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TCT saw blade: UK sharpening service or a home disc

Updated: 22 October 2026

You have a blunt carbide-tipped circular blade and you are weighing an £89.99 bench machine against posting it to a UK regrind. This page is only about that choice. It uses the Draper Storm Force 98486, B0B8N55PPB, in the [saw blade sharpener comparison](/hub/saw-accessories/saw-blade-sharpener), plus public pages from Saw-Tech and The Saw Centre. There is no lab test and no UK average price for a regrind. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you. If you do run the machine, the sequence is on [how to use a circular saw blade sharpener](/hub/saw-accessories/saw-blade-sharpener/sub/saw-blade-sharpener-how-to-use).

You have a blunt carbide-tipped circular blade and you are weighing an £89.99 bench machine against posting it to a UK regrind. This page is only about that choice.

Our top picks

WYZBEN WYZBEN feather-edge file

Best overall

WYZBEN WYZBEN feather-edge file
8.8/10about £4.89
View offer
Bahco Bahco IRSHARP-INS

Rank 2

Bahco Bahco IRSHARP-INS
8.8/10about £13.75
View offer
Draper Draper Storm Force 98486

Alternative

Draper Draper Storm Force 98486
7.2/10about £89.99
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.What the home diamond disc is allowed to do
  2. 2.What a UK regrind is claiming
  3. 3.Price the machine against the blade
  4. 4.Replace, do not grind

What the home diamond disc is allowed to do

The home job is a sound TCT tooth that stays clamped. The Draper card states 90–400 mm, 0–25°, a 100 mm diamond disc for carbide, and a 100 mm ceramic disc for non-TCT. The manual limits it to domestic or infrequent light trade. The angle scale does not restore factory rake. UK reviews are 3.6 from 15. The blade still moves when the clamps are tight, and one buyer returned the machine before half a blade was finished. Four 250 mm blades in one account is the home case that can work. A guess of eight blades from the diamond disc is one estimate. A cracked tip, a blued plate, or daily use is already outside that job. Key Blades & Fixings say a steel file cannot cut carbide, and that triple chip is a service job. Their £30–£40 line is a rule of thumb, not an invoice.

What a UK regrind is claiming

A service claims a controlled geometry, not a shinier face. Saw-Tech say carbide rake, face, and clearance are a CNC job. Their line takes blades from 80 mm to 810 mm and prints no price. The Saw Centre prints “as low as £9.24 / £7.70” on Vollmer CNC, for 85 mm to 750 mm. Damaged teeth are free up to 5% of the tooth count, then £3.50 excluding VAT each, on that page. Unserviceable blades are refunded. Those are one firm’s prices, not a UK average, and no turnaround is stated. Dynashape describe face-and-top CNC, not face-only grinding. Do not merge the processes. Send the blade when a tip is missing, the plate has blued, or the saw is used all week. A weekend blade with sound tips can stay on the diamond disc if the clamp holds.
WYZBEN WYZBEN feather-edge file

Testsieger

WYZBEN WYZBEN feather-edge file
8.8/10about £4.89
View offer

Price the machine against the blade

The machine is £89.99 on amazon.co.uk on 20 October 2026. One TCT blade near £15 does not pay for it unless several blades are ground and the plate stays still. sjtools.co.uk prints £93.76 including VAT. The comparison price stays £89.99. Several sound 250 mm blades are the pile that can cost less than replacements. Missing tips are neither pile. The Saw Centre’s from-price is that firm’s starting figure, and only if they accept the blade. The same money test for the other tools is on the best saw blade sharpener page.

Replace, do not grind

A missing carbide tip should not meet the wheel. The diamond disc does not invent a tip. Grinding while the carriage walks risks a proud tooth and a blued plate. A blade The Saw Centre calls warped comes back as a refund, so you buy a new one. Complex rake and clearance belong with Saw-Tech’s CNC claim, not a 0–25° scale. The pull-through, the oscillating drum, and the taper file do not face a TCT tip. Sound tips, a clamp that holds, and several blades are the home job.

Common questions

Can I sharpen a TCT circular blade at home with the Draper diamond disc?
Yes, if the tips are sound, the blade is between 90 and 400 mm, and the plate stays clamped. The diamond disc is the TCT wheel. The manual limits the machine to domestic or infrequent light trade. The amazon.co.uk line is 3.6 from 15 reviews, and those reviews say the clamp often does not hold. The 0–25° scale does not mean the original factory rake is restored.
When should I send the blade to a UK service instead?
Send it when a tip is missing or cracked, the plate has blued, or the saw is used all week and you need rake and clearance matched. Saw-Tech describe that geometry as a CNC job rather than a basic bench grinder. The Saw Centre print their own from-prices and a retip rule. Those are one firm’s figures, not a national rate, and no turnaround is stated here.
What if a carbide tip is missing or cracked?
Do not grind it. A missing tip is a replacement tooth or a new blade, not a longer pass with the diamond disc. The Saw Centre’s page says damaged teeth are replaced free up to 5% of the tooth count and then at £3.50 excluding VAT each, on that page only. If the blade is warped or worn out, that same page says it is refunded as unserviceable.
Does the home machine restore the original rake and clearance?
No. The card states 0–25°. That is an adjustment range, not a factory-geometry claim. Saw-Tech’s benchmark for matching rake, face, and clearance on TCT is CNC. A shiny face from a home diamond disc can be enough for a sound weekend blade. It is not the same claim as a regrind.
Can the ceramic disc sharpen carbide?
No. On this machine the ceramic 100 mm disc is for non-TCT blades, and the manual shows it on HSS. The diamond-coated disc is the one shown on the TCT face. Using ceramic on carbide is a wrong-disc mistake, not a gentler first pass. A hand diamond file, as Key Blades describe it, is only a simple face touch-up, and a steel taper file does not cut carbide at all.

Related pages

Saw blade sharpener buying guide

Saw blade sharpener

Best saw blade sharpener UK: one pick, and one skip

Sharpen a hand saw with a file, or replace the blade

How to use a circular saw blade sharpener on the bench

Sources

Public UK sources and the amazon.co.uk listings stored for this comparison on 20 October 2026. Page updated 22 October 2026.

  1. Draper 98486 product page (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  2. Draper 98486 instruction manual (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  3. HSE HSG17: abrasive wheels and PUWER (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  4. HSE SR21: grinding dust at work (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  5. Saw-Tech: TCT versus HSS saw blades (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  6. Revivablade multi-tool blade sharpener instructions (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  7. Paul Sellers: saw files (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  8. amazon.co.uk listings B0B8N55PPB, B006TTX1SE, B0D3CDNRYM and B07KGG1CZW (retrieved 20 October 2026)