Steel cutting question

A

Allenblood

Joined
Apr 4, 2018
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I want to make a knife and I plan on cutting the steel bar into the shape of the knife I want but whats the machine called to cut the metal?
do you need a special drill bit to cut into metal? I plan on using 52100 steel I'm going to drill the handle/bolster holes before I have it sent to be hardened. I have a 1/2 inch 1/3 horse power 1-800 rpm 120v 3.2 amp drill will that be strong enough to cut into that steel?
 
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I use a high tension hacksaw as Stacy mentioned. You want to use a good quality bi-metal saw blade like the Lenox brand that Stacy recommended as the typical carbon steel blades that often come free with a hacksaw will quickly be dulled cutting steel.

For steel 1/8" thick or more, I prefer 18t blade cutting at a slight angle; it cuts a little quicker than a 24t blade. At 3/32" I switch to 24t. The typical rule is that you want 2 to 3 teeth in contact with the surface being cut, so 1/8" is right at the limit for an 18t saw blade.

I like to use cutting oil to lube while cutting too as the blade and steel can heat up. I use Norseman Ultra S/P as recommended by Tracy at USA Knifemaker because its viscosity helps it cling to everything a bit longer.

If you don't have a metal cutting bandsaw, a lot of makers use an angle grinder with metal cutoff wheel. Be very careful and only make straight cuts as if the cutoff wheel shatters the pieces basically turn into bullets. You can be maimed or killed by an exploding cutoff wheel, which is why I'm a scaredy cat and keep using my hacksaw.
 
do you need a special drill bit to cut into metal? Iplan on using 52100 steel I'm going to drill the handle/bolster holes before I have it sent to be hardened. I have a 1/2 inch 1/3 horse power 1-800 rpm 120v 3.2 amp drill will that be strong enough to cut into that steel?
 
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Allenblood said:
do you need a special drill bit to cut into metal? Iplan on using 52100 steel I'm going to drill the handle/bolster holes before I have it sent to be hardened. I have a 1/2 inch 1/3 horse power 1-800 rpm 120v 3.2 amp drill will that be strong enough to cut into that steel?
Click to expand...

In the annealed state, blade steel drills basically like mild steel. Some will work harden a bit, but it’s usually not a problem with correct speed. If you have problems, I like cobalt bits over titanium coated, but I mostly use good quality HSS bits from Lee valley. They’re a bit pricier, but work much better than cheap titanium coated bits.
 
I agree with milkbaby and use 18t for thick stock and 24t for thinner.
I drill small holes to help get around corners and 1/2" holes to assemble the saw with the blade inside.
The image below combines all of this. I made about 30" of cuts in CPM 3V (.207 thick) in about 30 minutes.

FxMcqE7.jpg
 
bauer portaband from HF $99, Swag offroad table $55 shipped, lenox 18tpi bimetal blades. one of the best investment a hobby stock removal knife maker can make. I started with just a cheap angle grinder and cutoff wheels. works, but wished i'd would have bought this setup from the start.
QUFDek6.jpg
 
I'm curious. What amperage and air pressure are you using for your plasma? Was that a drag tip and have you ever had issues with warping?
 
In that video I had it plugged right into a wall outlet 120v. I don’t know the air pressure becaus the plasma regulates that. I have the hypertherm 30xp and it’s an amazing machine. When it’s plugged into 220 and turned up to 30amps it cuts that thin 15n20 about as fast as you can move it. I normaly just leave it plugged into 120 becaus the 240v is taken up with the compressor in the plasma/welding area. But when I need to cut thick stuff I switch over to 240. The thickest I have cut with it is 3/4-7/8. 1/2” is a piece of cake and leaves a really good cut.
 
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