Carbide is a harder info than conventional steel. Workers use it as an insert into the tips of various types of saw blades and cutting tools in order to make a more durable, lasting blade surface that will cut more and harder materials for a longer period of time with shorter sharpening intervals required. You may not think about sharpening your carbide tools, because for the average homeowner or weekend project performer, a carbide tipped saw blade might last 5 to 10 times the cuts of a conventional steel saw blade. However, carbide blades are more expensive. You can save money if you know sharpen the carbide tips on your blades so you can reuse them. There are a number of tips on sharpening carbide, as well as a number of things to know in general about carbide-tipped blades.
Knowing When to Sharpen
The best way to tell if a carbide tipped blade is dull is to hold it up so you can see light reflected in it. At the very edge of the blade tip, the part that digs into the wood when cutting, you should be able to look and see whether the surface is shiny or dull. Shiny tips and reflected light mean that the carbide has gone dull and you need to sharpen the blade. Sharp tips do not reflect light.If you have a number of different blades or tips to grind, consider investing in a grinding wheel with a diamond-tipped insert. Or, you can purchase a grinding tool that allows you to sharpen each blade using either a dremel or some other motorized tool. Another option is a wheel action where you can hold the tip against the grinding wheel as you move from tip to tip. Cool the wheel with water and the tips as you grind to avoid overheating them and destroying the temper.
They show up as a dark gray color.
Small Scale Grinding
On a small scale, you can sharpen a carbide blade by grinding by hand, using a diamond-tipped file. This is a time-consuming process that requires you to grind each tip individually. (A blade may have anywhere from 12 to 100 tips) individually that you will have to grind to remove any roundness or pitting and to restore a sharp, angular surface.Large Scale Grinding
Even Sharpening
If you sharpen the tips unevenly, you will create a bit or blade out of balance, which will lead to faster wear and tear.
