Jewelers Saw Blades ?

Humm.......heck if I know :) Started working for Oliver today.......cutting out knifeblanks at lunch will be good!!!
 
Everyone has their favorite sizeI suppose based on their experience. It all depends on the material and thickness, etc. I find a #0 blade good for most things. #000 too small; #3 0r #5 too big. #0 through #1 or #2 is a good range. My Old Man used to say that a small jeweler's saw blade was easier to use since you weren't having to cut such a thick kerf.
 
Rule of thumb for jewelry saw blades is to pick a blade with 2-3 teeth in contact with the metal. That being said, #0 is a good place to start, and since their not expensive, you could pick up #2's and #0/2's just to compare.
 
If you're cutting 1/8" or heavier stock, and most of what I cut with a jeweler's saw is at least that, use the coarsest blade, #8. The only thing I use finer blades for is cutting mosaic pins.

I've also found that like belts, buying expensive blades is cheaper in the long run. The old tool-buying rule of thumb to get the model that's one down from the top of the line seems to work for me on jeweler's saw blades. I can't remember the trade name for them but I buy the next-to-best (as in next most expensive) blades from Rio Grande. Since I've been doing that I've broken far fewer blades and they stay sharp much longer than the cheapies I used to buy. Be sure to use some kind of blade lube like beeswax.

It's worthwhile to buy blades in large quantity, I usually buy 144 at a time. That lasts almost forever now that I'm using better blades.
 
Sorry D's right, I was thinking about gold and silver, not bladesteel. Go with the larger blades. 2/0's are good for 1mm thick metals.
 
Thanks guys. I have some #4 blades that I ordered with the saw frame on the way. Will order some #8's.
 
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