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I got my table saw second hand several years ago. It came with a general purpose blade which has served me well without cleaning or sharpening until recently. I made what I now realize is a mistake in trying to rip some primed lumber. The blade now binds and the saw stalls, even after cleaning it carefully. Did I ruin the blade? I can't really complain if the time has come to replace it. Are sharpening services economical? I can buy a new blade for $10-30 and I imagine sharpening isn't cheap.

Chris Nelson
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  • I'm not sure I understand. I have cut painted and varnished wood a thousand times. Do you think it's binding because the blade has a sticky coating on it, or because it's gotten dull? – isherwood Apr 29 '18 at 21:37
  • If he has been using the table saw for several years and it was used before that the blade is probably dull as can be. In any case a dull blade can be very dangerous to use. – Michael Karas Apr 29 '18 at 21:43
  • Before this project, the last thing I did with my saw was cut some maple and I had no problem. Now it gets bogged down cutting this primed pine. I may be seeing a pattern where none exists but it seems to me that the primed wood significantly dulled or gummed up the blade. Also, I got a cheap new blade for another project and swapped it in and it quickly bogged down, too. – Chris Nelson Apr 29 '18 at 22:33
  • Look carefully at the blade or take it off and lay it flat on a table. Is it warped? I don’t cut wood often, but was having trouble and my neighbor happened along, in about 15 seconds he diagnosed my problem as a warped blade— similar symptoms to yours... – Tyson Apr 30 '18 at 00:40
  • Chris, questions about costs are considered off-topic. For more info, check out the help center https://diy.stackexchange.com/help/on-topic – virtualxtc Apr 30 '18 at 02:05
  • If you have any question about the blade replace with a new good quality blade. This primed wood may have a lot of stress in it. That type of lumber will bind and twist when it is cut; giving an impression something is wrong with the blade. – Paul Logan Apr 30 '18 at 03:49
  • I'd dispute your pricing comparison. A good blade is probably $40-80 and sharpening is about $15 at my local hardware store. Then there's the waste factor. Consider the energy and pollution in creating new blades. #wreckedplanet – isherwood Apr 30 '18 at 13:44
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    @virtualxtc, I took the question to be more about whether the primed lumber had somehow compromised the blade, but your point is taken. – isherwood Apr 30 '18 at 13:46
  • @isherwood, yes, that was my question. Not just economics but some feedback on what the primed wood may have done to the blade. – Chris Nelson Apr 30 '18 at 19:39

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It's probably more economical to replace blades than sharpen them in your case. Sending blades out to be sharpened makes more sense for higher cost blades. Forrest's, for example, start around $100 so paying $30 to have them sharpened is quite a big savings over replacement. High quality melamine blades and stacked dados are even further into nosebleed pricing.

Matthew Gauthier
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