I need some help cutting stainless

O

oljoe

Joined
Jul 29, 2004
Messages
83
I recently bought some ¾ X ¼ 304 stainless steel for some guard material. When I tried to cut this on my band saw it would cut easily for a short distance and then would stop cutting, like the metal was getting hard. :confused: I thought that the maybe blade was getting dull so I changed the blade. That didn’t seem to help.
Could this be because the heat from cutting has made hard spots in the steel or is there a possibility that there are spots in the steel that were not annealed.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks
Joe Foster
 
oljoe said:
Could this be because the heat from cutting has made hard spots in the steel or is there a possibility that there are spots in the steel that were not annealed.
Click to expand...
Sadly....all or any of the above could do it. Same with drilling holes in stainless.

Using a bi-metal blade?

I have cut things with my bi-metal hacksaw that I couldn't cut on the bandsaw....even at 80 rpm it was still moving too fast....:(......I used the bandsaw to start the cut and then finished it up with the hacksaw.
 
304 and other 300-series stainless steels are non-martensitic steels, so they don't harden as in heat-treated hardened. Instead, whats happeneing is that as you are bandsawing, the steel is becomes work-hardened. So, in short, yes, it has hardened. The 300-series steels are known to be very gummy and are relatively difficult to grind and sand.

Most knifemakers now prefer the 400-series stainkless steels for guards and fixtures. 410 and 416 are favourites and they work more readily in every imaginable way. 400-series steels technically need to be heat treated for maximum stain-resistance, but most knifemakers don't bother about this unless you are getting up to the 420 and 440 grade steels, or if you want to use the steel for spring parts.

To be fair, 300-series steels are more tough, more wear-resistant and more stain-resistant. Some might feel that this gives an advantage. However, I myself prefer using 416SS. Jason.
 
Thanks Daniel. Not a bi-metal blade. I didn't want to pay the extra for them. I sure I can finish the cut with a hand saw as soon as I get some more blades.
The blades that I had got bent cutting the horns off of a cow. :eek:
I ruined 3 blades. She just wouldn't hold still! ;)
 
your cutting wayyyyyyyyyyy to fast (surface feet per min.).... Additionally, tooth count comes in to play as well... I use 18t per inch. I don't use the fancy blades some here on the forum do, I use Enco's cheapass blades. I think I'm paying three bucks and a half or so apiece. They work as well for me as the damned Lenox Bi-metal ones I was pay'n twenty bucks for!!

regards, mitch
 
Thanks Jason and Mitch

Mitch, I think you hit the nail on the head, cutting to fast. I have a HF band saw and I was cutting some scales on the high speed and forgot to change.

Jason, if this steel is getting work hardened do you think I can just plow through it with a hacksaw or will it need to be annealed.

Joe Foster
 
It's best to find a blade specifically made to cut stainless steel it will save headaches. Play with the speed and feed until you get it cutting smoothly.If speed is too fast it will work harden and if the feed is too low it will work harden. 410 machines better than 304 and 416 even better in that it is the free machining grade of 410.
 
Thanks mete

I have several bars of the 304 so I guess I’ll experiment with the speed thing.

Next time I will get some 400 series stainless steel.

Thanks for all the help
Joe Foster
 
I should have added that dull teeth work hardens the steel. If you want stainless that REALLY work hardens try 301 !!
 
Joe I have a bunch of 304 too, I just use a vise and a hack saw and go at it, it actually cuts fine with the hand saw using an 18tpi bi-metal cheapie blade.
I had a bunch of it cut into about 1/4" strips and I think I can cut it out faster than the band saw! ;)
are you running it with any kind of coolant or lube? that might help out too if you don't want to use the hack saw.
I don't know near as much as these other guys do, but I have used a lot of 304 so I thought I would throw my 2 cents out there.
Steve
 
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