sawzall or reciprocating saw blades in kit?

C

CShepherd

Joined
Feb 27, 2006
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Hello all,

Did a search but didn't come up with much.

Does anyone carry a sawzall (reciprocating saw) blade as part of their survival kit? Looks like it might be a decent option, especially one of the slightly shorter ones.

If so, do you have pics of how you attach it to something, or a handle that you use it with.

Just a thought that I had that might work.

Charles
 
Hi Charles,

In my experience sawzall or reciprocating saw blades are very flimsy. On a working saw (admittedly it's moving very fast) the blades snap in no time.
 
Also, they're not designed for a human to grasp comfortably--it'd be like trying to use a hacksaw without a handle. You'd wear your skin out before you'd cut through anything.

You would need to improvise or construct a handle for it--in which case, you're better off packing a handsaw.
 
I've seen some of the shorter ones, 6" or so, that seemed relatively stiff, but those could have been for metal or something that would make them not work well on wood.

Charles
 
Watchful said:
Also, they're not designed for a human to grasp comfortably--it'd be like trying to use a hacksaw without a handle. You'd wear your skin out before you'd cut through anything.

You would need to improvise or construct a handle for it--in which case, you're better off packing a handsaw.
Click to expand...

I guess that was what I was wondering, if anyone had a way to carry just the blade, then easily fashion a handle in the wild, or a small handle that you could attach one too that would make it smaller than a paksaw.

I have a great Gerber packsaw but it's a built bulky to carry all the time for emergencies. Works great though.

Thanks,

Charles
 
Lots of folks keep a small piece of hacksaw blade for getting sparks from a ferro-rod. I would guess a sawzall blade would work for that too.
 
CShepherd said:
Hello all,

Did a search but didn't come up with much.

Does anyone carry a sawzall (reciprocating saw) blade as part of their survival kit? Looks like it might be a decent option, especially one of the slightly shorter ones.

If so, do you have pics of how you attach it to something, or a handle that you use it with.

Just a thought that I had that might work.

Charles
Click to expand...

15-333_mid_res.jpg


Stanley 15-333 - 8" Folding Pocket Saw

Accepts both Recip blades and sabre saw blades. You can usually find them at ACE hardware stores. Haven't seen them at Home Depot, although HD carries a similar IRWIN brand saw that is built stronger but 2x times the cost of the stanley.

IIRC the Stanley is about $9 and the IRWIN is Around $20.

Sean
 
Hafting a blade - saw, knife, stone, glass - is not difficult in the wild. Genuine Sawzall blades do not "snap" on a whim. Sawzall is a brand made by Milwaukee. I use one in my work and the blades are quite durable. El cheepo immitation blades are not tempered or made of good steel (or even steel laminates) like the namebrand ones.

TPI matters in what you intend to cut. Teeth per inch. Also pitches (angles) for the teeth change according to the material you intend to cut. Saw (or baton if that is your gig) a split in a handle stick and insert the blade, then wrap with cordage. You can further tighten and set the blade with pine pitch (added as you insert the blade), or wooden wedges driven into the split on each side of the blade after wrapping. Yeah, it is doable.

Codger
 
Codger_64 said:
Hafting a blade - saw, knife, stone, glass - is not difficult in the wild. Genuine Sawzall blades do not "snap" on a whim. Sawzall is a brand made by Milwaukee. I use one in my work and the blades are quite durable. El cheepo immitation blades are not tempered or made of good steel (or even steel laminates) like the namebrand ones.

TPI matters in what you intend to cut. Teeth per inch. Also pitches (angles) for the teeth change according to the material you intend to cut. Saw (or baton if that is your gig) a split in a handle stick and insert the blade, then wrap with cordage. You can further tighten and set the blade with pine pitch (added as you insert the blade), or wooden wedges driven into the split on each side of the blade after wrapping. Yeah, it is doable.

Codger
Click to expand...

Think I'm going to have to get one of the 6" for wook and give it a try. Really sounds like it would be a good alternative for a survival kit.

Thanks so much to all who replied. I really like the quick and varied responses here.

If it works I'll post a thread on my results.

Charles
 
I've wondered about using the reciprocating saw blades too. I've seen the Stanley handles and I think they would work okay, but they're a little heavy for packing. A Gerber Sportsman's saw (the kind where the blade slides in and out) only weighs about 3-1/2oz and they cut pretty good. They are compact enough that they will slip into a corner of your pack. I'm currently looking at the Geber Exchange-a-Blade folding saws to see how they compare in weight, construction, and durability.

