Howdy
The type of logs you saw will determine the amount of setting necessary. Dirty logs, drug through mud and sand, will dull the blades quickly and round the corners of the teeth. This will require setting more often. Amount of time the blade is in the wood, will determine whether to set more often.
Many folks saw until the blade starts to wander. That blade will require sharpening more and setting more often. Change blades while they are still cutting well, then, just lightly sharpen and don't set for 2-3 sharpens, MAYBE. Learning the machine and the different wood will become second nature and help immensely with your questions.
We have run blades until the gullets and teeth start making a fast ticking sound, as the gullets and teeth pass over the blade guide rollers. We sawed mostly sandy logs, recovered from the river beds. Still had great blade life.
Maybe experiment with different blades. SOME Blade sellers will offer 1 free sample, to see if it works better for you than what you are using. We ended up with Munksforsager blades.
Check Ebay and sawmill-exchange.com for used tools. That's where I got my sharpener (WoodMizer) and made my own setter. Contact ALL Portable Band mill manufacturers and see how many mills are within a 50 mile radius of you. You MIGHT pick up some sharpening customers, and will do a much better job with a GOOD machine. Just a thought. More than 1 way to make money in the milling business.
I have seen WoodMizer sharpener-setter combo, sell for less than $500.00. It can also be carried onsite and run from your vehicle battery, in a situation where you run out of sharp blades. Older models were 12V and run with a small power supply to the motors.
Others will chime in soon with differing comments. It's what you get comfortable doing, that will work well for you.
Good Luck on your new business.
