Application
This unit of competency describes the outcomes required to assess circular saw blade condition, set up for sharpening and sharpen saw blades with a manually controlled grinder. Work is completed in a forest products factory setting.
The unit applies to Sawdoctor, Saw Repairer, Sawyer.
No licensing, legislative, regulatory, or certification requirements apply to this unit at the time of publication.
Elements and Performance Criteria
Elements describe the essential outcomes. | Performance criteria describe the performance needed to demonstrate achievement of the element. Where bold italicised text is used, further information is detailed in the range of conditions. |
1. Prepare for sharpening | 1.1 Review work order and where required check with appropriate personnel. 1.2 Select appropriate repair, maintenance and personal protective equipment and check for operational effectiveness in line with manufacturer's recommendations. 1.3 Plan sharpening process in line with work order and site procedures. |
2. Assess condition and set up sharpening equipment | 2.1 Follow organisational safety procedures thoughout all maintenance and repair processes. 2.2 Assess cutting performance of blade and determine need to replace or sharpen. 2.3 Assess prior repairs and condition of teeth, set, and straightness of blade. 2.4 Select sharpening machine with suitable wheel diameter and thickness and change, profile or grind wheel in line with manufacturer’s instructions. 2.5 Adjust machine settings to suit required tooth profile geometry, blade set or kerf, blade thickness and diameter to manufacturer's recommendations. 2.6 Set up saw in grinder with appropriate attachments for tooth pitch. |
3. Sharpen circular saw blade | 3.1 Grind teeth face and gullet to achieve required sharpness and surface finish. 3.2 Maintain tooth profile to industry standards. 3.3 Keep variations in tooth height within industry or manufacturer tolerances for concentricity. 3.4 Control wheel and saw hand feeds to minimise wear, avoid burn marks and maintain smooth surface finish. 3.5 Identify damaged and exhausted circular saw blades and dispose of these in line with organisational procedures and environmental protection practices. 3.6 Identify routine processing and equipment faults and resolve or report to appropriate personnel. |
Evidence of Performance
A person demonstrating competency in this unit must satisfy all of the elements, performance criteria and foundation skills of this unit.
follow organisational policies and procedures relevant to sharpening circular saws
remove and replace circular saw blades from equipment
sharpen circular saw blades in line with an individual work order for each job
assess cutting performance as follows:
saw performance balanced against achievement of required production time
degree of deviation in the range of sawn products
assess the condition of blade teeth for:
sharpness of tooth cutting edges
angles within the tooth profile
tooth strength
damage to teeth
pitch
depth
number of teeth per metre
operate the abrasive wheel at appropriate speed to remove material without affecting steel characteristics
produce a quality of surface texture left by the abrasive wheel along the entire profile and at the intersection of all cutting edge angles.
Evidence of Knowledge
A person competent in this unit must be able to demonstrate knowledge of:
purpose, features and operation of circular saws for which blades are sharpened
features and names of different parts of circular saw blades
purpose, features and operation of tools and equipment used to sharpen circular saw blades:
gulleting and grinding machines
abrasive wheels
importance of sharpening and setting teeth and tension to match requirements for:
characteristics of various materials sawn
speed of the sawing process
direction of the sawing process
cutting angle for sawing
saw blade specifications
methods for:
removing saw blades from circular saws
assessing saw blade condition
sharpening blades to specified requirements
setting teeth to a specified profile
setting concentricity of teeth
tooth pitch and tooth angles at which blades are sharpened (blade geometry)
range of speeds at which abrasive wheels can be operated without damaging blades
organisational policies and procedures specific to sharpening circular saw blades:
workplace health and safety with particular emphasis on equipment lock out and use of personal protective equipment
communication reporting lines
recording and reporting processing and equipment faults
environmental protection practices for repairing and maintaining tools and equipment in forest products factory settings:
reducing water and energy use
cleaning plant, tools and equipment
disposing of, recycling and reusing materials
Assessment Conditions
The following resources must be made available:
tools and equipment used to sharpen circular saw blades:
gulleting and grinding machines
machine attachments
hand-held tools
abrasive wheels
circular saws for which blades are to be sharpened
one or more of the following types of circular saw blades to be sharpened:
circular cross cut blades used for cutting timber products
rip saw blades used for cutting timber products
personal protective equipment suitable for sharpening circular saw blades
manufacturers’ instructions for use, repair and maintenance of equipment
work order for repair and maintenance activities with specific instructions for sharpening circular saw blades in specified equipment
template documents for recording processing and equipment faults
relevant personnel for the purposes of communicating information
organisational policies and procedures for sharpening circular saw blades.
Competency is to be assessed in the workplace or a simulated environment that accurately reflects performance in a real workplace setting.
Assessor requirements
Assessors must:
hold the appropriate assessor competency standards as outlined in regulations; and
be able to demonstrate vocational competencies at least to the level being assessed; and
be able to demonstrate how they are continuing to develop their VET knowledge and skills as well as maintaining their industry currency and assessor competence.
Foundation Skills
This section describes those core and employment skills that are essential to performance and are not explicit in the performance criteria. | |
Numeracy skills to: | estimate speed at which the abrasive wheel can remove material without affecting steel characteristics when sharpening measure cutting performance complete precise calculations to machine teeth to correct angle pitch height depth. |
Oral communication skills to: | ask open and closed probe questions and actively listen to clarify contents of work orders. |
Reading skills to: | interpret: workplace health and safety procedures work orders manufacturer’s instructions and maintenance recommendations. |
Writing skills to: | complete basic accurate records of processing and equipment faults. |
Planning and organising skills to: | efficiently and logically sequence stages of preparation and repair work using work order to guide activities. |
Problem-solving skills to: | assess blade condition and rectify faults through correct sharpening process identify and dispose of exhausted and damaged blades recognise faulty equipment and resolve by reporting or rectifying. |
Technology skills to: | select and use appropriate repair, maintenance and personal protective equipment for sharpening circular saw blades efficiently and safely sharpen circular saw blades. |
Range Statement
Not Applicable
Sectors
Sawmilling and Processing