Cutting 15n20 sheets?

klammer

klammer

Joined
Jan 30, 2009
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Hello - I have a few 18" x 48" sheets of 15n20. I would like to cut it into strips...but it seems too hard for a shear / press? Mind you this is only taking a file to it - but it it feels quite hard. How have folks cut this up in the past? Would a large press shear work?
Cheers,
Klammer
 
Shears tend to bend and distort the material. There is a waterjet up the road from me that will do it for $15, perhaps there is someone close to you.

I've used abrasive wheels mounted in a skill saw for this. Works okay. Wear protection.
 
It's usually around 45 Rc. I good shear will work, but on a piece I'd use a very fine tooth bie-metal blade on the band-saw. I've done it both ways...
 
Just another option.

Plasma cutter works as well... I have about 800 lbs of 12"-wide 15n20 band saw blades that I cut into 1 1/2" x 6" strips. With a little jig to get consistent, accurately sized strips my plasma cutter cut through it like butter... edges turned out nice. Maybe not as nice as a water jet :-), but still very usable without any grinding.

Dan
 
thanks folks - I will give the waterjet company down the street a call and see what they come up with for a price - I had thought it would be cost prohibitive. All the info is appreciated!
 
It's hard on shear blades, but if you're going to use this for damascus, that's the most economical route that doesn't give you a lot of work to clean up. If you plasma cut into strips you'll have to clean the slag off, and variations of width will cause more work cleaning up the sides of billets and more loss overall generally.


Bear in mind, if this is from fresh coil or bandsaw blades, shearing correctly will help take some of the "bend" out of it that's already there. Usually you can find a shop that will shear all of it to your dimensional pieces for cheaper than most waterjet shops will want as a minimum.
 
How thick is the sheet. I have used my 1/4" x10' shear to shear hundreds do .065" 15n20. Lengths were anywhere from 24"-48".
Sheared very nicely.
Jim
 
These are mostly 3/32' perfectly flat sheets. Do not seem to be from a roll due to how flat it is. Its quite a bit thicker than .065" so I worry about damaging the shops shear.
 
The stuff we use is 0.85 thick, and we get it sheared. Spring tempered stuff. So, I guess it depends on what size shear you have access to.


Waterjetting seems overkill to make a bunch of strips. I guess if you get it cheap enough go for it.
 
Contacted the local waterjet cutter - got it done for a pittance and ended up making a friend in the process. Thank you for the guidance!
 
Preparing to at some point this winter. Also wanted to try the steel for smaller / thinner blades. Just getting back into the shop after the summer.
 
Darcy and I have made a few 15n20 and 1084 billets on that anvil you sold me. I still have to get mine made into a knife though.
 
I bet the extra set of hands was helpful :) I need to find a willing striker - have not convinced the wife to help yet....
 
Good that you figured it out with waterjet for cheap. I'll add, for what it's worth, that I've used angle grinders and even my O/A torch with a guide to cut up bandsaw for billets. Both sucked. The best way I've done it is take it to my friend's fab shop and have strips cut on the CNC plasma table. There is very little cleanup afterwards, slag pops right off with light hammer taps down the edge, and the heat affected zone comes off real quick with the 9" angle grinder on the whole clamped up stack after that.
 
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