How to cut/grind this tang?

spoovy

spoovy

Joined
Sep 8, 2022
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Hi totally new to this so go easy.
I recently dug out this old kukri that I'd never really used as it's way to handle-heavy. As I now have workshop space for the first time I thought I'd try to thin the tang down and add a new handle.
I'm making it up as I go along. I've removed the scales and I'm now looking to cut away some material from the tang:


I tried my HSS jigsaw blades but they literally just bounce off, not making a scratch. I have read that perhaps the edge is hardened so I removed a bit with a dremel and sanding drum (you can see the slight scoop taken out near the topside rear) but still the blades don't make a scratch. The blade is 1075 steel.

So how to remove this material? Can I get a more appropriate jigsaw blade, or does it need to be ground away, or is it just not feasible at all?
 
Get some abrasive disks and a 402 mandrel for your dremel tool. It’ll be slow cutting in hardened tool steel, but faster than sanding and less risky (of ruining the heat treatment than an O/A torch.

Parker
 
Least expensive option would likely be a 4” angle grinder, you can get a grinding wheel and a cutting wheel.
 
Thanks for the replies. I do have the dremel abrasives suggested, I used that to create the scoop I mentioned. It took quite a while to create just that though, I can't imagine how long it would take to do the whole thing. Would probably cost me a fortune in electricity too!
I like the angle grinder idea, I don't currently have one but they're cheap enough and I'm sure I'd use it for other things in future too. Any advice on what type abrasive to go for? I see silicon carbide, aluminium oxide, tungsten carbide and diamond.
 
If you are dipping your toe into grinding, go to Harbor Freight and get one of their $20 4" grinders. They won't stand up to sustained hard use, the internal gears are plastic, but it will get the job done. Any of the abrasive will work, I tend to get whatever ones are on sale because I'm a hobbyist and they're disposable. I do look for disks that have a fiberglass backing, they hold up better and tend to not shatter into shrapnel. Whatever you do, do not remove the guard; it sounds obvious, but you will break disks and they will go flying. On that note, wear a face shield, not just safety goggles. When pieces go flying, they have a lot of rotational energy, they can hit your cheeks and bounce up. Before I added a face shield, I used a pair of old school biker goggle safety goggles that have metal tubes for the lenses, and high speed grit would hit the up for the bottom.

A peanut grinder generates a lot more heat than a Dremel, cool off the metal regularly, a spray bottle works well for cooling and clearing off swarf. A grinding stone disk will help even things down once you are done chopping out with the cutoff disks.
 
You can remove weight more easily by skeletonizing it using a drill press. Get some masonry bits if the steel is hard.
 
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