My other question about the reciprocating saw blades is how they work as a hand tool. Most of the folding saw blades and the SAK saws, you can see that they have double rows of razor sharp teeth. I've seen saber saw blades with similar teeth, but not the large saws-all style blades. I don't think you'll get the good cutting that the hand saws provide. I imagine that it's a wash cost wise after buying the Stanley handle and a decent blade to suit.
 
CShepherd said:
Hello all,

Did a search but didn't come up with much.

Does anyone carry a sawzall (reciprocating saw) blade as part of their survival kit? Looks like it might be a decent option, especially one of the slightly shorter ones.

If so, do you have pics of how you attach it to something, or a handle that you use it with.

Just a thought that I had that might work.

Charles
Click to expand...

When I got my sawzall (Milwaukee) it came with a cool handle that had the twist lock built in. The blades are plenty stout enough. Now if you can make other stuff (like a knife blade) to be able to interchange with the saw blades for the handle you might come up with a cool setup.
 
Look for "key hole saw" They make many various handles for recip saw blades. Often used for cutting small holes in drywall, usually for electrical boxes or pipes and what not. I'm a general contractor and have a few. They make literally hundreds of variations of the blades. Hardened teeth, pruning, diamond reinforced tile cutting, heavy duty rescue/fire blades. The blades even get quite expensive for the higher end ones. Perfect for a survival kit.

http://www.mysimon.com/Tools-and-Hardware/9015-11020_8-37317200.html

http://www.coastaltool.com/cgi-bin/SoftCart.exe/a/lenox/hacksaws.htm?E+coastest
 
Stanley makes both a lightweight handle and a complete folding saw that holds sawzall blades and hacksaw blades. The folding saw holds extra blades in a compartment in the handle. You can get some aggressive sawzall blades that match anything found in a 'camping saw' and you can carry a wide variety of blades, such as tree limbing and metal cutting blades.
 
Lawlor69 said:
Hi Charles,

In my experience sawzall or reciprocating saw blades are very flimsy. On a working saw (admittedly it's moving very fast) the blades snap in no time.
Click to expand...

I've used quite a few sawzall blades 'till they were too dull to be worth using, and I can't recall ever breaking one, even with some very abusive use. Sounds like you need to make sure you're getting name brand quality stuff.

I don't think it would be a bad idea to throw a sawzall blade into a PSK. I'd do some experimentation and figure out a way to fashion a handle, and practice doing so, so that you won't be going through the trial and error of setting it up when you're in an actual survival situation.
 
Gerber makes a light, fast cutting saw...has an orange knob that loosens to extend the blade. Boy does it cut fast!!!! Bought one at Target on clearance.
 
If you get the demolition blades they'll cut steel, wood, and to a certain extent, concrete. I've used them on all. They are thicker than usual blades, and will not bend. I've had my saw come out of the cut and the blade hit point on, on the next stroke. That will bend a usual blade, but not a demolition blade. It just shoved the saw back into me. These blades have variable teeth per inch, to saw the different materials. Several people make them. They are bimetal, with a hard metal for the teeth, and a strong one for the backbone. A little expensive, but you'll only buy one or two.
 
Damienr6 said:
Look for "key hole saw" They make many various handles for recip saw blades. Often used for cutting small holes in drywall, usually for electrical boxes or pipes and what not. I'm a general contractor and have a few. They make literally hundreds of variations of the blades. Hardened teeth, pruning, diamond reinforced tile cutting, heavy duty rescue/fire blades. The blades even get quite expensive for the higher end ones. Perfect for a survival kit.

http://www.mysimon.com/Tools-and-Hardware/9015-11020_8-37317200.html

http://www.coastaltool.com/cgi-bin/SoftCart.exe/a/lenox/hacksaws.htm?E+coastest
Click to expand...


That Milwaukee handle looks good.

Maybe some of our knife makers can tell me if one of those saw blades would be worthwile for grinding to a knife edge. My thought was if I was hauling a saw blade, I might as well have a general cutting tool.
 
I also ground a knife blade out of one of the demolition blades. I just ground it slowly with water so as to not alter the original hardening and temper. I think it's too soft for a good knife, (sort of like a commercial paring knife) but it sure does get sharp! Difficult to grind on a wheel grinder (all I had) because the metal is so thin, and heats up fast. You need a delicate touch. If you maintain the original hardening there is a problem with boring holes for the handle. You could cord-wrap it.
 
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