Is hot metal less hard to cut?

K

K man

Joined
Nov 26, 2000
Messages
515
I may be crazy, but I found a piece of 1/4 inch thick steel and had an epiphany. I had been wanting a bush knife, but I would not use it that often so it probably wouldnt be worth the money. I decided to make a bush out of the steel. It has been going good, but now I am working on cutting out the handle. The knife will be one piece solid steel and the cut is about 6-7 inches lengthwise. I will dull so many hacksaw blades doing this so I am wondering if I got the metal really hot and put it in the vise, would the cutting with the hacksaw go faster because the metal was hot?
Thanks,
KnifeMan==>-------
 
Hi K Man,

I know it sounds like a good idea - in theory. Chances are, you'd end up welding the hacksaw blade into your knife blank, and then you've got a whole new problem. The hacksaw blade just won't hold up under the heat. Have you tried annealing the steel before you cut? (Some of the others here may be able to help you more with that-or try doing a search of the forums.) Or perhaps a different (carbide) hacksaw blade??? Just some ideas. Good luck.

Brad

P.S. I know this because I tried the same thing with some steel I was trying to drill. (Wasn't going to admit it, though.) Bits kept going dull, so I heated it up to try and anneal it a bit. Then I thought, "Hey - the steels softer NOW, maybe if I tried drilling it..." Nothing like a nice piece of high-speed steel where you wanted a hole!!!
smile.gif
HA!

[This message has been edited by Rogue57 (edited 04-02-2001).]

[This message has been edited by Rogue57 (edited 04-02-2001).]
 
Borrow a skil-saw and invest in a cheap metal cut-off blade from your local hardware store. You can make your cut in under three minutes. Be sure you let whoever owns the skil-saw know what you are doing with it- the metal can burn up bearings in short order.

Good Luck!

Dave Evans
Tenino, WA
 
Make yourself a hot cut chisel, hot cuts need to be thinner in cross section than cold chisel. Heat the metal and cut it with the chisel. Cut light to difine your line and then heavier blows, when it is almost through flip over and cut the other side.

cut oversize, allow stock to clean up with the grinder.
 
are you sure that I would be able to chisle through this, it is 1/4 in thick steel and it is very hard to cut with a hacksaw. Would I have to get it glowing red hot and then use the chisle?
KnifeMan==>-------
 
I've cut up to 1/2" carbon steel barstock hot, as thick as 1" roundstock, and it wasn't all that difficult. I cut 1/4" on a pretty regular basis. Just make sure you don't try to cut it too cold, you'll want it at least a dull red, and quench your chisel often to keep from ruining it.
One other thing, though. I used to have all kinds of problems with cutting thicker stock, before I got my forge, and they all ended when I obtained my $20 Big Lots POS angle grinder. It made the 1/4" mild steel that was plagueing my existence at the time a 10 minute job. I'm told that good angle grinders make an even larger difference. Get a full face shield to use with them, though.


------------------
Oz

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[This message has been edited by Osbourn (edited 04-05-2001).]
 
I think the problem here is with how people are seeing the problem.

If he had a forge, an anvil and a hot-cut chisel then this would be no problem... But he's talking about heating it with (I assume) a torch and cutting it. I can't imagine that heating a piece with a torch, and wacking at it with a chisel would do too much... but I could be wrong.

Dave had a good idea.

Another possibility is to send it to a knifemaker and get him to take the short bit it would take to cut it for you.

Nick
 
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