cross-cut saw

[dmarks]

A question for you all.  I stumbled upon a broken cross-cut saw that other than some superficial rust (maybe a little pitting), seems to be in pretty good shape.  I am assuming that the steel used in these saws is pretty high quality (high carbon) and might make some good knives.  Thoughts?  I have never made a knife myself, should I give it a whirl with the crude menagerie of tools I have at home?

Sounds a little naive, I know, but would love some thoughts and advice from those that have more experience with this than I.

Thanks,

Derek

[tomsm44]

I'd say give it a whirl, but be warned, it is very addictive.  I would think that a crosscut saw would make a very good knife, but I've never used it before.  Some of the other guys on here have a lot more experience with different types of metals and will probably be more than willing to help with annealing and heat treating advice.  As far as tools, I have made quite a few knives using a 6" bench grinder, a drill press, a band saw, and a small belt sander, along with a small assortment of hand tools(hammer, pliers, files, etc.).  Every thing that I use these tools for can also be done with everyday hand tools.  I've seen some incredible looking knives that other guys have done with nothing but a couple of files to shape the blade, a coping saw to cut out the handle, and either a rasp or sheets of sandpaper to shape/finish the handle.  Good luck, and I hope you get some helpful advice.

[skillet]

If you have a 4 1/2" grinder with cutting and grinding blades available, you can make a decent working blade. If you have a bench grinder, even better for finishing. Some files will come in handy for finishing, and a hand held torch to anneal the tang to drill some holes will come in handy. Keep that steel cool enough to touch and you will (should) not have to worry about heat treat/harden/temper on a stock removal blade.

Do some searches here for "stock removal" techniques and try your hand.

[kuch]

check out the book "step-by-step knifemaking" by david Boye, he uses crosscut saw as examples.

[KHALVERSON]

Originally posted by skillet:
If you have a 4 1/2" grinder with cutting and grinding blades available, you can make a decent working blade. If you have a bench grinder, even better for finishing. Some files will come in handy for finishing, and a hand held torch to anneal the tang to drill some holes will come in handy. Keep that steel cool enough to touch and you will (should) not have to worry about heat treat/harden/temper on a stock removal blade.

Do some searches here for "stock removal" techniques and try your hand.

do give it a try
making your own cuttlery can be a very rewarding venture
and one more thing  have a good suply of sand paper from 80 grit on up to 400

[dmarks]

Thanks for all the great encouragement and comments.  It appears I may have inadvertently broken the rules, or at least the appearance is there.  Please don't delete my post.  I do not want to sell, buy, or trade for services at this time.  Just looking for thoughts and advice.

[Todd Robbins]

The first knives I made were broken out of a crosscut saw blade with a cold chisel and shaped with a file.  I'd say that the steel is probably good, but the heat treat is not optimal for a knife, and there is no way of knowing the optimal heat treat process without knowing exactly what steel it is. New carbon steel is cheap.  I'd just buy some 1075 or 1084 and have a go of it.  You're more likely to get a superior blade with known steel heat treated correctly than with your crosscut saw, although it might lack in the nostalgia department. Keep the old saw for later, after you've gotten a few blades under your belt.You'll be able to get more out of it then, and be prouder of the end product.

[dmarks]

O.K. I am seriously considering moving forward with a project of my own.  I am trying to get a sense of what this project will entail to get a nice knife in the end...  The question I have is:  do all knives born out of "suitable" steel require some sort of heat treatment, tempering, annealing, etc...?  Or, can a guy cut, shape, grind, and finish a knife and expect that the final product will be ok?  I think I am a little overwhelmed by the potential heat treating process...  I am leaning toward a small fillet knife (or bird knife) right now.

Thanks

[KHALVERSON]

fwiw and just my .02
although your cross cut may not be tempered to make the optimal knife  it can still be made into a knife
imho edge geometry is just as important as a good heat treat and temper
even if you have a piece of steel that was pre hardened prior to you getting it was hardened and tempered to a degree determined by its original intended use
use a right angle grinder or cut off wheel to cut your desired shape  keeping it cool
acess the hardness by using a sharp file and a sharp file only  
a good sharp file will cut  rc60 but it will be tough
i believe your cross cut is probably 50-55 rc which is still tough and will not cut the steel like butter and will make an ok knife just not a great one imho
 i hope this helps a little
kevin

[jeff mccray]

Very good steel!  I made a bunch of blades froma a cross cut saw blade.  Wowza!  Use oil for the quench medium.  I made the mistake of using a prototypical "quick quench" and they shatter like glass!!!!