Long Life hacksaw blade 12"

[Guest102023]

As described. I do some of my own cutting on smaller steel samples, and I'm tired of wearing out generic blades. I don't mind spending a lot if I know it will last a long time. Any suggestions for brand names and/or material of construction?

"If you don't have time to do the job right the first time, when are you going to find time to repair it?"

 

[MikeHalloran]

You want a 'bi-metal' blade, with hard teeth and a tough back, and tighten it up real good.
Starrett and Lenox are good brands.

They will also be unsatisfactory if you use them wrong.

You MUST learn to lift the blade away from the cut on the return stroke, or use a machine that does so.

The reason is that the very tips of the teeth are very hard, and very brittle. Force applied by a proper cut tries to push against a vertical surface that is backed up a 'ramp' of material; no tensile stress is applied to the tooth.

When you lazily drag the blade back after taking a cut, you are pushing against the teeth where there is no material behind them. The teeth are then in tension, and because they're brittle, the very tips, the few microns that do the actual cutting, break off. ... and it happens the very first time you do it. Foreverafter, that blade will not cut well, and will continue to get worse.

Similarly for files.

Also, use a little cutting oil. ... and experiment with different 'oils'; some of them are borderline magical.


If you must cut dry, and/or must cut 'anything', use a grit-edge (carbide grit) blade. I'm partial to the Remgrit brand. Maybe I'll buy another blade someday, if mine gets dull. ;-)
... and they cut both ways, so you don't have to lift.




Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA

 

[Guest102023]

Mike,

Thanks for the technique tips. I know hacksaw blades are all bimetallic (or should be); I am looking for a tooth alloy and overalll quality that will last a very long time on ordinary steel. I have a saw with a heavy, rigid frame; I long ago tossed out the flimsy tubular frame one.

Part of the problem in identifying quality is the sloppy or even intentionally deceptive way terms like 'carbide' are tossed around by marketeers, so I am relying on reviews by folks like yourself. I searched 'Remgrit hacksaw blade' on Amazon and found it in descriptions by several makers, so that is a bit confusing.

"If you don't have time to do the job right the first time, when are you going to find time to repair it?"

 

[Duwe6]

"You want a 'bi-metal' blade" - only the $$ ones are bi-metallic. Buy by inverse order of price - try the most expensive one first.
and my favorite brands are Starret, Lennox, and Milwaukee.

 

[racookpe1978]

How big are your samples?
How often do you make the cuts?

 

[Guest102023]

Duwe6,

I know about non-bimetallic blades; they are usually sold in boxes of 200, come in a variety of colours, and are useful for cutting things such as butter (they originate from a country I won't name because I know they are reading this).
The bimetallics are OK for most of what I do, which is failure analysis, so the workpiece size and shape is unpredictable, but material is usually carbon or low alloy, and sometimes stainless. However I often need to cut dry to avoid contaminating the evidence. I am looking for something that will require a bit less effort on thicker or harder materials and which will last significantly longer than bimetallic.

"If you don't have time to do the job right the first time, when are you going to find time to repair it?"

 

[fegenbush]

Brimstoner,

Are you using the saw by hand or a power hack saw? Could a small band saw be beneficial?

I also recommend the grit blades. I don't think that I've used one for a hacksaw, but I have used the jigsaw and sawzall variety and they are sufficiently close to magic for me.

 

[Guest102023]

Duwe6,

I know about non-bimetallic blades; they are usually sold in boxes of 200, come in a variety of bright colours, and are useful for cutting things such as butter. They originate from a country I won't name because I know they are reading this.

The bimetallics are OK for most of what I do, which is failure analysis, so the workpiece size and shape is unpredictable, but material is usually carbon or low alloy, sometimes stainless. However I often need to cut dry to avoid contaminating the evidence. I am looking for something that might require a bit less effort on thicker or harder materials and which will last significantly longer than bimetallic.

"If you don't have time to do the job right the first time, when are you going to find time to repair it?"

 

[MikeHalloran]

I used to do impromptu failure analysis of electronics assemblies in my lab at a now long-gone workplace.

One of my favorite memories of that was sectioning a potted optical assembly, right through the glass lens on a diameter, the g10 epoxy circuit board, the housing, the potting, the circuits, everything. ... and pretty neatly I think, using a fat round fine grit blade in a hand hacksaw frame.

The cognizant sparky was amazed that it required no fancy equipment beyond a sturdy vise, a steady hand, patience, and a good saw.


Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA