Any use for broken bandsaw blades?

[GrahamRounce]

It seems a shame to just chuck a very nice piece of metal, well sharpened etc.
Any ideas? Or has anyone actually done something?

 

[Inspector]

Bow/frame saw.

Pete

 

[sunnybob]

Mostly, unless youre talking 1" wide, they are too flexible. By the time youve made a frame to hold them rigid its simpler to just use a more suitable tool.

 

[AES]

My scroll saw (Excalibur 21) will take bits of broken band saw blades, and I do have a couple of such which I use every now and then. But that would only use up a very few broken band saw blades!

 

[spb]

I think the best use I've seen was Matt Estlea's sandpaper rack - the rolls go on a spindle, then the ends tuck behind a length of bandsaw blade to tear it off.

 

[Sean Hellman]

Even blunt ones make excellent frame saw blades. I use end of life 100mm wide blades for making tools from especially riving push knives for making fan birds. They are great for scrapers as well.

 

[Max Power]

Wider ones, with the teeth ground make great straps for steam bending with

 

[Doug B]

Weld it back together if it’s still a sharp blade

 

[Droogs]

Use a 8" lengtth to make a Kerfing plane. Basically a way to make a starting kerf set at whatever thickness you want of veneer in a board all the way round to help you stay on the straight an narrow as you hand saw veneers. example below

 

[novocaine]

I ground the teeth of a length and made a few lock picks with it. the were a bit whippy.
I also made a few "extreme" scrollsaw blades, but I couldn't tension it.
in the end I turned it inside out, spotted it back together and left it at a mates workshop.


Ok,last ones a lie.

 

[GrahamRounce]

Weld it back together if it’s still a sharp blade

Can you get that done for less than the price of a new blade??

 

[Max Power]

Can you get that done for less than the price of a new blade??

I get it done free on the rare occasion it happens

 

[GrahamRounce]

Excellent

I get it done free on the rare occasion it happens

You mean, like, under guarantee?

 

[Max Power]

Yes

 

[Trevanion]

You mean, like, under guarantee?

If a relatively new blade breaks on the welded portion of the blade, most decent suppliers (Like Tuffsaws) would be happy to sort it for you because it means the weld has failed and wasn't fit for purpose, it's not really worth the hassle of having it re-welded though so they'll more than likely send out a replacement.

If you're pretty handy and you've already got silver solder and flux to hand you can solder it back together yourself fairly easily provided the blade hasn't crumpled into an accordion when it went bang, but I wouldn't rush out and but the stuff (which isn't overly cheap) just to put a single black back together. Although, if you're feeling savvy you can actually buy bandsaw blade stock in 100ft coils and solder them yourself which can work out cheaper than buying them pre-done.

 

[SammyQ]

Strap a few short lengths of it together in parallel with tape = a rasp.
Sam

 

[SVB]

I’ve used short lengths to make my own marking knives. Work well.

 

[Woody2Shoes]

+1 for frame saws and also scratch stock cutters

 

[kinverkid]

Wrap lengths around garden pots teeth facing down to cut down slugs climbing up the side.

 

[Trevanion]

Wrap lengths around garden pots teeth facing down to cut down slugs climbing up the side.

I don't think slugs really care, they can traverse along a razor edge.