The Forestry Forum

General Forestry => Sawmills and Milling => Topic started by: wodbutchr on September 09, 2018, 06:00:09 PM

Title: Second Life for Broken Loops?
Post by: wodbutchr on September 09, 2018, 06:00:09 PM
After a few resharps, band saw blades eventually break and end up looking like a bellow stuck inside the sawmill. Cracks on a blade become visible and its life on the mill is over, even if it is re-welded.

I have been saving the broken loops for a while, as it is good steel, and was wondering what you guys are doing with them, beside discarding them.

I read somewhere people using them to make wood scrapers. Cut a chunk of loop, insert it in a block of wood and grind the steel to a profile, to make a scraper for decorative motifs on edges or panels. I am thinking of the old fashioned molding planes finishing carpenters used in the past, but in a scraper version.

Anybody been doing this? Advice on setup, pictures? Any other idea for a second life on those dead loops?

Thx
Andre
Title: Re: Second Life for Broken Loops?
Post by: Lawg Dawg on September 09, 2018, 06:19:39 PM
I saw on here a few years ago a guy made fencing out of them!  :o  for high security areas...I have made some knife blades out of mine and they work well for that
Title: Re: Second Life for Broken Loops?
Post by: wodbutchr on September 09, 2018, 06:27:09 PM
Heavy duty barbed wire, but you need to be a serious sawyer for a mile of fence! LOL
Title: Re: Second Life for Broken Loops?
Post by: charles mann on September 09, 2018, 06:37:57 PM
They make great knife steel. get a 2" x2" sq tubing, fill it wiht as many band strips as you can, back fill with steel powder, weld both ends and heat it up. I hunt with a guy from time to time in the eastern central tx area that already claimed dibs on any of my blades i cant use anymore. I also gave him an elk shed and some black walnut for handle material. He builds mostly riding spurs, horse bits and buckles, but he will do a knife when an order comes through. I didnt think there was enough money in that business, but he has been doing it for the past 6 yrs when the oil industry went bust and is evidently very profitable. 
Title: Re: Second Life for Broken Loops?
Post by: Lawg Dawg on September 09, 2018, 06:54:40 PM
Quote from: charles mann on September 09, 2018, 06:37:57 PM
They make great knife steel. get a 2" x2" sq tubing, fill it wiht as many band strips as you can, back fill with steel powder, weld both ends and heat it up. 
That sounds intresting!....I'd like to see that process
Title: Re: Second Life for Broken Loops?
Post by: wodbutchr on September 09, 2018, 07:19:04 PM
A single section of blade would make a knife rather floppy. I see it used for a small kitchen knife. Are you talking about weld forging multiple blades together into a Damascus steel?

Would be great if you could post some pics.
Title: Re: Second Life for Broken Loops?
Post by: charles mann on September 09, 2018, 07:27:29 PM
Quote from: Lawg Dawg on September 09, 2018, 06:54:40 PM
Quote from: charles mann on September 09, 2018, 06:37:57 PM
They make great knife steel. get a 2" x2" sq tubing, fill it wiht as many band strips as you can, back fill with steel powder, weld both ends and heat it up.
That sounds intresting!....I'd like to see that process
Watch that tv show forged in fire. They do canister damascus, which is what i was describing. Ball bearings, chain saw chain, motor/bi ccycle chain, grade 70/80 logging chain. Whatever you can put in it, that is of a hardenable steel, can be used in a canister. 
Title: Re: Second Life for Broken Loops?
Post by: charles mann on September 09, 2018, 07:29:15 PM
Quote from: wodbutchr on September 09, 2018, 07:19:04 PM
A single section of blade would make a knife rather floppy. I see it used for a small kitchen knife. Are you talking about weld forging multiple blades together into a Damascus steel?

Would be great if you could post some pics.
yes. that is why i mentioned filling the tubing with as many pieces of band as possible and back filing with powdered steel, welding both end and heat it up. 
Title: Re: Second Life for Broken Loops?
Post by: Chuck White on September 09, 2018, 07:46:27 PM
I have been giving my used blades to a cousin!

He is into forging knives!

He takes the used sawblades and cuts them into specific lengths and forges Damascus knives!
Title: Re: Second Life for Broken Loops?
Post by: wodbutchr on September 09, 2018, 11:03:58 PM
So far we have beefy barbed wire, wood scrapers, floppy knives and Damascus steel for forging hunting knives. Any other use for saw loops out there?
Title: Re: Second Life for Broken Loops?
Post by: Ljohnsaw on September 10, 2018, 12:25:50 AM
 :P
I have a few.  I did make a MM saw dust removal tool.  Grind off the teeth at one end (about 8") and wrap with duct tape.  Use it to pull the saw dust out when you need to back out of a cut.
Title: Re: Second Life for Broken Loops?
Post by: wodbutchr on September 10, 2018, 01:09:58 AM
Great idea. You mean when the blade is dull and starts going off course and need changing. I use wedges to open the gap, but a piece of blade with a handle would be great to clean the kerf as it gets stuck while backing up.
Title: Re: Second Life for Broken Loops?
Post by: charles mann on September 10, 2018, 01:41:32 AM
grind the teeth of the blade and make curly combs for a horse's mane may be able to be made by looping 3-4 pieces of band, leaving 1/4" gap between the bands, then taping the handle up.

chip chasers, not just for saw dust/chips, but to dig a metal chip out from under a thinner piece of metal. we use chasers for pulling drill curls out from between 2 pieces of acft skin. they are as thin, but nowhere as wide, and ours have a hook on the end. but a hook can be ground into the band. 
Title: Re: Second Life for Broken Loops?
Post by: Magicman on September 10, 2018, 08:00:06 AM
 
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/20011/IMG_0268.JPG?easyrotate_cache=1457716088)
 
It's just another indispensable tool.

Overlapping coils make good concrete "re-bar and mesh".
Title: Re: Second Life for Broken Loops?
Post by: mike_belben on September 10, 2018, 08:25:28 AM
Slim jims for breaking into cars.  Prison shivs for after you get caught.  

;D
Title: Re: Second Life for Broken Loops?
Post by: wodbutchr on September 10, 2018, 10:07:20 AM
Some pretty creative minds here! LOL
Reinforcement in a concrete slab is a good use. It would also save the stand off spacers between rebar/mesh. Might induce cracking, depends on the slab thickness.
Slim jims to open the vehicle door when your keys are locked in. Wish I had a piece of blade last time I got locked out. Unfortunately being locked out happens in urban environment where loops are not readily available. Might be rough on the rubber gasket against the glass...
Prison shivs might be useful if you get into the slim jim mass production, but I doubt about availability in institutions.
Title: Re: Second Life for Broken Loops?
Post by: goober on September 10, 2018, 01:12:48 PM
blades could be used on trail cameras protective boxes welded on the sides to keep bear from tearing them off of trees.
Title: Re: Second Life for Broken Loops?
Post by: firefighter ontheside on September 10, 2018, 01:35:36 PM
I can see the card scraper idea being good.  I'm yet to break one though.
If it's not broken, I send it in for resharp.
Title: Re: Second Life for Broken Loops?
Post by: wodbutchr on September 10, 2018, 07:44:36 PM
In this neck of the woods bears leave trail cameras alone. They even enjoy mug shots, as long there is a carcass nearby. A sharp edge might just pith them off. LOL
After a few resharps metal gets fatigued and they break. Every resharp takes a bit of metal and the art is to get to the point where the teeth are not hitting the blade guide. But with time they will break.