Scoring/Marking stainless steel?

[transatlantic]

So I had this idea that I wanted to try ....

You're often in the scenario where you're cutting with a hand saw, and to check you're cutting at a consistent depth at both ends of the cut (such as cutting the cheek of a tenon), you have to keep stopping to look around the other side to make sure you haven't cut past the line.

Wouldn't it be super useful if saws had lines along the blade that are parallel with the teeth, enabling you to easily see if you're cutting at a consistent depth?

Question is, what would be the best way to mark the metal so it won't just rub off? My japanese saws I believe are some kind of stainless steel. I think laser engraving would be ideal, but I don't have acess to one

 

[nev]

Wouldn't it be simpler to mark line with a sharpie/ pencil/ tape at the highest point? which shouldn't wear off as you won't be going that deep.

 

[transatlantic]

Wouldn't it be simpler to mark line with a sharpie/ pencil/ tape at the highest point? which shouldn't wear off as you won't be going that deep.

Well the idea is that there would be multiple lines and you just saw to the closest. Having to mark it each time would not really be worth it

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[John15]

I think that once you've cut a few tenons, you find yourself checking only once or twice so maybe not worth marking the saw.

John

 

[Ttrees]

Fret cutting saws have them, look at luthiers supplies from the likes of LMI, Stu-Mac and so.
I think Thomas Flinn makes some in the UK for luthiers also.

 

[Simon89]

What about a tile scribe?

https://www.screwfix.com/p/vitrex-tile- ... gKaCfD_BwE

 

[CMax]

How about using a small mirror on the other side of the cut?

 

[Rob_Mc]

How about a depth stop .... no need to look to check depth;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bbJtrJiZe-I

 

[transatlantic]

The depth stop would work, but a bit extreme.

I figured the lines would be a very convinient 'no setup, always avaliable' solution. Not really a stop, but just a guide.

 

[ColeyS1]

Until it's been sharpened a few times and the lines are no longer parallel to the teeth.

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[Ttrees]

If you think that depth stop was extreme...
[youtube]VDomvC0lmtM[/youtube]

 

[transatlantic]

Its a japanese saw. Also it's a guide ... doesn't need to be super accurate

Until it's been sharpened a few times and the lines are no longer parallel to the teeth.

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[ManowarDave]

Hi transatlantic,

We use electrochemical etching with photographic stencils for labelling on the machines we produce where I work. The machines are stainless steel for the food industry. The detail obtainable is quite fine.

Although the rig we use is produced specifically for this task, similar results can be obtained with good masking off and a weld cleaner. Just need the right proprietary etching solution to get a good black on stainless. You could use a high salt concentration solution but the results are more brown than black.

If you're willing to trust a total stranger (me ), I'm more than willing to etch some lines on the saw if you want? PM me if interested.

Dave

 

[TFrench]

A straight edge and a scribe is fine for marking stainless, we mark all our patterns out that way.

 

[Trevanion]

You could always try taping off the bits of the sawblade you don't want to be etched with electrical tape and then etching what's left by dipping the plate in nitric acid or ferric chloride. Both should work with stainless if that's what the plate is, but I reckon it's probably just some regular high carbon as hardenable stainless steels are very expensive comparatively. Try a magnet on the plate.

 

[transatlantic]

Hi transatlantic,

We use electrochemical etching with photographic stencils for labelling on the machines we produce where I work. The machines are stainless steel for the food industry. The detail obtainable is quite fine.

Although the rig we use is produced specifically for this task, similar results can be obtained with good masking off and a weld cleaner. Just need the right proprietary etching solution to get a good black on stainless. You could use a high salt concentration solution but the results are more brown than black.

If you're willing to trust a total stranger (me ), I'm more than willing to etch some lines on the saw if you want? PM me if interested.

Dave

That is very generous of you, but I plan on doing it to a few saws, so was trying to find some way of easily doing it myself at home.

 

[transatlantic]

You could always try taping off the bits of the sawblade you don't want to be etched with electrical tape and then etching what's left by dipping the plate in nitric acid or ferric chloride. Both should work with stainless if that's what the plate is, but I reckon it's probably just some regular high carbon as hardenable stainless steels are very expensive comparatively. Try a magnet on the plate.

Ah yes, not sure why I jumped to stainless steel, but I know they're magnetic as that is how I hang them, so they can't be Stainless steel.

 

[TFrench]

Some grades of stainless are magnetic - 430 definitely is. 316 and 304 are non-magnetic. We once had a batch of 430 by accident and had to be very careful not to contaminate the scrap bin with it!