Making trade points?

[Jack Skinner]

Stringstretcher

Are you on a dremmel tool and grinder kind of budget. Thats how I make mine. I have used old table saw blades, o2 tool steel/high carbon steel from janz. I just try not to cut/grind long without dunking and cooling. The deer and antelope in WY dont seem to mind that I dont have a clue about rockwell hardness. All I go buy is can I sharpen with files if so good if not then I heat and soften till I can.

[stringstretcher]

Yes Jack, and the half priced ones at that...lol.  Could you post or send me some pictures of your points?  I sure would love to see them.

I am trying to get a good profile and weight (around the 150 grain mark) to use on all my cane/bamboo/shoot arrows. So any suggestions or offerings is greatly appreciated.

[Jack Skinner]

I will send some pictures to your e-mail address if that is OK. I am having trouble with photo bucket it does not like my windows explorer or something like that, never had trouble till today.

I make a grizzly type trade point single bevel in the 190 to 250 range, depending on steel thickness I use.

[stringstretcher]

That would be great.  Please put trade points in the subject line, so I don't delete it..lol

[Matty]

What are you guys referring to when you say an "old crosscut saw blade" if you google this for images a few different things come up.  I'm sure here in CO I can come across lots of whatever they are.  Because jack and I are gonna spend some time this winter making trade points. .....aren't we jack....?

[stringstretcher]

When I say the cross cut, you remember in the older days when you had one person on one end and another on the opposite, one would pull while one would push?  That is what I call a cross cut.  Some of the blades are 6ft long or better.

[4dogs]

Sorry, that was intended to be a PM

[Matty]

Thanks stringstretcher.  That's what I was imagining

[4dogs]

How much weight do you guys typicly lose going from your blank to finished? after bevels, sharpening and such?

[Pat B]

4dogs, it all depends on the thickness of the trade point anf the design. Charlie(stringstretcher) had some he just cut out that are 3 different thicknesses. Maybe he'll post his results.

[stringstretcher]

I have some cut out, but have not put any bevels on them yet.  Give me a few days, or until after the holidays and I will have that info.  What if found so far is, with .050 thickness steel, and the design that I have right now, yields me a 176 grain head before clean up and bevels put on them.  I am sure that .050 thickness will be the best for what I want.

Now, not knowing types and kinds of metals, any metal that will allow me to us a file to sharpen them but still hold an edge is what I would want to use.  And the older saw have more carbon in them so they would stay sharp longer.  Not like the blades of today, where only the tips are tempered or have other metals attached to them right at the tips.