Is tempering a knife necessary?

In its hard and brittle state, the quenched blade will shatter like glass if dropped, it must be tempered before it is put to use. Tempering involves heating the blade to a non-critical temperature (350 – 450 F) to slightly soften the steel (I used a kitchen oven).

Can you quench a blade in water?

Water is one of the most efficient quenching media where maximum hardness is desired, but there is a small chance that it may cause distortion and tiny cracking.

Are circular saw blades high-carbon steel?

Yes, circular saw blades are made out of High-carbon steel which is the least expensive and most flexible steel, which means it’s less prone to fracture if it binds, but it bends considerably more easily than other steels.

What temperature should you quench a knife at?

To reduce the brittleness, the material is tempered, usually by heating it to 175–350°C (347–662°F) for 2 hours, which results in a hardness of 53–63 HRC and a good balance between sharpness retention, grindability and toughness.

Why is it so hard to make a good Saw Knife?

It doesn’t take long, and it’s fun, but the saw blades are a little thin for making a strong and durable knife. Also, most saw blades are made from a steel alloy, (typically steel-chrome-molybdenum) which can make working with them quite difficult.

Can you make a knife out of an old table saw blade?

Finished knife made from an old table saw blade. I had a few old ten-inch table saw blades just lying around slowly rusting. I saw examples online of projects using old saw blades to make knives. I thought I’d give it a try. Note: I found that a useable knife can be made, but not a perfect knife.

How do you heat treat alloy saw blades?

The process requires heating the steel to a bright cherry red then quenching it in liquid to cool rapidly, but not too rapidly. Alloy saw blades are probably already hard enough to use without heat treating, but they are hard to work with. I tried to heat treat the blades anyway, even though I was just guessing at its effectiveness.

Can I use an old file for a knife blade?

You can also use an old file that is non-alloy, high-carbon steel and good material for a knife blade. I will likely use these knives for hunting, skinning, field dressing and fishing, but not for anything too rugged.