'm not in the blade (tooth) cleaning business just yet. I do clean my mountain bike drivetrain when it gets really crusty, but I use a dedicated paintbrush for that - not a toothbrush. And I use a feather duster for cleaning the CNC. 😂😂😂

[@jasonbailey9139]

I get brush sets that have steel, copper, and nylon bristles. I buy them for the metal bristles, brushes, but figure I should make use of the nylon. I’ve used toothbrushes in the past, though.

[@captainsawdust1]

Since every dentist recommends soft toothbrushes, cut the bristles in half with sharp tin snips, scissors or a chisel and you will have stiffer bristles for better scrubbing.

[@veratonnisen3639]

How much did you spend on the sharpening machine?

[@shawn921]

I remember when LA totally awesome use to be sold at the dollar tree. Crazy to think its almost 10 bucks now

[@alfredschmidt3659]

Wood buildup on blade teeth cause a lot of the dullness! Other than unsharp teeth. Regular cleaning is a needed as you go.

[@reaper060670]

Dude u make the best and funniest videos it needs to be said.. I love the content and always get a good laugh while learning some valuable woodworking skills along the way so thanks Mr Fisher.. I'm only a week away from getting my 1st ever cast iron table saw and I cannot wait. I will get me one of these bad boy Blade sharpeners once I get to using my newest table saw far more. I never realised that the thinner kerf saw blades would cause wobble to the extent that mitre cuts/45 degree cuts, etc could be made to look so bad bcos the kerf of blades were too thin.. It makes sense I suppose but with the narrower blades I used for ripping plywood they would cut so fast but I struggled to get straight cuts for the most part. I guess u could also blame it on the piece of sh#t table saw, sorry bad excuse for a, that I've been using for the past 7/8 months. What?! It is my only saw to date and I'm not long enough in this sweet woodworking game to have any real world experience. I've been improving consistently enough to upgrade my Table saw now. The saw I'm about to get has a beast of a Rip fence too which is a huge change for me. The one I have moves slightly and causes my cuts to look whack.. Shite is the operative word I was looking for Mr Fisher.. LMAO. My apologies for such a long drawn out comment which had no bearing on ur video whatsoever. I apologise again for still typing. Really enjoy ur videos my bro. Keep up the brilliant work. Irish woodworker in the Buildizzin'.. Take it easy pal.

[@masoodamg6633]

It was Great, Thanks👍👍👍👏👏👏

[@FishersShop]

Glad you liked it!

[@bobd.]

dagnabbit , there goes another handful of cash. :-) Should be here tomorrow. Thanks Drew. I have a pile of blades that need sharpening. I added up how much it would cost to have them sharpened plus postage and I realized after sending them out twice I would have spent as much as this sharpener. So I figured I'd give it a go.

[@FishersShop]

Have fun sharpening! :)

[@newt2010]

Sweet. Hillbilly packing tape. Cheers.

[@darrylbuckett5380]

We just had one of these machines donated to our "Mens Shed", (I guess we had better learn how to use it, and save a whole bunch of money. Great video, Cheers

[@FishersShop]

Nice! Hopefully the video helped

[@codygarner7495]

I had just received mine today, watched this video to figure out how to use it. Great video! Although the smallest insert for the blade is a tiny bit too big for my Diablo blades. Don't have a metal lathe either 😩

[@FishersShop]

I had the same issues, Cody. Wasn't sure if it was a fluke or not so I didn't show how I fixed it in the video. I took a bolt that fit close then wound it with tape until the insert fit perfectly on it. Then I chucked the bolt up into my drill press and simply held a metal file against it. I had it fitting perfectly into my saw blades in less than 5 minutes.

[@Ray_Sellner]

Scroll down the Amazon page. It's been updated with a water drip. This should be their tutorial video.

[@btrswt35]

My understanding is you have to be careful with grinding carbide and a respirator is a must.

[@paulmarsman8758]

I must have missed the shipping address for Fisher's Sharpening somewhere in the video?? I'd be happy to help you feel like you're saving more money by sharpening my saw blades!

[@Mark_Wood]

Looks great Drew. I didn't even know I needed one but now I do!

[@rodpotts2666]

Dang you bought the last one!

[@ThePoultryGeist]

Just FYI, you can find a big bottle of LA’s totally awesome at Dollar Tree. Great stuff!

[@FishersShop]

Yeah, I like it so far

[@IEnjoyCreatingVideos]

Good video Drew! oh and by the way the motor would be about a 1/2 hp one hp =746 watts and the motor says it is 370 watts :) Thanks for sharing with us!👍💖😎JP

[@FishersShop]

Thanks for the info!

[@IEnjoyCreatingVideos]

@@FishersShop Your very welcome Drew! Have a great new week!😎

[@DavidMcCabe]

Oh wow, what a nice video! This manufacturer should hire you to do some sort of review of their gear or something!

[@FishersShop]

Thanks! :)

[@atomictyler]

you could have just moved next to a new neighbor. bam! fresh blades!

[@tonydelgobbo1028]

Nice machine... cast iron takes vibrations the best of all metals.

[@ostate17]

Nice work. My only complaint is having to wait a month til the next one. 😎 My son and I love your videos!

[@FishersShop]

Sorry! Since I do everything myself I can't easily crank them out any quicker

[@turpskadey]

My father was a saw and tool sharpener when I was young and had a workshop of HUGE machines that accomplished the same thing. Great to see the process these days

[@FishersShop]

Very cool!

[@turpskadey]

@@FishersShop seriously, seeing those great hulking floor standing workshop green colored machines replaced entirely by a bench top version is surreal but very cool

[@What_Other_Hobbies]

Respiratory protection is highly recommended. Carbide dust is worse than wood dust.

[@10FingersWoodworking]

Fantastic. Does the machine have scales so you can repeat specific angles on the axises.

[@jum5238]

This is your neighbor. I want my (now) sharpened blades back.

[@nicktroiola7281]

Another benefit is buying used blades at garage sales. Lots of good blades that need a little love to work great.

[@FishersShop]

Good point

[@louiswhitney1761]

Boy did I need that…😂😂