Manually roughing out blade shape?

Roadrunner

Roadrunner

Joined
Jun 9, 1999
Messages
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Hi guys, I'm trying to get started making my own blades. I've got a couple of power tools, files and such, but now I need to figure some way to maually rough out a blade. I'm getting nowhere with the hacksaw. I've got a 9" Delta bandsaw on the way, can that be used to cut metal if I go really slow? Any advice or ideas would be appreciated. Thanks. :)
 
REgarding the 9" Delta saw, the real answer is no because the blade runs way to fast for steel, however, there's a few guys out there who say that you just run it until all the teeth melt off and then use it to friction cut the metal. IMHO, that's incorrect use of the tool and could present a danger if the blade fails. Wometimes on a wood cutting bandsaw when the blade breaks, it shoots out to one side and can be very dangerous.

Straight work with a hack saw can be pretty rough. The most common way is to drill a series of holes close together along the outside of your scribed pattern and then use the hacksaw to connect the dots. It makes the hacksaw route a lot easier as you remove most of the metal with a power drill. MAke sure to use a shapr drill bit and don't run it too fast or you'll burn the tip. Also, if you're using one of those cheapie stamped steel hacksaws with a hinge point in the middle of the frame to accomodate different length blades, put it in a dumpster and go buy a decent rigid hacksaw. Craftsman makes one where the main frame is tubing around 3/4" with cast aluminum ends. A good solid saw makes hacksawing much easier. Also make sure to invest a couple extra dollars into decent bi-metal blades with 14 or 18 TPI (teeth per inch). This will make your life much easier. Hope it helps.

John
 
i'm not sure what the going price is but they also have handheld bandsaws. maybe you could do some sort of macgyver job to get that working for you.
hey it could work. i know one maker thatb just has his bandsaw laying on the shop floor. he drags it around where he needs it.
right Rene? ;)
 
jmxcpter, thanks. I'm actually using the exact hacksaw you describe, and Nicholson 18 TPI blades, so I guess I'm on the right track. The next step is to get some good drill bits. I bent one of the M2 ones I got from Harbor Freight today. Guess I need the Cobalt ones. :grumpy: I have a decent drill press too so it looks like that's the way to go until I can afford the bandsaw.
 
I used a hack saw for a while, and I can definatly suggest getting good blades as they will make sawing a lot easier.

Now I've went high tec. and have a Porta Band portable bandsaw clamped in a bench vise. Had to make a new platten, and tie a string around the handle and step on it to trigger the switch. Not ideal but a heck of a lot faster and easier than a hacksaw. Just be carful and use push sticks as I can tell you from personal experiance a 1/4" split in the middle of your thumb is not fun!
 
Woohoo! Turns out those drill bits cut fine, when you run them slow enough. :rolleyes: Good thing I started out with the cheap bits.
 
I don't know if I'd invest in cobalt until you get a bit better handle on feeds and speeds, something I'm just learning myself. If you can find a local supply house that caters to local job shops, you can buy better quality bits a couple at a time in th esizes you need as opposed to spending a lot on a whole set where you only need a few sizes, and some might be number ot letter sizes instead of fractional sizes.

If you want to make the drills work even better and last longer, find a can of Tap-O-Matic or some similar cutting fluid. It both cools and lubricates teh cutting edge and keeps chips from sticking to the cutting edge if trying to drill small holes in tough materials like 300 or 400 series stainless.

If you're lucky like me you'll find a nice 18" Dayton metal cutting vertical in near new condition at a garage sale and actually have the $300.00 asking price available to blow...:) It's no Do-all, but has the perfect footprint for the space in my shop and does a damn fine job for me:) If you were nearby, I'd volunteer to let you come over and use it.

John
 
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