Primitive Archer

Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: Prarie Bowyer on March 09, 2012, 04:43:14 pm

Title: cutting skill saw blades
Post by: Prarie Bowyer on March 09, 2012, 04:43:14 pm
Hey guys I'm going to try and make a scrape shave.  I have an old skillsaw blade that came with the saw.  I accidentaly hit concreet with it so it's blown. 

Can it be scored and snapped like a scraping card can?

I like the idea of using a thicker stock.  it wont heat up as fast and the edge will last longer.
Title: Re: cutting skill saw blades
Post by: bubby on March 09, 2012, 04:56:09 pm
i useually cut mine with a dremel or a cutting blade on a 4" grinder, with the dremel it just wont get hot, Bub
Title: Re: cutting skill saw blades
Post by: paulsemp on March 09, 2012, 05:06:14 pm
It depends on the carbon% in the steel. I am a metal worker by trade and we will score and snap sometimes. Put it in a vise right at your cut line ( with your good piece in the vise) and hit it with a hammer back and forth. It will break.
Title: Re: cutting skill saw blades
Post by: Pat B on March 09, 2012, 05:21:04 pm
I've cut out trade points from circular saw blades using a cold chisel, anvil and hammer. Once scored you can grab it with vice grips and snap it off. If it is too tough to do like that clamp it in your vise along the scored lines and hit it with the hammer.
Title: Re: cutting skill saw blades
Post by: Sempertiger on March 09, 2012, 05:42:00 pm
I'm a hobby blacksmith... Don't get it too hot, or you can make useless steel out of something that would work great as an edge... (make low carbon steel out of high carbon steel and de temper it.)

I would use either Paul or Pat's ideas and find a way to cut it cold. It'll take longer, but you'll end up with a stronger piece of steel that holds an edge.
Title: Re: cutting skill saw blades
Post by: jonathan creason on March 09, 2012, 05:52:19 pm
If you have the ability to heat treat it (provided it's a steel that can be heat treated) then it will be much easier to cut if you anneal it first.  Basically, you bring it up to critical temp, and then slowly cool.  It's pretty easy to do in a campfire, and makes the steel much softer.  After you get done cutting you just heat treat to make it hard again.
Title: Re: cutting skill saw blades
Post by: osage outlaw on March 09, 2012, 11:14:49 pm
I just cut up a pretty big bandsaw blade by scoring it with a chisel.  After that, I put it in a vice and with a small amount of pressure, it would snap right off.
Title: Re: cutting skill saw blades
Post by: steelslinger on March 09, 2012, 11:54:22 pm
A very thin cut off disc on a grinder will do well.  The  key is to not force the cut use light pressure and it will  not over heat.
Title: Re: cutting skill saw blades
Post by: Prarie Bowyer on March 10, 2012, 01:13:59 am
It depends on the carbon% in the steel. I am a metal worker by trade and we will score and snap sometimes. Put it in a vise right at your cut line ( with your good piece in the vise) and hit it with a hammer back and forth. It will break.

Should I score both sides?
Title: Re: cutting skill saw blades
Post by: Prarie Bowyer on March 10, 2012, 01:19:41 am
If you have the ability to heat treat it (provided it's a steel that can be heat treated) then it will be much easier to cut if you anneal it first.  Basically, you bring it up to critical temp, and then slowly cool.  It's pretty easy to do in a campfire, and makes the steel much softer.  After you get done cutting you just heat treat to make it hard again.

I'm a retired hobby blacksmith, specialty in plate and sheet work.  But I don't have my tools anymore.  My abilities in heat treating are Get it hot and plunge in water or oil.

I did see a formula for making regular steel do amazing things.  I was at a blacksmiths convention.  A guy demonstrted a quenching solution, that I wrote down, then lost.  He used regulat hot rolled steel in 1/2" square to forge a concrete chissel.  Quenched it then took a new one and split it cold with his edge to edge and his was still in good shape.  Whould LOVE to have that formula again.  It involved a soap from an MLM company.

I definately want to cut it cold i think.  I tried scoring it with a file and it seemed to work so I don't think it's that hard.  Don't have an anvil now.
Title: Re: cutting skill saw blades
Post by: steelslinger on March 10, 2012, 01:28:41 am
prarie was that convention in Seattle? If so I can get you the recipe for the solution you are talking about I believe he called it super quench.
Title: Re: cutting skill saw blades
Post by: Prarie Bowyer on March 10, 2012, 01:50:10 am
It was in Oklahoma somewhere.  Gosh I was like 21 ?  ?  I know I had hair...... so....that's like ......almost 20 years ago.... CRAP time flies.

I'd love that quench.

Thanks,
Scott
Title: Re: cutting skill saw blades
Post by: steelslinger on March 10, 2012, 03:52:39 pm
prarie this is the solution it is a pound of salt(saturated solution) and 8 ounces of dawn dish soap in a gallon of water. Hope this will help.
Title: Re: cutting skill saw blades
Post by: Prarie Bowyer on March 10, 2012, 08:03:55 pm
Thanks!

Where did you get that?  I wondered at the time why it couldn't be done with any regular dish soap.
Title: Re: cutting skill saw blades
Post by: steelslinger on March 10, 2012, 09:05:33 pm
I got it from the guy who taught me how to make knives. he used to be a NASA scientist who turned to blacksmithing. he is a pretty sharp dude.
Title: Re: cutting skill saw blades
Post by: Prarie Bowyer on March 11, 2012, 01:06:14 am
have yo used it yet? 

The one I saw was AMAZING.  If I hadn't seen it with my own eyeballs I'd say it was BS.  Hot rolled steel cold cutting a masonry chissel right out of the package.

Wonder if I heat and quench this skill saw blade in it if I'll never have to hone the scraper blades again?
Title: Re: cutting skill saw blades
Post by: country on March 11, 2012, 02:13:03 pm
SS..   Are you heating the metal (knife blanks) to non-magnetic state.... quenching it in your brine solution and  then tempering....???   Just curious... would like to try it   ::)