Chain saw blade

[fishtales]

If you have an old chainsaw blade that can no longer be used on your chain saw you can drill out all the rivets and have three pieces left. throw the center piece away and fashion the outside sections into knives. I just finished making a machete out of most of one side and a skinning knife out of 4 inches of the tip of the other side. the metal is 1/16 thick and pretty hard. a file will have a hard time to sharpen it I used a 4 inch grinder to cut it out and also to ruff grind it and used a water wheel to finish them then used aluminum rivits for the handle. I have part of one blade left and may try a fillet knife. Something to pass a winter afternoon.

[brav01]

Ummm

I've got to admit I'm lost on this project! Are you making the knives out of the bar, or the chain(which would be the cutting surface). Are you taking the bar apart or what. I'm probably going to need pictures.

[moose-head]

I've seen it done out of the bar. It is high carbon steel that takes and holds an edge well and only needs limited amounts of heat annealing. I google searched knife making tutorial and found a ton of them. I haven't yet done one, but I have a bar off my old stihl that I plan on making one with.

[George Riddle]

We're talking about the bar, right?

George

Good idea and many more ideas screaming through the noggin...

[icb12]

Good thinking.. I got a few bars laying around. I got an old 42".. maybe I'll make me some samurai swords.

[moose-head]

We're talking about the bar, right?

Yes it's a good high carbon metal; it will rust but make a good knife.

[mnfish365]

You have to have a laminated bar to do this with, unless you want a really thick knife. Some bars are one piece. Most bars are heat treated, but only on the edge where the chain rides. I imagine it's good steel for a knife. We demand pictures!

[fishtales]

Yes it is the bar I am talking about It does have to be a laminated bar. Drill out the rivets and seperate the bar into three pieces dont use the center piece as its just a filler. also I think it is just the outside of the bar that is heat treated so use the outside of the bar for the cutting edge.

[fishtales]

I just tried out the machete and was not greatly impressed the metal is too thin to have the weight for a machete. I did cut a 2 to 3" birch tree but it took many wacks. I could cut a 1" aspen with 1 wack . The good news is that after half an hour of playing with it it was still sharp with no nicks so it should make good cutting tools like skinning knives. As a young man 40 years ago I worked in a factory back in NH I made a skinning knife out of a throw away tungston carbide hack saw blade from that factory. the blade was about 24" long 1.5" tall and 3/32 thick. the knife had a 4" blade with a rounded point. It worked great skinning beaver. I could get through 3or4 beaver without resharpening it by comparison a buck knife would be hard pressed to skin one beaver without sharpening. good luck with your projects

[RastaHunter]

for just making knives, try one of the rigid 10" saws-all blades. You find plenty around the jobsite. And the thinner ones that flex would make a good fillet knife, although I have not tried those yet.

[delta2185]

If you want to really get into the knife and machete making, I use old Lawnmower blades, flat files, and leaf springs, but they are more work intensive.

[Rick P]

for just making knives, try one of the rigid 10" saws-all blades. You find plenty around the jobsite. And the thinner ones that flex would make a good fillet knife, although I have not tried those yet.

I've made several fillet knifes out of sawzall blades, I actually prefeer them to ones comercially availbe. Hand saw blades and cirular saw blades also make great knifes.

[Paul H]

If you really want to re-cycle, I've seen pictures of damascus blades that Wayne Goddard has forge welded from old chains.

[delta2185]

Wayne makes some amazing Knives from Whatever is lying around. I love the Damascus made from old steel cables, would have never thought of the chainsaw blades though.

[Rick P]

Paul and delta
I'll have to try that if I'm ever able to get back into smithing.