do Circular saw blades with carbide tips have usable steel?

[deermaster]

Is the steel in these anygood for knife making? being the teeth are tipped makes me think the main blade steel is probably junk but i have acess to as many as i could ever use and id hate to not use them is they are indeed usuable. they are brands like dewalt and black and decker and the like. thanks so much!

 

[silver_pilate]

No. They are not useful for making a blade, thus the carbide cutting teeth.

--nathan

 

[midnight flyer]

Not suitable. They are far from being junk, but these blade bodies are special steels that are designed to hold the brazings of teeth onto them and in some cases accommodate the laser cuttings burned into them to afford better balance without deformation during cutting. Far from junk.

The body of a circular saw blade isn't made to be a cutting instrument, so there isn't a way to make a suitable knife from it.

If you are scavenging steel for knives, try the expensive brands of recip saw blades. The bi metal blades can be cold ground into some entirely usable knives after they have served their purpose on the job site.

Robert

 

[sunshadow]

Junk them and buy a bar of 1084

-Page

 

[Darrin Sanders]

Junk them and buy a bar of 1084

-Page

:thumbup:

Excellent advice.

 

[james terrio]

They're very good for making the body of a circular saw blade, and sometimes people make clocks out of them. If you have a bunch, Page and Darrin are right... scrap prices you could turn them into plenty of brand new cutlery-grade steel.

 

[fast14riot]

If you are scavenging steel for knives, try the expensive brands of recip saw blades. The bi metal blades can be cold ground into some entirely usable knives after they have served their purpose on the job site.

Robert

Hmm, this is not a recommendation that gets much respect around here, too reminescent of another long gone character around here.

Get the 1080 or 1084 steel. You're just up the road from Aldo, shipping won't kill you. If you want to try reclaimed steel, go pick up some old american made files, Nicholson, Simmonds, etc and try one of those. Much better chances of success with a file than recip blades.


-Xander

 

[midnight flyer]

Hmm, this is not a recommendation that gets much respect around here, too reminescent of another long gone character around here.

Get the 1080 or 1084 steel. You're just up the road from Aldo, shipping won't kill you. If you want to try reclaimed steel, go pick up some old american made files, Nicholson, Simmonds, etc and try one of those. Much better chances of success with a file than recip blades.


-Xander

You guys are the pros, and I have no doubt that there are better steels for knife making than recip blades. However, since I use them off and on doing demo as a contractor, I can't help notice that they cut nails very well. Big nails, even with large tooth blades that also cut wood. They aren't brittle and even when you bend them, they won't break. So hard enough to cut soft steel, tough enough to bend and not break.

Also, I have seen leather workers and cabinet makers grind the old blades into usable cutting instruments. They grind them cold on a small belt sander, dipping in water frequently. Me, I am too lazy. I toss them when I am done and get another out of the tool box. But if OP is scrounging metal to practice on or because he doesn't have an scratch to spare, he could make a few small handy fixed blades with some of the castoffs.

Robert

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

If you want a very thin knife that bends easily and has teeth for an edge, a bi-metal recip saw blade would work.
If you want to grind the teeth off and have a very thin knife that has no hard steel for the edge, and will bend, then use recip saw blades.
If you want a hard knife that will resist bending, get a 1/8" thick bar of 1084, or another knife steel, and make a proper knife.

A bi-metal blade has a piece of resilient, but not hard, steel as the body, and a small amount of hard steel for the teeth. It will not make a knife.
Same goes for carbide tipped circular blades.

Some folks have made knives out of M4 power hacksaw blades ( the big thick ones ) and were happy, but such blades tend to break easily.

The honest truth is that few objects that are re-cycled will make a knife as good as one made from a known and proper blade steel. In the third world, and places where all materials are scrounged or re-purposed, I understand using such things, but for people making knives as a hobby, much less to sell, it amazes me how they will spend anywhere from $100 to $10,000 on supplies and equipment, and balk at spending $20 for the steel to make four good knives.

Before anyone replies with, " My granddaddy made lots of knives from old saw blades." or "Ray Richards makes great knives from farm implements.", or " I make and sell knives from old farm stuff and no one complains." I never said it won't make a knife if the steel is the right type. I am just pointing out that there is a lot of found metal that is not knife steel, and that known knife steel is inexpensive. Also, those folks know what steel is what, and have experience in working it. They are not untrained beginners with no knowledge of basic metallurgy and knifemaking.