Frame saw blade from galvanized sheet

[Federico Mena Quintero]

I want a frame saw with a wide blade for resawing, or for heavy-duty ripping.

The blade is going to be impossible to find where I live, so I'm quite tempted to make one. I got inspired by Bob Rozaieski's tale of making saw blades by filing the teeth from scratch.

I could go and find some good steel, but I'm wondering... in the garage I have a leftover sheet of 0.9 mm thick galvanized steel which is screaming "cut me, file me". Would it be crazy to use that for a nice long blade?

If it doesn't hold an edge for long (I don't expect it to be very hard), is it possible to temper such a thing?

Feel free to tell me that I'm better off filing uncooked lasagna :)

[Bill Houghton]

Galvanized steel is a zinc (primarily) plating on mild steel. Nice for roofing, flashing, and so on. Not something you can or should try to temper, for a number of reasons. First, it won't work; second, get the zinc coating hot enough and you'll wind up with gases in the air that you don't want to breathe.

I don't know if regular handsaws show up at all at low prices there - if so, you could cut a framesaw blade from one of those. Clamp between two pieces of wood and cut with a cold chisel.

[Tony Shea]

Not to hijack your thread. But if I was making a frame saw for the same reasons and came across some old decent saws with plates that weren't straight, could the tensioning of the frame saw mechanisms be enough to keep these blades straight? Because it seems if you were using the cold chisel method above you would inevitably bend the blade you were cutting. Does this pose an issue on a frame saw?

[David Weaver]

Just find an old junk panel saw, something long with coarse rip teeth on it already. You should be able to find a 28 inch tooth line panel saw at some point for five or ten bucks. Be patient and don't worry about brand, just about all of the older saws have good steel.

You don't want to have to file teeth in that big by hand unless you have to. You'll go through a couple of files, it'll take a couple of hours and negate the savings. ...trust me.

[Tony Zaffuto]

I want a frame saw with a wide blade for resawing, or for heavy-duty ripping.

The blade is going to be impossible to find where I live, so I'm quite tempted to make one. I got inspired by Bob Rozaieski's tale of making saw blades by filing the teeth from scratch.

I could go and find some good steel, but I'm wondering... in the garage I have a leftover sheet of 0.9 mm thick galvanized steel which is screaming "cut me, file me". Would it be crazy to use that for a nice long blade?

If it doesn't hold an edge for long (I don't expect it to be very hard), is it possible to temper such a thing?

Feel free to tell me that I'm better off filing uncooked lasagna :)

PM me your address and I'll send you an old handsaw to work with. Call it a Christmas present!

[george wilson]

DO NOT use soft sheetmetal for your blade unless you are planning to only saw Jello with it!!!!

[Pedro Reyes]

Federico,

You may also consider (disclaimer - I've never done this) finding an old saw from a bandsaw, metal or wood at some local shop. Just a thought.

/p

[george wilson]

Sheet metal hasn't got much carbon in it at all. It would NEVER get hard if you tried to harden it. It HAS to have at least .50% carbon to get hard,but even at .50%,it would have poor wear resistance. Your sheet metal probably has .10% or .12% carbon.

You COULD find an old WOOD cutting bandsaw blade,and re file the teeth to a suitable form. Metal blade? NOT if it has HSS tipped teeth. If it looks blue or blackish,it would be o.k.. If silvery,no,because it's a bimetal blade you can't file.

[Federico Mena Quintero]

Thanks to all - I won't waste time with the galvanized sheet. I'll look for good steel or some used blades. Someone just told me of a marketplace for used tools in my town; maybe something will come up.

[James Taglienti]

How long of a Piece do you need? I have dozens of old hand saws you could have a couple for the price of shipping.

[Tony Shea]

Sorry to bring this topic from the dead but don't believe I saw a specific answer to my question. If making a frame saw that utilizes the tensioning system does the blade that I choose from an old handsaw need to be straight? Or will any old handsaw with the proper tpi work? It seems as though some bow in the saw plate would be ok with the tensioning system but an actual kink is no good, correct? Or should I find a perfectly straight saw plate. I've read up on how to go about straightening saw plates but believe it to be beyond my capabilities at this point.

And real quick, how do you go about cutting the blade away from the rest of the saw plate? Will a cut-off wheel in a grinder get the steel too hot to hold it's hardness?

[george wilson]

A bow in the blade would be o.k.,but not a kink.

[Rob Young]

DO NOT use soft sheetmetal for your blade unless you are planning to only saw Jello with it!!!!

If I was to saw Jello into veneer, would hide glue be the most appropriate adhesive? O_o ;-P

[Chris Fournier]

DO NOT use soft sheetmetal for your blade unless you are planning to only saw Jello with it!!!!

Yeah but not Jello with the fruit in it, that would half the useful blade life. Pineapple can be tough stuff.

[george wilson]

HO,HO,You make VELLY funny!!!!:) Of course,I shouldn't be saying HO!!