cutting hard steel

I have a Japanese saw blade that I would like to cut down in size to make a small custom cutter. I'm sort of ignorant when it comes to steel types but I'm guessing it's hardened steel like a drill bit. I tried drilling through it and the bit just danced. Is there a way of doing this or do I need take it to a metal shop? TIA, jack

Reply to
jack
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If your sawblade is from one of those Japanese woodworking hand saws, they're generally made from plain, high-carbon steel that's heat-treated to a quite hard condition.

What's the size and shape of your cutter? Maybe we can help you do it without complications, but the method is slow. If you have to anneal (soften) it, you're in for some heat-treating to restore the hardness after you cut it. And if you haven't done that before, you may have a problem -- unless you want to treat it as a learning experience.

Oh, let us know what you're going to do with your cutter. You may be barking up the wrong tree, or the wrong saw, for the cutter you want to make.

Ed Huntress

Reply to
Ed Huntress

The cheap and easy way is with an abrasive cut-off blade/wheel in an angle-grinder. Or in a Dremel, which would be slower. If you have neither, you could probably chuck a Dremel arbor in a hand drill, but that would be slower yet. The cut would be pretty smooth, but you'd likely want to smooth it further on a grinder. No annealing required. Go slow and carefully, especially if using a Dremel - the blades are easily broken.

Bob

Reply to
Bob Engelhardt

I'm looking to make a cutting blade about the size of a veneer saw--approximately 3" along the length of the teeth by 2" wide. The saw itself is I believe called a shark saw and you're right, it's one of those Japanese woodworking saws with a plastic handle that cut on the backstroke. I'm a piano rebuilder and I am wanting to make a small saw with an offset handle for cutting the wood dowel supports that hold up the iron plate in the piano. The dowels are glued in vertically around the perimeter of the soundboard. Sometimes it's necessary to take a small amount off the top of the dowel. The Japanese blade works wonderfully quick with dowels out of the piano but when they're glued in and close to the soundboard, a long blade is too cumbersome and inaccurate. Also the blade thickness is around

1/64" so it's ideal for cutting off small amounts. I have a woodshop but no meltalworking tools/experience, so maybe I'm trying to climb up the wrong tree. Thanks for responding. jack

Reply to
jack

Locate a friend or shop with a small plasma cutter. You will lose only ~ 1/8 in. of the hardened area around the cut line. Bob S.

Reply to
Robert Scibienski

The first thing I'd do is to look at an X-acto craft saw and see if whacking the handle over with a hammer would give you enough offset, and if the saw would fit the job overall. Then you could just replace blades when necessary, and they're fairly cheap.

Failing that, I'd cut your blade cold, without annealing it. Several people have recommended the way to do this. For a simple rectangle, the Dremel or similar is probably the least hassle. I'll guess that it will take you 20 minutes or so if you cut slowly enough not to overheat the steel. But, if you're cutting out what amounts to the back of the saw, and if you're using the original teeth, a little blueness from overheating the back shouldn't mean a thing in terms of performance.

Good luck.

Ed Huntress

Reply to
Ed Huntress

Before you get crazy with abrasive wheels try cutting it with a pair of tin snips, sometimes this stuff shears easily despite it's hardness.

Reply to
Beecrofter

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