Bandsaw blades,what do you think?

K

Keith Willis

Joined
Oct 24, 2007
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I got these from a friend that has a sawmill,I feel very stupid that I left them outside.When I got them,there was no rust on them,but I left them outside,and.....

I am not sure what type of steel they are.I think there is some #'s on them,and if I find them I will contact the manufacture.I know some guys that have used some of these,and they tell me they make some good blades,however I would like to know what I am working with,before I start.If I don't find any #'s,I think it would be worth sending off a piece and let someone tell me what I have.I will also heat a piece and quench,and see if it will break.

I made one cut,and layed them out straight and they are each 36' long,.100 thick and 9'' to the bottom of the gusset.

Any of you guys ever used large bandsaw blades similar to these?

God bless,Keith
 
no but i have pile of rusty ones outside...uddeholm, 15n20 i think, was saving them for forge welding

bandsaw blades VERY frequently are full of cracks long before they are retired
 
I just got a lennox blade from work about those dimensions. It is 14'4". I am guessing bi-metal. We have a RC tester and it was 49.2 Rc on the back of the blade or opposite of the teeth. I have made a few fillet knives and they work okay but could be a little harder.
 
i make fillet knives out of 1" wide metal cutting band saw blades. i grind them slow and keep them cool. no need to heat treat since they are already hard enough to cut steel and you grind on the tooth side. you can harden them with a torch if needed. i cleaned about 40 nice bluegills and the knife could have cleaned even more.
 
I have used bandsaw blade and steel crate strapping to make some very nice damascus. spoke to a blacksmith friend about it and he thinks it might be 01...
 
I've used quite a bit of steel from sawmill bandsaw blades of similar size. It works great for smaller knives that need to be thin, if you don't mind that it isn't stainless ( i don't care, my wife does :( ). What I've used was Uddeholm 15N20, which is basicly 1075, but with 2% nickel added for toughness. The knives I've used it for have been ground really thin, to practically a "0" edge before sharpening, and they hold up very well in the kitchen. The nickel makes it a really tough steel so it can be run that thin without issue from my experience.

Lots of folks use it in their damascus mix.
 
A lot of the early blades, like those used by David Boye for instance, were L6 and made for a wonderful blade. :)
 
Thanks guys.These have been around for many years.,and as I say I know guys that say they have used them to make knives.Sound as though it may be ok,i'll try a piece out.

God bless,Keith
 
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