Resurfacing Guide Blocks - Shopsmith 11” Manual

SHOPSMITH 11" BANDSAW
2. Clamp the clean blade between two blocks
of wood (or a wooden-jawed vise) so that
the teeth protrude slightly, as shown in
Fig. C-1.
Notice that the teeth of the blade are slightly
bent or "set" from side to side. Their
profile is slightly "hooked." (See Fig. C-2)
Pay careful attention to the set and the
hook as you file the blade.
Gullet = 1/32" diameter
3. Using a slim-taper triangular file, file
straight across the teeth perpendicular to
the blade. Tilt the file slightly to match the
hook of the teeth. (See Fig C-3.) First, file
the teeth that are set toward you, then
reverse the blade and file the others. This
will put the burr from the filing on the
inside of the tooth, where it won't interfere
with the cutting action. A blade filed from
just one side may lead to the opposite
side.
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Fig. C-1
Fig. C-2
Fig. C-3
CAUTION
Do not file the bottom of the gullets. Filing
will score the gullets and shorten blade life.
Don't file the teeth too much; you could de-
stroy the set. If it takes more than 3-4 strokes
of the file to restore the chisel edge on the
teeth, the blade needs to be professionally
sharpened. Count your strokes and use the
same number of strokes on each tooth.
NOTE
Mark the blade with a grease pencil when
you begin to file it. This makes it easier to
know when you're finished. And don't at-
tempt to file combination blades - these have
hardened teeth. When a combination blade
becomes dull, either have it professionally
sharpened or replace it.
Resurfacing the Guide Blocks
From time to time, the ends of the guide
blocks may become worn or scored. If you set
the blade guides properly, this shouldn't hap-
pen very often. But if it does, resurface the
guide blocks following this procedure:
1. Turn off the Bandsaw and unplug its power
source.
2. Remove a guide block. To resurface it,
you can use a whetstone (see Fig. C-4), a
sanding disc (see Fig C-5), a belt sander
(see Fig. C-6), or strip sander. The key to
successfully resurfacing the guide block
is to keep the work surface consistently
flat against the abrasive surface. You may
want to make a special jig to hold your
guide blocks while you sharpen them.
Be careful not to grind away any more of
the guide blocks than you absolutely need
to. If the long guide blocks should be-
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