How to Cut a Saw Plate

[Richard Line]

I have a Disston saw, whose saw plate was damaged during shipping. I like this saw, but it won't cut straight as the blade bends/buckles during a cut. In the photo, you can see a short tear of the plate, just beyond the handle. I've flatten the tear, but of course the blade still wants to buckle at that point.

My plan is to cut off the portion of the blade from just beyond the tear, to the end of the blade. The shape is easy enough, a straight segment through the handle, then a large radius down to the tooth line. This will shorten the tooth line by just over 2"; its a 26" cross-cut, 8 ppi. Taking it down to 24" shouldn't be a problem, given my short arms.

What is the best way to make the cut. I have a hack saw and could clamp the blade between a couple pieces of 1/4" ply or hardboard. I also have a Dremel tool, with various bits and cut-off discs. And of course there are a jig saw, reciprocating saw, and circluar saw :eek:. Or should I score the blade along the cut line and try to snap it off.

After cutting, by whatever means, I anticipate needing to smooth the cut line with a file or grinding stone.

Thanks for your opinions and advice.

[Paul Saffold]

I have used a Dremel with the fiber reinforced disk to cut saw blades. I have also used an angle grinder. The Dremel is slow but easier to keep to a straight line. I smoothed with files after.

[Joe Bailey]

Go here: http://www.wkfinetools.com/contrib/bSmalser/art/nlOldSaw/nlOldSaw1.asp
to see the esteemed Mr Smalser's technique.

[Ron Bontz]

A manual stomp shear would do the trick in short order. Cut the main angle, use the cut off to mark off the pattern for the reshaping. Stomp off the excess o he heel area and then round off the heel area you just chopped off. About 5 min. in all.
Do you know anyone close by with a 16 gauge metal shear? Or even a Beverly shear? Best wishes, Ron

[harry strasil]

Most welding or machine shops will have a plasma cutter, that is what I use to make webs for my bow and frame saws. And if you make a pattern of the end from 1/8 to 3/16 plywood or paneling, no grinding or filing, just some light tapping with a small hammer to pop of the swarf left behind.

[lowell holmes]

I have cut off a sawplate on the toe end by scribing a line across the plate with a triangular file (saw file). I then put it in a vise and broke it across the scribe.

I dressed the resulting edge on a bench grinder.

[Chris Vandiver]

I've used just a hacksaw with a carbide inpregnated wire blade. Pretty easy and fast with no special tooling required.

[george wilson]

The simplest way to cut a saw(which I used to do before I had access to a shear) is to place the saw blade in a machinist's vise. Have the part you want to cut off,in this case,sticking up above the vise. The top edge of the jaws should be right on the line you want to cut. Take a sharp cold chisel. Angle it down on the top of the vise jaw so the cutting edge is right down on the top surface of the jaw. Angle the chisel sideways so you can hammer the cutting edge into the saw blade,but the other side of the chisel stays out of the saw blade. You can crack the saw blade with the chisel,and keep moving it across the vise jaw to cleanly shear the blade off. The portion of the saw blade left below the jaws will not get distorted,though the part above the jaw,which is the portion you are wasting,will get distorted and curl some. Move the whole blade sideways till you've cut the saw completely. If the saw is too wide top cut all the way across the jaw,then you can resort to the Dremel cutoff wheel. I used to make scraper blades out of old saws this way.

[Richard Line]

Thanks for the good suggestions. Now I need to sort through them, coupled with my skill set and available tools. George's recommendation seems like the easiest, but I'm not sure I can get my old, chrome plated cold chisels sharp enough. That may leave me going either the Dremel cut-off disk or the hack saw with the carbide wire blade or scribing a line with a saw file.

Anyway, thanks again for the help. I'll report back on this saw preservation effort.

[george wilson]

Just grind them on a bench grinder. That is sharp enough. Cold chisels are not sharpened real sharp. They would not stay sharp used on steel anyway.

[Richard Line]

Cutting the saw plate has been done. A couple of 'Oh, can't do that' along the way. I wanted to go with George's suggestion, but when I checked my metal working vise, I realized it way too small, would only have been able to cut about 1/3 from each side. Anyway I use the Dremel and a cutoff disk, then a bit of filing to smooth it out. Using the cut-off as a template for locating the holes worked very nicely. Of course the next problem was drilling the holes. That saw plate is hard. I used up a number of bits and still couldn't drill the holes full size (13/64's). Ended up using another Dremel tool, a carbide rotary file. With a little bit of careful initial use of the Dremel, I was able to open the holes to size. The handle went back on as easy (or easier) than originally. And most importantly the saw cuts much straighter. The tooth line ended up 23 3/4 in., down from 26 in.

The picture shows it after the surgery with the cut-off laying beside it.

Thanks for the help.

[Pat Barry]

Very nice job but you didn't duplicate the original curve on the back end:D. Not that big a deal anyway. Glad its worked out for you and its nice to learn this can be done. I originally thought this would be headed for the dump.

[Richard Line]

Pat, your right. I wanted to keep as much length along the tooth line, so I made the curve more gentle. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. :D

[george wilson]

We drilled our saw plates which were harder than old saws,being 1095 steel,with carbide masonry bits,running at 2000 rpm.

I didn't mention it,but if you are VERY careful to just crack the saw plate before advancing the chisel to the next spot,you can stand the whole saw plate above the vise,and proceed. Just move the saw along as needed,leaving the wasted portion below the vise chops. I'm hesitant to mention things sometimes,as I don't know the skill level of those I'm advising,and didn't want to risk them warping their saw blade.

[Richard Line]

George, I'm glad you didn't mention that approach. I think I would have run into trouble. I thought about using a carbide masonry bit, but I wasn't too sure it would do the job; now I know.