Most of us are passionate about our tools. Still, we don’t think about what we could do with these useful old saw blades after replacing them. There are many things you could do and craft with old saw blades. Here is a list of 21 things that can be done with the old saw blades as follows:
| Old Saw Blade Craft Ideas | Category |
|---|---|
| Double-Sided Medieval Battle Axe | Tactical Equipment |
| Gut Hook Skinning Knife | Hunting Gear |
| Small Custom Knife | Custom Knives |
| Tactical Tomahawk | Tactical Equipment |
| Throwing Knife | Tactical Equipment |
| Business Logo | Custom Design |
| Kitchen Knife | Kitchen Utensils |
| Meat Cleaver | Kitchen Utensils |
| Push Dagger | Tactical Equipment |
| Carving Knife | Kitchen Utensils |
| Survival Knife | Survival Gear |
| Survival Axe | Survival Gear |
| Arrowhead | Archery Accessories |
| Razor Knife | Utility Knife |
| Draw Knife | Carpentry Tools |
| Fillet Knife | Kitchen Utensils |
| Steak Knife | Kitchen Utensils |
| Chef Knife | Kitchen Utensils |
| Wall Clock | Home Decor |
| Lock Pick | Locksmith Tools |
| Sword | Historical Replicas |
Is it Possible to Harden a Saw Blade?
Yes, after some research, I discovered that it is possible to harden a saw blade. A lot of information that I found was mixed up; some people said that you could not make knives from the new saw blades; it had to be an old saw blade. Some people also said that only the tips are from hardened steel. Some other people said that the blade’s body was just a soft metal that was not good for knives. Other people said that it does not depend on the blade’s quality; a high-end blade will have good steel a low-end blade will have only soft steel, not good quality. In any case, it’s usually mystery steel; you don’t know what kind of steel it is and the carbon content.
How to Clean a Saw Blade
There are all sorts of chemical options for cleaning tar and deposits from saw blades and router bits. But here’s a suggestion I found after quick research that you may not have tried before is affordable, non-toxic, and close to your kitchen cabinets. Use baking soda, and here’s how to use it at home as follows:
- Just place the saw blade into a pan and pour boiling water over enough to submerge it.
- Then sprinkle baking soda on the teeth of the blade. You will see the baking soda start to oxidize and work.
- Let the blade soak until the water cools down, and the baking soda will take care of much of the debris on its own. But whatever doesn’t come off will be soft and easy to clean with a sponge or paper towel.
- Then rinse the sheet to get rid of all the soda residue, dry it, and cover it with an anti-oxidant spray, and you’re ready to go back to work.
Now, if your saw blade has some rusting, I also found that using an oven degreaser works best to remove rust from the saw blade. If you decide to use an oven degreaser, you’ll need to protect your hands and face.
Best Bit to Drill Through Saw Blades
You might be asking yourself, can you drill a saw blade? The answer is yes; you can drill through a saw blade. After researching the best drill bits against a hardened saw blade, I found fascinating results that will interest you if you plan to drill through a saw blade without problems. The test results include the RPM and four types of bits used to drill through a saw blade. These are the results as follows:
- High-Speed Steel Bit at 3000 RPM: Did not pass the test.
- Masonry Bit at 3000 RPM: Did drill through the saw blade but with some difficulty.
- Cobalt Bit at 300 RPM: This bit only worked with some problems at 300 RPM. This bit will not work if used above 300 RPM.
- Solid Carbide Bit [Size 22]: This was the best of all tested drill bits. This drill bit was able to drill through the saw blade without problems.
When to Replace a Saw Blade?
If you have a dull blade, it needs to be replaced; you’re not going to cut efficiently. Knowing when to replace a saw blade is vital and essential for the project you’re working on. You’re not going to cut as fast, and that’s one of the things you can say if you’re pushing the wood into the blade and its binding. It’s not going as smoothly as before, then it is dull, and again as I mentioned earlier, you need to replace it. The blade should easily pass through the wood you are cutting.
How to Tell if a Saw Blade is Dull?
One of the simple ways to know if your blade is dull is to look at it if you see chips in it, if the blade itself is a little rounded, or doesn’t have a sharp edge. The saw blade might still cut, but it won’t cut as effectively as it should.
How to Choose a Saw Blade
I often see that new carpenters get very confused with the blades they should use on their table saw. I can say that you always buy a top-quality blade; no matter what the saw is, it is the quality of the blade that counts. After researching, I found four types of blades that will make it very simple and easy for you to choose your next saw blade. These are the types and uses of the saw blades as follows: Ripping, cross-cut, composite, and combination/General-Purpose.
What is a Ripping Saw Blade?
The ripping saw blade is used in natural woods to cut with the grain, which means long cuts, and a ripping blade typically has 24 or 30 teeth, and the teeth are usually a little bit bigger. There are significant gaps between the blade’s teeth, and there has to be because while the blade is rotating, it needs to move a fiber out of the board, so you look for a cutting blade with only 24 teeth.
What is a Crosscut Saw Blade?
Crosscut blades often have 60 to 90 teeth, many teeth in a cross-cut blade, compared to, for example, a ripping blade. And that is how you identify a crosscut saw blade. You have all these little teeth because you are now cutting across the grain, you are not pulling out fibers, but you are cutting through. So you are really just making sawdust, but you want to make an excellent clean-cut, so you need a lot of teeth to do it.
What is a Composite Saw Blade?
This blade is called a composite or multipurpose blade. Usually, a standard size comes with 60 teeth. This blade is for cutting MDF materials; this is for all human-made materials, including MDF plywood materials. You might select a blade like this because with things like plywood, for example, in the top layer, you have the wood running in one direction. The second layer goes through; it goes from one side to the other, so with a blade like this, you are doing a combination of cross-cutting and tearing.
What is a Combination/General Purpose Saw Blade?
The next blade is something called a combination; some call it a general-purpose blade, and these blades are suitable for ripping and cross-cut. They are not as good as a cross-cut blade, and they are not as good as a ripping blade. But for people who do not want to change blades or maybe can only afford a low-quality blade, this might be something you want to look at. Usually, a combination blade has 50 teeth, which would be unusual for a ripping blade. Still, it does an excellent job of cutting and does an excellent job of cross-cutting.
The advantage of a blade like this is that you can put it on your table saw, and you don’t have to change from a ripping blade to a combination blade; it does it all. It’s not as good as a dedicated blade, but it still does a good job. This blade would also do an excellent job on plywood and MDF materials.
Difference Between Full Kerf and Thin Kerf Saw Blade
You may wonder what does full or thin kerf means. Saw blades are categorized into two categories full kerf and thin kerf. A full kerf blade is typically a little over 3 millimeters in imperial that’s about an eighth of an inch. Now, a thin kerf blade is typically 3/32 or about 2 1/2 millimeters. The difference between these blades is that there is much more carbide in a full kerf blade than a thin kerf blade. And what that means is that the full kerf blade will stay sharper longer.
Still, it’s also more challenging for the saw, harder for the motor, and harder for the carpenter, because it’s getting much more material out. The thin kerf blade is a little lighter; it is easier for the motor and a little easier to push the wood through the saw, but the blades do not stay sharp as long. So that’s the difference between full kerf and thin-kerf blades. Now, when you go to the hardware store, you will have a much clearer idea of selecting the type of blades you want.
