Sharpen rotary cutter blades?

[Aventurine]

Is it possible/desirable to sharpen rotary cutter blades?  What about the tungsten or titanium coated steel blades in the specialty Fiskar cutters?  

[Art]

Yes you (well at least I) can sharpen them. I have a special chuck ($300 long ago) that holds the blade which I apply to a spinning flat hone. The blade spins and the stone spins. Tungsten/Titanium coated blades are not a problem as I use diamond abrasives; it takes the coatings right off.

[Aventurine]

Hmm without power tools, just Arkansas stones and crocus cloth and a strop, I fear I might get the blade out of round.  I don't like the costs of replacement blades, though.  Or the waste.   Would you try to do it entirely by hand?

[Mablung]

Personally, I would not. It’s probably not impossible, but the juice likely isn’t worth the squeeze. Your best option is probably to use a utility knife or something similar, as it’s a bit more versatile than a rotary cutter anyhow. 

[Art]

No. Scalpel and utility knives work well on thinner leather and the blades are dirt cheap. I've used clicker knives and head knives for years, and they hand sharpen easily.

[fredk]

I don't bother sharpening the 60mm blade in my knife

a. I'm rotten at sharpening

b.a new blade is fairly cheap

[Dantan]

I bought a sharpener..    short money (less then $25 I think)...   clamps the blade, twist it into the abrasive disc.   keeps the round true.   i sharpen a blade 5 to 10 times,  usualy until it gets a nik in it that I can't grind out.    this is a link to the one I bought:   https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00114OQPO/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[fredk]

Thanks

[Aventurine]

Thank you, Art, Mablung, Fred, Dantan.

[FDC]

Thanks for the short dollar sharpener tip! I recently sharpened a Landis rotary cutter and used a shim stack on a water stone. Good outcome but I had to dress the stone to remove a groove. Tedious as well. 

[Northmount]

I see a 45mm size that fits Tandy's rotary cutter blades.

[DieselTech]

You can get a nice edge on the rotary blades with this sharpener.

[fredk]

For all the use my 60mm knife gets I can buy over 60 blades for the price of that sharpener (£8 per 10). That will last me several years

[Sheilajeanne]

On 7/12/2024 at 5:44 PM, fredk said:

I don't bother sharpening the 60mm blade in my knife

a. I'm rotten at sharpening

b.a new blade is fairly cheap

  c. those blades are wicked sharp, and the risk of bleeding all over your workbench is fairly high!

Utility knives are much easier to sharpen, but rotary blades I'd just replace, and I don't use them nearly as often as my utility knife.

[Gump]

I put the blade on a bolt and tighten a nut against it and put it in a drill and spin it on the edge of a stone. Works pretty good once you find the right angle.

[fredk]

On 11/21/2024 at 7:21 PM, Gump said:

I put the blade on a bolt and tighten a nut against it and put it in a drill and spin it on the edge of a stone. Works pretty good once you find the right angle.

That is an excellent idea. I may try it