Cut-off wheel for stock removal...good or bad??

K

kevindriscoll

Joined
Feb 22, 2006
Messages
8
Mornin' From Peyton, CO,

I am so much a newbie at this it'll make your head spin. I don't have a jig saw, or a band saw, or anything like it, yet. But on my very first project, I used the reinforced cutoff wheel on my dremel, and for a smaller peice of steel, it seemed to work fine. But now I am making a larger peice with 1/4" steel. Will a 3" cutoff wheel designed for steel work, or will it heat the steel too much. Anyone try this before? Atleast I now have a bench grinder and a belt/disk sander. It's only 1 x 42" belt, but it is a start.

Kevin
 
Welcome to the forum, Kevin. What kind of steel are you cutting? Has it already been heat treated?
-Mark
 
Since I am enlisted, and therefore poor, I have started with old Nicholson files, and a very fine gentleman is sending me some 1095. I really do not want to mess the 1095 up. It has been pickled and annealed already. By the way, to anyone else, I have never paid more than a quarter for an old file, just in case you start looking.
 
Amen to being poor, Kevin. If your old files are in a softened state, knock yourself out with whatever method works to cut them.
-Mark
 
Kevin - I have tried with the dremel and cutoff wheel - it does work if you're careful, but I found it took a long time. Next, I tried drilling holes around the blade shape and using the dremel to cut between them. That worked much better. Next I tried drilling holes and using a hacksaw to cut out. That worked even better. Finally, I just started using the hacksaw for the whole cutout, and find it works best for me, and fastest. If you get a high-end hacksaw (very sturdy frame, not one of the cheapos) and good saw blade, and the steel your cutting is not hardened (of course) it goes pretty fast. As an added bonus, your biceps get larger :D
 
Working with the file I am on right now, I am starting to wonder if I did not get it hot enough to anneal it. Think I will make another post with this question....
 
kevindriscoll said:
Since I am enlisted, and therefore poor, I have started with old Nicholson files,
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for one thank you
army marine navy air boy ?
your not poor :D you just have use your imagination with the funding you have:D
my first knife like objects were old files
just try not to heat the steel to the point it starts to turn colors thats bad
or plan on reheat treating it from the start and anneal the file first then grind to your harts content
 
Before I got the metal cutting bandsaw (best 180$ ever spent), I would drill concurrant holes (almost touching) then hacksaw it out. That worked well but i always found profiling to be SO time consuming. It was, however, a good workout!
 
Before I got my bandsaw I used either a reciprocating saw with Lennox blades or a 4 1/2" angle grinder. When I cut up leaf springs for swages or other tooling I still use the angle grinder. Bimetalic blades are too expensive to beat up on 5/16" hardened spring steel.
 
Butcher, I am a former Marine, and currently in the Air Force. I've been reading another thread from Sarge about the poor boy puukko, and am thinking I might just try his technique on the hardened blade. Good news is the annealed 1095 arrived today. It is still some work drilling and then cutting! I will probably cut the form, then go back to practicing with the files. I do not want to screw up the good steel!
 
kevindriscoll said:
Butcher, I am a former Marine, and currently in the Air Force. I've been reading another thread from Sarge about the poor boy puukko, and am thinking I might just try his technique on the hardened blade. Good news is the annealed 1095 arrived today. It is still some work drilling and then cutting! I will probably cut the form, then go back to practicing with the files. I do not want to screw up the good steel!
Click to expand...
semper fi
sorry bout the air boy posting :foot:
i was an 0341 FDC / FO got to love AC130 and F 16/18 unloading on a mark i just put on the deck
gald to hear you got your 1095 just take your time when working it and im sure it will turn out just fine

butch
 
Cut off wheels can be a real danger if they come apart.A high tension hacksaw will work wonders on cutting steel.A regular hacksaw (even a good one) will not cut the same.Figure a high tension hacksaw and a ten pack of lenox blades will run you about $50.You won't regret the money.
Stacy
 
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