Hacksaw blade for spring steel ?

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mkepke

Mark
Senior User
I'm trying to cut a modern handsaw blade into pieces (to make other tools) but I'm not having good luck using the bimetal recip or 'regular' hacksaw blades I have on hand. The handsaw steel just rapidly wears the teeth right off the cutting tools - even using a bit of cutting oil.

Should I be buying a particular type of hacksaw blade ? BTW, I am using the blades in an air-driven body saw, so heat is a factor I'm sure.

-Mark
 

bman

New User
barry
I'm trying to cut a modern handsaw blade into pieces (to make other tools) but I'm not having good luck using the bimetal recip or 'regular' hacksaw blades I have on hand. The handsaw steel just rapidly wears the teeth right off the cutting tools - even using a bit of cutting oil.

Should I be buying a particular type of hacksaw blade ? BTW, I am using the blades in an air-driven body saw, so heat is a factor I'm sure.

-Mark
you might try a dremel tool with a abrasive cut off wheel ....but be carefull they will shatter use eye protection and a steady hand .....i have cut several with one :eusa_thin
 

4yanks

New User
Willie
I have also used a Dremel for the same task. It works well. Alternatively, you could anneal the blade to be cut by heating it up first and allowing it to cool slowly. You would need to re-temper the blade afterward, depending on your application.
 

JimmyC

New User
Jimmy
I use to put them on the edge of a grinding wheel and cut right through them. It is quick, but be careful the blade can get hot fast. I kept a coffee can of water nearby to quench the heat.

Jimmy
 

froglips

New User
Jim Campbell
Well, one thing I found that seemed like a good idea, but wasn't, was a carbide coated recp-saw blade. Darn near worthless.

I'd also agree with the dremel, with one of the more aggresive fiber cuttoff wheels.

4 1/2" Angle grinders with cuttoff wheels are wonderful too.

Or, chuck something into a drill.

After years of trying lots of "clever" things, these fiber cutoff wheels are just the cats meow.

One other thing to try, you could bend and break the blade into pieces. Just work it back and forth till it breaks. Grind off the work hardened/bent/sharp edges. Most saw blades are hardened, so they should break off.

Jim
 

DIYGUY

New User
Mark
I think you will need to anneal the blade before you will be able to cut it. Try this out: chuck an 8p finish nail in your drill press. Scribe a line on the blade where you want to make the cut. Put the blade under the nail and with the pointed end of the nail slotted in the scribe line press down slowly, firmly and until you feel the blade getting warm. Move the nail down the line a tad. Repeat the process until you have covered the entire scribed line. Now scribe the line again, as deeply as you can. Place the blade in a vise with the scribed line about 1/8" above the jaws of the vise. Use a pair of pliers to clamp and hold the blade about 1/4" above the line and flex the blade gently back and forth. The blade *should* break quite nicely on your scribed line. You can finish the residual rough edges on your wheel.

Hope it works for you and good luck!
 

mkepke

Mark
Senior User
I managed to cut of couple pieces off using the recip and manual hacksaw, but I think I'll try to find a cut-off disc for my angle grinder.

-Mark
 

JimmyC

New User
Jimmy
Mark,
Maybe I didn't make myself clear, When I said to use a grinder to cut the hacksaw blades, I meant a bench grinder. Just hold the hacksaw blade at an angle to the wheel and cut, or grind, across the blade then flip it over to do the other side eventually cutting all of the way through. The edge of the grinder wheel is squared and cuts readily. I did this all of the time at a previous job to make scrapers out of german saw blades. But as I said previously, keep some water nearby to quench the heat.

Good luck.

Jimmy

ps. sorry if I didn't make myself clear
 
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