How to Make a Knife From a Saw Blade
Give an old saw blade new life as a knife. There are many possible knife profiles that can be cut from old saw blades. The key is to choose a blade shape that will make the best use of the available metal, with the least waste. Turning old saw blades into knives keeps them out of landfills and saves the energy needed to mine and smelt ore to make new steel. It also prevents any additional environmental damage caused by mining and processing fresh ore into new steel.
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Things You'll Need
- Wrap-around eye protection
- Ear protection
- Heavy leather work gloves
- Right-angle grinder with abrasive cutting wheel
- 24-grit grinding rock
- 80-grit flapper wheel
- Fine wire wheel
- Saw blade that does not have welded-edge teeth or carbide insert teeth
- Black marker
- 2 pieces of 3-by-1-by-1/8-inch wood
- Electrical tape
- Contact cement
- Leather thong or narrow leather strips, or other suitable handle wrapping material
- Sharpening stone
Instructions
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1
Find a saw blade with no welded-edge or carbide insert teeth, from an old power hacksaw, pruner, circular saw, or any other blade that is at least as think as a kitchen knife. Use a marker to lay out your desired blade profile on the surface of the saw blade.
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2
Cut out the profile of your blade with an abrasive saw. Cool the blade with water to prevent any color change while grinding.
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3
Rough-grind the blade profile and edge bevels with a 24-grit rock. Make sure to keep the blade cooled with water while grinding to prevent any color change, which would affect the temper of the knife. Use an 80-grit flapper wheel to finish grinding the blade profile and bevels. Do not allow the knife to change color during grinding.
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4
Place the blade into the oven at 375 degrees F for 1 hour. Allow the blade to cool to room temperature. Repeat this tempering process three times, as triple drawing will give your blade a better temper.
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5
Use the wire wheel to give the blade a brushed finish.
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6
Apply contact cement to each side of your knife tang, and allow it to dry until tacky. Press wood pieces to each side. Wipe away excess contact cement, and allow it to dry completely. Grind the wood handle pieces until they fit comfortably in your hand. Wrap the wood portion with electrical tape, and then apply contact cement to cover the tape. Wrap the taped handle in leather thongs or strips, or with any other suitable handle wrapping material of your choice.
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7
Use a sharpening stone to give your blade the desired sharp edge.
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Tips & Warnings
Use wrap-around eye protection, heavy leather gloves and ear protection when grinding or cutting metal.
