Used band saw blades ?

[Bill Clemmons]

Does anyone have a use for dull band saw blades? I've got 8 or 9 old ones I've been hanging on to for no particular reason that I'm getting ready to throw away. Just thought I'd see if anyone can use them before I do. They range from 1/4 - 3/4" wide and most are 93 1/2" long.

Let me know if you want them. They're free!

 

[DaveT]

I attended Fine Woodworking live last summer. Garrett Hack did a presentation on making a custom molding scraper from pieces of band saw blades and hack saw blades. He cuts a piece of the steel, grinds and files the profile he wants and then puts it in custom tool holder to scratch out his desired profile. Way beyond my skill level, but it was an interesting presentation.

 

[junquecol]

Ever thought about sharpening them? Many years back, FWW had an article on building a sharpener, using a bench grinder. Today, you could pick up a cheap chain saw sharpener from either Northern, or HF to make one. No, I don't need them, as my saw takes 105" blades.

 

[Strom]

Out of sheer laziness I sharpened a 3/4 in blade on my Delta 20 in saw. I was amazed at the result! Maybe the blade cut that good when it was new but I don't remember. The process is very simple. I used a Dremel with a cut off wheel. I just touched the back of each tooth . This was easy on this large blade. I think I would just recycle a smaller finer blade.

 

[Guy in Paradise]

There are quite a few techniques and machines shown to sharpen bandsaw blades on YouTube, but this one seems like the method I would most likely try on a good blade.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_akVVJo3G0M

 

[bluedawg76]

I attended Fine Woodworking live last summer. Garrett Hack did a presentation on making a custom molding scraper from pieces of band saw blades and hack saw blades. He cuts a piece of the steel, grinds and files the profile he wants and then puts it in custom tool holder to scratch out his desired profile. Way beyond my skill level, but it was an interesting presentation.

scratch stock is what I was thinking as well, but I don't think it would be worth the cost/trouble to ship, otherwise i'd take a blade.

Sam

 

[Strom]

There are quite a few techniques and machines shown to sharpen bandsaw blades on YouTube, but this one seems like the method I would most likely try on a good blade.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_akVVJo3G0M

Similar to what I did. I did not bother with the gullet as this was a"touch up" The Gullet on my blade is quite deep and widely space teeth made it unnecessary.This video gave me some ideas though.

 

[Guy in Paradise]

Although long, this gent makes a good point for sharpening brand new blades. Not sure his sharpening method is the best, but it seems to work. Lots of extraneous talking, so recommend watching time frames 3:45 to 4:25, 6:10 to 6:55, 10:30 to 11:30, and 15:00 to 15:45. The whole 18 minutes didn't quite move along fast enough for me.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UygEQ-079Ws

 

[BSHuff]

I believe that some blacksmith/knife makers use band saw blades to make Damascus steel. But that might be the bimetal metal cutting blades?

 

[Volksdad]

Back in school, my professor showed us how to make a Japanese marking knife from a 6 inch section of blade. First grind the teeth off, then round one end and grind the other to a 45 degree angle. Take your time with it and don't blue the blade (kill the temper)-if you do this on an electric tool. He was a fan of hand sharpening, so we all hand sharpened the blade on a block and then wrapped one end with string. I still have that same marking knife and the other tools we had to make.
I took the class with him around 2003 I believe, at Pratt in Brooklyn. You might have heard of him- Toshio Odate. Great guy.

Here's my marking knife. Still works well for my feeble attempts at woodworking.