Cutting saw mill blades?

orvet

orvet

Joined
Oct 11, 2005
Messages
1,771
This is my first post in this part of BaldeForums, as I started out as a collector before becoming a hobby knife maker.
I have been making knives from blades I bought and then finished. I hate being limited to someone else's design, so I decided to start making blades by stock removal.

Last weekend I was helping my dad clean out his barn as they are getting ready to sell their place. I got several saw filer's straight edges which seem to be carbon steel and are workable (for stock removal) to make blades.
My dad also has a 4 foot diameter circular saw blade. He said I could have it for knife blades, but I haven't a clue on how to cut it into manageable pieces. Will a oxy-acetylene torch work? Will it damage the steel?

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Dale
 
A cutting torch will work just fine. Its usually wise to remove about an 1/8" of steel from where the cut was made. What I normally do is cut 3" wide strips and then aneal them befor I do any grinding or cutting. The I'll cut that piece in half or thirds with my not so trusty HF portaband saw. A four foot saw blade will make alot of knives.

DON'T BURN THE BARN DOWN!
 
Dale,
If you have an o/a torch accessible that will work fine. A grease pencil will or soapstone will help you to mark out your design. Cut outside the line and then grindd to your shape. This will not damage your steel as it will have to be heattreated and then tempered afterward. The book "Step by step knifemaking: You can do it." by David Boye would be a great place for you to start. A little knowledge will go a long way in preventing future frustrations and coulda woulda shouldas.
Here is a link to the book on amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/06...102-7056266-7893713?s=books&v=glance&n=283155

Best of luck,:thumbup:
Matt Doyle
 
Torch, plasma cutter , even an angle grinder with a thi n blade will do the trick. Be careful and have fun! bruce
 
I'm still using an old yard sale skilsaw with a metal cutting blade. I cut a 17" blank from an old sawmill blade 2 weeks ago. It seems to always work.
 
I just put a layout line across the blade and use a 1/16" abrasive blade on my table saw. The first cut is freehand and after that I set the fence up. I do this to get my stackup pieces for damascus billets. The blade stands up pretty well and I can get a complete 36" blade cut up into 1 1/2" slices with one blade. Paul
 
Thanks for all the help. I hadn't thought about using an abrasive blade on my table saw or skilsaw. I do have a touch so I guess I have 3 options, However due to the size & weight of the blade I will probably start with the torch to get it into smaller pieces that I can handle.

Thanks again,
Dale
 
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