table saw blades

W

WEB2

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Oct 13, 2004
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anyone have any idea what kind of steel table saw blades are made of? thanks in advance
 
I have no idea...but don't most have carbide teeth? I would think this would mean the rest of the blade is mild steel and not suitable for knives. Just speculating which probably means :foot:

:D

Ryan
 
Few ,if any,are any good for knives.Get known steel from a reliable supplier.It will be money well spent!
Stacy
 
They are supposed to be either 15N20 or L6,the cheap ones may be something different.They are not made from mild steel,that would bend really easy when cutting wood.Yes they are heat treated all the way through to the center hole,have to be to take the stress of cutting.Not much steel in one though and not really worth a lot of effort cutting them up,but they will work in Damascus real well.Remember to get the carbide teeth off along with all the solder,if you are planing on putting it in the forge,not good for the forge atmosphere.

Bruce
 
What Bruce said, though now days who knows? I've got a decent selection of saw blades, some carbide tiped some not. Most have a wierd grain pattern when etched, so I mix them in with damascus.
 
thanks for the replies. i have made a few knives from these blades and found you can get them shaving sharp, but do not hold edge worth a spoonful of beans.
 
web2, can I assume you haven't hardened them (heat treated)? They seem to be tempered way down but can be brought back to hard.
Lynn
 
Lynn - no i did not temper them, just cut them out ground to shape and then put an edge on them. i have a large family and not much time or money to spend on the equipment needed for heat treating. i am going to try some knives from crosscut saw steel and a spring from a longspring trap.
 
Lynn - i did not heat treat them, just cut them out and ground to shape, then ground an edge on them. i have a large family and no time or expenses for proper heat treating equipment. i am going to make some knives from crosscut saw steel and from a longspring trap spring.
 
How are you cutting them out?
You dont need much to heat treat them,fire up the charcoal bar b que,blow air into it with a hair dryer through a old piece of pipe to keep the coals hot (better if you use the natural charcoal chunks instead of the briquets if you can find some at the store,other wise use the briquets) You can bring the edge of the blade up to heat in the coals,since you are using such a thin blade material.Quench it when it is non magnetic in a small can or pan of vegetable oil from the kitchen,then temper it in the kitchen oven at 350 for 2 hours,let cool to room temp and temper in the oven for another cycle...This should give you a good edge,if not try a better brand of saw blade.

The crosscut saw should work for you without heat treat,but if not use the same methoed as above to do the heat treat,this will work till you feel comfortable enough to get a forge and heat treat normally.

You need to pick up Wayne Goddards $50.00 knife shop book as he shows how to do it all with out a lot of money.If you have any hardwood trees around you then make your own charcoal to fire up a forge with,you can build a forge out of old scrap around the house and use clay mud from the back yard mixed with some wood ash to line the forge and it will work for a long time.My first forge was a old kitchen sink with a pipe dropped through the drain and I had the clay mud from my back yard mixed with the wood ash for the lining and I used that forge for about 4 years before I bought another one at a auction.

If you just dont want to do the heat treat yourself and want to make some knives to get a little money to get the steel you want and pay to have it heat treated,go to the local machine shop and see if they have any old 1 inch wide bandsaw blades for cutting steel.These can be broke into sections and shaped with a wood handle to make really kick butt kitchen knives and filet knives also small skinners.no heat treat needed and all you have to do is sharpen the edge without doing full grinds.They sell really well and will get you some knifemaking money up for supplies,Plus the ladies in the family really like them in the kitchen.

Bruce
 
Bruce - thanks for all that info that was really great, heat treating may not be a time consuming as i thought. i will give it a try. i am cutting them out with circular saw and metal cutting blade. thanks for the tip about the machine shop metal band blades. i have seen Goddards book and you are right it do need to get that book.
i am also experimenting with sawzall blades(milwaukee brand) they seem to make decent small knives with a saw on the spine.(nephews and neices love 'em and they are quick to make). these would probably work well if heat treated also. thanks for all the advice.
 
Web2,Take the sawzall blades and grind the teeth off them then shape a small blade using the toothed edge as your cutting edge,You will be suprised how much better they look and still can be quick to make.On the bandsaw blades do the same,use the toothed edge with the teeth off for the cutting edge...

Have fun playing around with this kind of stuff,you will be suprised at how much you will learn while making these knives.

just keep your main goal to be that you make each knife better than the last,and you will be making awesome knives before you know it.
If you need any help just email me.
Bruce
 
David - let trapperwez know i will not be scrapping a working trap for a knife blade. i trap a lot and do not intend to scrap a good trap!
 
Web,

You just told him yourself as that is my nickname.I've got several others too,but this is a "family centered" forum so I can't post them. Also, I have been trying very hard not to use profanity. :)
 
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