SinDoc Posted August 3, 2021 Share Posted August 3, 2021 This is probably a really stupid question whos answer is obvious but I am overlooking it, in which case I apologize. I had bought some bar stock from NJSB about 2 months ago and when I went out to start to mess with stuff released I ordered two bars of 1084 that are 2.5" wide and two bars of 15N20 that are 3". I don't own a band saw and would rather not try to use an angle grinder to split them in half width wise, so apart from taking the time to painstakingly forge them down and draw them out to make them less wide, any idea what I could do with them? I thought about trying to possibly hot cut, but doing that for the width sounded silly. Aside from a cleaver or using them for stock removal (but again, no kind of saw available to me), what in the world could I use stock this wide for? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted August 3, 2021 Share Posted August 3, 2021 Fold it over for San Mai? (Though most folks fold the softer material around the harder in my experience.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SinDoc Posted August 3, 2021 Author Share Posted August 3, 2021 I had thought about that, but I quickly dismissed it since I have yet to really come close to making a successful knife and have only tried forge welding once (without success). It may seem though that if I want to use this material at all, I just might have to bite the bullet and give it a go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted August 3, 2021 Share Posted August 3, 2021 Or put it aside until you have access to the tools needed to make it into the sizes you need. Steel seldom goes bad when properly stored! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted August 3, 2021 Share Posted August 3, 2021 How thick? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SinDoc Posted August 3, 2021 Author Share Posted August 3, 2021 That is very fair Thomas! A band saw is close to the top on my to buy list. JHCC - .125 (1/8th inch) thick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted August 3, 2021 Share Posted August 3, 2021 Good rocker top chisel would do a hot cut on that! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted August 3, 2021 Share Posted August 3, 2021 Yep, hot cut. I've split up to 3/8" (on the treadle hammer) for split-rein tongs; 1/8 would be like nothing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SinDoc Posted August 3, 2021 Author Share Posted August 3, 2021 I do have a chisel/punch set I bought awhile back that is still in the box. Guess I will give hot cutting a try! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frazer Posted August 3, 2021 Share Posted August 3, 2021 Out of curiosity, what's wrong with splitting a piece in half with an angle grinder? Or a hacksaw if that's your cup of tea. Clamp a piece of scrap steel on there and use it as a guide. An angle grinder isn't a precision cutting tool, but you can cut straight lines with it. You also don't have to split the whole bar in half at once, just whatever you need for the task at hand. A hot cut would also do just fine. And from a material conservation standpoint it's way to go. If you're like me and your straight lines occasionally wander off (even with the rocker edge), mark out a straight line and make your first pass while the bar is cold. Your chisel will stay on track much easier if you have a groove to follow. If it's your first go, split a test piece first! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SinDoc Posted August 3, 2021 Author Share Posted August 3, 2021 Not using the angle grinder was more due to me not being comfortable trying to use it to cut that way. I don't mind grinding, sanding or flap disc, but I have a strong dislike for cutting disc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted August 3, 2021 Share Posted August 3, 2021 At that thickness, you might consider scoring it with a cold chisel and then breaking it off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frazer Posted August 3, 2021 Share Posted August 3, 2021 Gotcha, no argument there. It is an angle grinder not an angle cutter after all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SinDoc Posted August 3, 2021 Author Share Posted August 3, 2021 Now that I think about it, I wonder after I anneal it if the cutter attachment I have for my drill could snip through it. 1/8 thickness might be pushing what those cutters could handle though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted August 3, 2021 Share Posted August 3, 2021 New steel comes fully annealed. A 18tpi hack saw blade will make short work of splitting that even if you have to cut from both ends to clear the saw frame. It'd take me 2, MAYBE 3 minutes if I had to follow a line precisely. I've never taken a hack saw to 15N20 so I don't know it, you MIGHT need a bimetal hacksaw blade. MAYBE. So, unless you did something silly like heat it to red and quench it it's not a challenge for a metal shop 1 student. EZ PZ, basic shop skills is all it needs. Remember to use the hack saw correctly. They only cut on the "push" stroke, apply firm, NOT HARD, down pressure on the push and let it float or lift slightly on the back stroke. If you apply pressure on the back stroke you'll roll the teeth and dull it almost instantly. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SinDoc Posted August 3, 2021 Author Share Posted August 3, 2021 I have a handful of bimetal blades for my sawzall, but it might rattle the teeth out of my head lol. I will probably use it to cut the pieces into smaller, more manageable lengths, then give hot cutting a try since I have never done it. I have overcomplicated the living daylights out of this. EDIT: Now that I think about it, I have several used/burnt up sawzall blades laying around. Wonder if I can do anything with them. Must do research. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted August 3, 2021 Share Posted August 3, 2021 Not if you do it right. What do you have against hack saws, too much like work? Trying to hot cut it will remove using a saw as possibility. Annealing is MUCH more finicky than using a hack saw. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SinDoc Posted August 3, 2021 Author Share Posted August 3, 2021 Nothing against them at all! I just don't currently have one for metal and only PVC Funny side story, whenever I wanted to help my late grandfather in the wood shop when I was younger, he would make me cut the boards to length and such with a hacksaw instead of a table saw because, and I quote "If you can't do it with the hand tool, you have no right to use a powered tool". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irondragon Forge ClayWorks Posted August 3, 2021 Share Posted August 3, 2021 If you need to cut a piece that is longer than the throat of the hacksaw, flip the blade so the frame will clear the stock. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted August 3, 2021 Share Posted August 3, 2021 Some hacksaws are designed so that you can rotate the blade 90°. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted August 3, 2021 Share Posted August 3, 2021 And then ther is mounting a section of metal cutting bandsaw blade in a bow saw generally used for wood cutting. I punch the holes a mithe closer together to get more tension and then you have the super hack saw. What I used to cut the rail this tine ran on---tedious; but not difficult! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted August 3, 2021 Share Posted August 3, 2021 All but ultra cheap'O hacksaws can rotate the blade. Speaking of adapting hacksaws. I wonder what it'd take to modify a bicycle (or two) to make a pedal bandsaw? Once we got that one developed we could start looking at Harleys. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted August 3, 2021 Share Posted August 3, 2021 Chainsaw bandsaw! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted August 3, 2021 Share Posted August 3, 2021 Hmmmmm. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anvil Posted August 4, 2021 Share Posted August 4, 2021 Like Frosty said, it comes annealed. You can score the whole length with a cold chisel, clamp it in your vise and it will easily break using scrolling wrench or vise grips or tapping it with a hammer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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