1. BLADE RIDES UP IN THE CUT IN THE FIRST SIX INCHES AND STAYS THERE - it cuts straight until the end and then drops down. This is called "push-off." You have too much hook angle. Decrease the hook angle by 2 degrees.  See “HOOK ARTICULATION”

2. BLADE RIDES UP IN THE CUT - plus when you pull the board off you have a bow in the board. This is caused by too much hook angle and not enough set. Reduce the hook angle by 2 degrees and increase the set by .003” per side.

3. BLADE DROPS DOWN IN THE CUT AND STAYS THERE - This could be caused by a dull blade but usually means you have too little hook angle. Increase the hook angle by 2 degrees.

4. BLADE DROPS DOWN IN THE CUT - plus when you pull the board off, you have a bow in the board. This is caused by too little hook angle and not enough set. Increase the hook angle by 2 degrees and increase the set by .003” per side.

5. EXCESSIVE LOOSE SAWDUST ON THE BOARD AND LOG - This is caused by too much set, and if you look closely, you will probably see some tooth marks. Down-set about .003” per side.

6. EXCESSIVE PACKED SAWDUST ON THE BOARD AND LOG - This is caused by too little set. Up-set about .003” per side. You could also be highly overset causing the body of the blade to bounce in the cut. This is always accompanied by deep tooth marks. If so, down-set by .006” per side.

7. PACKED SAWDUST IN FROZEN LOGS – Down-set to .017” per side but no lower than .015” This will pinch down on the blade and force the sawdust out of the cut before it freezes. Also use 8-degree hook angle in frozen logs. Blades should only be run about half as long when cutting frozen logs.

8. BLADE CUTS IN A WAVY MOTION – The blade is EXTREMELY under-set. For a small wave, up-set the blade .004” per side. For a heavy wave, up-set .006”. Running a blade that is under-set is the MOST damaging thing you can do to the steel.   See  “APPROPRIATE SET”

9. BLADES ARE CRACKING FROM THE BACK OF THE BLADE - this is caused by bad guide bearings and/or bad guide alignment. The most common cause is the back guide bearing(s) or flange(s) is set too far back or set too close to the blade. Never run the blade without some clearance at the back edge, but never exceed more than .125” clearance to the bearing or flange.

10. NEW BLADES THAT HAVE NEVER BEEN SHARPENED ARE CRACKING IN THE GULLET - This is usually caused by a blade being run to extreme dullness or by running a heavily under-set blade. Excessive S.F.P.M, excessive tension and/or a bad wheel bearing can also cause this.

11. EXCESSIVE PITCH BUILT UP ON THE BODY OF THE BLADE - even when you are using our lubrication advice. The set is too low, leaving no air space. The blade body is rubbing on the wood producing excessive heat and pitch build up. Up-set the blade .004” per side.

12. PITCH BUILT UP IN THE GULLET OF THE BLADE - but no pitch built up on the body. This is usually caused by improper sharpening, too much hook angle or just a dull blade.

13. AFTER A FEW SHARPENINGS THE BLADES CRACK IN THE GULLET – Low Hook Angles! Any blade that is sharpened to less than 8 degrees will break. Buy a protractor!!!! You can’t sharpen properly without it. Also, if you sharpen the gullet so that it is squared off you will produce excessive heat and stress at the bottom of the gullet, which ruins the temper of the steel. Lastly, if you run your blades too long they will break. Even if a blade is set and sharpened perfectly it should only be run for a maximum of 3 hours.

THE CAUSE: improper set and/or inaccurate set are the cause of most blade problems. Also, improperly dressing the stone and/or not dressing the stone often enough are the cause of many blade problems. Dress your grinding stone lightly after every pass. When your blades are set and sharpened properly you should produce straight boards at a good feed rate and see 85% of the sawdust ejected from the cut.

IMPORTANT NOTE: If you had to gauge the importance of setting the teeth versus sharpening them, remember this; a blade that does not have the sharpest edge will still cut straight if the teeth are set accurately, whereas a blade that is super sharp but has inaccurate set will not cut at all.

When a TimberWolf blade is new or has been properly sharpened there is about 5 pounds of pressure per square inch applied to the face of each tooth. Friction, impact and heat will dull the teeth during use. As the edge and tip of the tooth erode, the pressure on the face of each tooth increases dramatically. If this pressure exceeds 15 pounds per square inch, the gullets of the teeth will start to stretch and will be literally ripped apart over time. If the blade is run to this same point of dullness each time, the steel will fail and you will lose 50 to 75% of the life of the blade. That equates to 2 or 3 sharpenings as opposed to 8 or 10 sharpenings over the life of the blade.

*Note: Some species, when frozen, will require set as low as .015