cutting skill saw blades

[Prarie Bowyer]

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.

[bubby]

i useually cut mine with a dremel or a cutting blade on a 4" grinder, with the dremel it just wont get hot, Bub

[paulsemp]

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.

[Pat B]

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.

[Sempertiger]

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.

[jonathan creason]

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.

[osage outlaw]

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.

[steelslinger]

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.

[Prarie Bowyer]

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?

[Prarie Bowyer]

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.

[steelslinger]

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.

[Prarie Bowyer]

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

[steelslinger]

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.

[Prarie Bowyer]

Thanks!

Where did you get that?  I wondered at the time why it couldn't be done with any regular dish soap.

[steelslinger]

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.