Home brew: from WoodCentral
This thread actually started as a hijack of another thread. A hijack is when someone poses a related but slightly different issue within a thread, thus sending it off on a separate tangent. The original thread was about solvents, but when someone mentioned a home brew finish, this hijack emerged. – Editor
“I'm curious as to why folks prefer to brew their own finishes as opposed to one already formulated and sold by manufacturers. It seems to me that in the case of the mentioned mixture above, a product like Waterlox would serve as well or better. It has the oil, varnish, driers, resins, and solvent already mixed to an exact formulation that works. I've often wondered what the advantage, if any, is of a home brew over an existing over-the-counter product. While the various home brews seem to work, are they actually better than store-bought? I wouldn't think they're any less expensive. So, again, I am curious as to the attraction.” – David
“I agree one hundred percent, David. While I took chemistry in high school, nothing in that prepared me to compete with a finish manufacturer’s R&D department staffed with coating specialist chemists.” – Fred
The person who posted the original question that inspired the hijack came back to answer for himself. – Editor
“I’m not really sure. In many ways, I have to agree with you. However, it's really no different from thinning lacquer to get the consistency you want or mixing stain or dye for the color. I am taking good products made with the help of chemists, R&D departments and all that, and mixing them to what I want. If I knew of a commercial product that was the same or very similar and at a price, then I would use that. I can increase the turpentine or MS to make a very thin oil finish that I think soaks in further and dries rather fast, or use only varnish for a harder finish if that is what I want.” – Bill
Sharpen or sell?: from Sawmill Creek
At first blush, this seems like a very naïve question, but sometimes the simplest questions are the most important ones to ask. – Editor
“I have never sent a blade off to get sharpened so I don't know what to expect. I have two Freud premier fusion blades and two Forrest WWII blades that are in good shape, but when I start seeing a little tearout when crosscutting hardwoods, I just get a new blade. My question is what can I expect from a sharpened blade? Will it perform like a new blade, or will it be somewhere between new and pretty sharp? I would be sending the Forrest blades back to Forrest, and the Freuds to an authorized sharpening center. I have also considered trying to sell the blades for a fair price and let someone else have them sharpened. Any thoughts are appreciated.” – J
“I can't imagine not resharpening good blades; that would be like throwing your clothes away after one wearing.” – Frank
“I've had Forrest resharpen my WWIIs twice. Both times the blade cut like new. It's a lot cheaper than buying new.” – Bruce
“They should perform like new if sharpened correctly, which I'm sure Forrest will do, and would guess most places authorized by Freud will also do. I bought a cheapo dado set that was poorly sharpened brand-new. I took it to be sharpened locally soon after purchasing them, and they came back better than new.” – Jason
“A good sharpening should make it perform like new, but you need to be fussy about who you pick to do it.” – Scott
“If you send Freud to Freud and Forrest to Forrest your blades will come same as new.” – Tony
Cost was the next issue addressed. – Editor
“Sharpening circular saw blades will cost maybe a quarter of the cost of a new blade, depending on the blade's original cost.” – Richard
Don’t forget cleaning, which, as this poster suggested, can also help. – Editor
“Sharpen or sell blades? How about cleaning them first? It always amazes me how much sharper they feel after I clean them. I use all Forrest blades and have sharpened only one after years of use. I use Simple Green and a brass bristled brush. I clean every blade at the start of each project.” – Byron