What shall we do with a rusty saw blade?

T

themadarcher

Joined
May 22, 2007
Messages
22
A few years back my father and I wanted to get into knife making. This was due to us doing much more hunting than normal and being unable to find a good skinning knife. Long story short we now have an old 20" saw mill blade sitting in the garage taking up space. I have been told that it is excellent steel, this confirmed by our pathetic attempts to cut it.
Would any of you out there know a way of cutting it without de- tempering it? I've been told gas tourch or plasma cutter. We don't want to use up all that gas, and we don't have a plasma cutter.
Also, would anyone know the quality of such steel? I've been told it's good, but it's no leaf spring!
The blade is 20'' across and about 1/4'' thick.
Thanks.
 
I can't imagine how you would go about it...a gas torch would certainly require re-heat treating.

I think if I had it, I would simply go ahead and fully anneal it, cut it with a hacksaw and make it what I want, then use that gas torch to heat it back to cherry and then oil quench it as it's likely something like W2 or 01 tool steel.

No details...I'd have to look those up...someone will be along with them I am sure.
 
I'd cut it with an angle grinder. You're still going to have to re-heat treat it though.
 
I'd put an old wet towel underneath it and take my time cutting it with a metabo if it were me. Shop talk would most assuredly have some better suggestions though.:D
 
An old school method from the Foxfire series of books is to scribe a line on the saw blade then put it on an anvil or other solid surface and take a cold chisel and hammer and go back and forth over the scribed line until you break off a piece of the blade. BE SURE TO USE EYE PROTECTION!

This method works as I have used it in the past to cut old cross cut blades.
 
Knifemaker David Boye has published a book about this very subject, re: making knives from saw blades. Ah, I found my copy (at least 10yrs old). It's called Step-by-Step Knifemaking. The ISBN is 0-87857-181-7.

I think it is still available.

--Mike L.
 
ScottK,
We tried the cold chisels on it but it was making very slow progress. I put this question to another forum and its generating some intrest. That book Mike L mentioned has also been posted on there. Seems the guy cuts them out with a gas tourch.
Thanks all, Stephen
 
There usualy very good tough steel, take a great edge, but rust easily. Some are differntly tempered , depending on size & age.

Sometimes it can be done with pillar drill & handfull of small diameter HSS bits to peirce a row of holes on the chisel line to further weaken it then hold in vice or nail to stump & snap of with a sledge hammer.

Watch you body parts though.

Spiral
 
What shall we do with a rusty saw blade?
What shall we do with a rusty saw blade?
What shall we do with a rusty saw blade?
Earlye in the morning.

Sand it’s belly with rough sandpaper,
Sand it’s belly with rough sandpaper,
Sand it’s belly with rough sandpaper,
Earlye in the morning.

Cut to shape with a torch or band-saw,
Cut to shape with a torch or band-saw,
Cut to shape with a torch or band-saw,
Earlye in the morning.

Finish shaping on a grinder,
Finish shaping on a grinder,
Finish shaping on a grinder,
Earlye in the morning.

Build the bolster, guard and butplate,
Build the bolster, guard and butplate,
Build the bolster, guard and butplate,
Earlye in the morning.

Heat-treat till the edge is perfect,
Heat-treat till the edge is perfect,
Heat-treat till the edge is perfect,
Earlye in the morning.

Pin the handle on and finish,
Pin the handle on and finish,
Pin the handle on and finish,
Earlye in the morning.

Check out Boye’s “k – nife making,”
Check out Boye’s “k – nife making,”
Check out Boye’s “k – nife making,”
From the li brar air Y.

Post the results on the forum,
Post the results on the forum,
Post the results on the forum,
Earlye in the morning.
 
Lol, thats a good tune, cheers Howard. Talking on these forums may have inspired me to finally have a crack, (I've never made a knife from scratch before). Anyway, it should be fun, keep the tips rolling please I need all the help I can get!!
Cheers, Stephen
 
Sweet, i'll ask him next time I see him. I really don't think that I would be able to make a decent knife from scratch, I just see the blade now and again and wonder.....it really would make a good chopper though.....maybe i'll try the chisels again.....or get onto that plasma tourch....oh well, thanks for the help, maybe Nigel can make better use of it.
 
We crude types use a cutting wheel on a grinder and score through. If you want to keep the edge hardened, just cut the outline, using the bottom as your edge-to-be.

Inexpensive and only slightly dangerous.

Be careful, hear?
 
deffinatly, I think a grinder may be my best option or I was thinking of trying a cut off saw. The more I think of doing this, the more uncertain I am that I can make one!
 
themadarcher said:
deffinatly, I think a grinder may be my best option or I was thinking of trying a cut off saw. The more I think of doing this, the more uncertain I am that I can make one!
Click to expand...

As it says in Novadak's sig... "If can, can. If can't, can't."
What you hold in your mind depends on whether you can be successful or not. The way you're thinking right now you are already defeated so just as well not bother and ruin a good piece of steel someone else can better put to use.:(
 
Thanks very much, I was just saying that making my first knife from a gaint saw blade might not be an easy task. It looks like now, as you say, I shouldn't even bother. Thanks for saving me from such a wastefull past time.
 
Ah....He's just challenging you. He's one of Our Cheer-leaders. You should see his pom-poms.:rolleyes:

It is your material, your interest, and your learning curve.

Wear protective equipment and mess around. At worst, it won't work out well; at best it will provide you with a serviceable tool, and probably...somewhere in the middle...you will learn and the next time, you'll make new mistakes, instead of the first ones you made. :D

Knives were made from rocks. You may be able to improve on that.

Giveitashot.



Kis
enjoy every sandwich
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top