L6?

T

Twig

Joined
Feb 17, 2006
Messages
7
Hello, I am making some chef knives out of some large bandsaw material that came from a sawmill. People have told me it might be L6, and that's what I've been thinking all along. Acording to the Carpenter Steel handbook I have, L6 should have a hardness of 61-62 after being quenched at 1525. What I got is Rockwell 66. Double tempering at 450 brought it down to 61. The blade was quenched in mineral oil, and the scale was light, and very easy to sand off. I double checked my hardness tester just to make sure. Since I don't want to go to the expense of a chemical analysis, can anyone out there make an educated guess? Thanks, Twig
 
My guess is also 15n20, still a fine steel...Lots and lots of folks have been told that bandsaw and large circular saw blades are L6..its almost always not L6..Bandsaw blades are usually 15n20 and circular saw blades are often something like 1080 + 2% nickle or 8670M...Im guessing the nickle got that started..
All good steels but not L6..
.
The only saw blades that I know of actually turning out to be L6 were old "Dragsaw" blades..A forerunner to the chainsaw..The steel in them had to be impact resistant..Even with that Im sure not all of them were L6..
A dragsaw was basically a crosscut saw hooked on a gas engine..
 
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Kentucky said:
My guess is also 15n20, still a fine steel...Lots and lots of folks have been told that bandsaw and large circular saw blades are L6..its almost always not L6..Bandsaw blades are usually 15n20 and circular saw blades are often something like 1080 + 2% nickle or 8670M...Im guessing the nickle got that started..
All good steels but not L6..
.
The only saw blades that I know of actually turning out to be L6 were old "Dragsaw" blades..A forerunner to the chainsaw..The steel in them had to be impact resistant..Even with that Im sure not all of them were L6..
A dragsaw was basically a crosscut saw hooked on a gas engine..
Click to expand...

I've had several drag saw blades and none were L-6. I to will go with 15n20 for the bandsaw blade.
 
Yup. 15N-20 on the bandsaw blades.

I had some large circular saw blades tested and just like Kentucky said, 8670. (Mine were actually called "similar to 8660" in the results with .63 carbon.) I use both in my sword damascus and it is a great combo. The 8660 etches really dark.
-M
 
Raymond Richard said:
I've had several drag saw blades and none were L-6. I to will go with 15n20 for the bandsaw blade.
Click to expand...

Well like is said, Im sure not all of them were L6..I only say because I was told by someone that I think I can trust(and knows what they are talking about) to tell the truth that they were L6..He said he had a few and they turned out to be L6...I didnt see the results so take it for what its worth..
Ive never personally seen a saw blade to be L6.. I do have one that is high alloy and Air Hardens but I suspect it to be 8670M..
 
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This is the closest spec'd result of a saw blade to L6 that I have seen Id guess..
AL .002
B.0004
C .764
CB.008
CO .024
CR .264
CU .475
FE 95.315
MN .367
MO .045
NI 2.325
P .010
PB .009
S .007
SE .000
SI .309
SN .0345
TA 0.000
TI .003
V .018
W .018
Z.0001
 
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