Dont throw away that old guide bar

[joe_indi]

If you have an old unusable guidebar, dont throw it away, yet.
Maybe you can convert it into a pair of choppers or cleavers for your kitchen.
I tried it with an old guidebar. 
Drew outlines freehand on the bar and used a handheld cutter to cut the bar.
Welded a mobike's hollow swing arm shaft cut in to for handles.
Spray cans of paint covered the blemishes and a hot air gun dried the paint.
Used a flat chain file (depth gauge file) to shape the cutting edge and honed it on a wet stone.
Well, its no light weight, but it is extremely sharp and cuts very easily with its weight.
And the edge lasts.

 

 

[lxskllr]

I like that. I can't weld, but a full tang with riveted wood scales would be doable. Thanks for the idea  :^)

[Allar]

That's actually a really good idea, i'v been looking around to make a drawknife.
I doubt that modern bars are high carbon steel, most of em are laminated. 
But old bars are most likely  made of high carbon steel and that's what you want for a knife.

[barbender]

Any solid bar should be carbon steel. Find someone that runs a CTL processor, they tend to consume a few bars😁 You may have to do some straightening though😊

[olcowhand]

Any solid bar should be carbon steel. Find someone that runs a CTL processor, they tend to consume a few bars😁 You may have to do some straightening though😊

Barbender could go into the Cutlery business.....

[DelawhereJoe]

https://www.ehow.com/how_4609500_knife-out-chainsaw-bar.html

[barbender]

Olcowhand, without a doubt!😂

[joe_indi]

That's actually a really good idea, i'v been looking around to make a drawknife.
I doubt that modern bars are high carbon steel, most of em are laminated.
But old bars are most likely  made of high carbon steel and that's what you want for a knife.

I think all solid nose bars and the ones with replaceable bar noses are carbon steel. The lighter ones without bar noses but just nose sprockets are the laminated ones.
But maybe good for paring or fish filleting knives

[joe_indi]

You will need to trim off the groove on the lower side (cutting edge) at an angle. But the upper groove can be just filled with epoxy cement and finished with polishing paper

 

[luap]

Thanks for the reuse of used steel/ Looks like a perfect source for an oolu sp? the curved blade knife that is used by the inuit. I keep looking for any source of heat treatable steel for certain parts that require that property. I just changed out a bar on an older sthil 036 so I am good to go now.

[Puffergas]

A drill bit should say if it is high carbon steel.

[twobears]

ulu

[Banjo picker]

Great idea....hope my oldest son don't see it.  My saws might be at risk.  Banjo

[WDH]

Any solid bar should be carbon steel. Find someone that runs a CTL processor, they tend to consume a few bars😁 You may have to do some straightening though😊

Have bars, will bend.  :D

[Haleiwa]

Now to figure out what to do with the old hydraulic hoses.

[John Mc]

A drill bit should say if it is high carbon steel.

A drill bit will drill high carbon steel if the steel has not been heat treated to harden it. I believe most bars are not heat treated over the entire surface, they just harden the rail area. I could be wrong on that, but it would make sense not to heat treat: leaving the body of the bar un-heat treated would make it far less susceptible to breaking/shattering if it were bent.

[Allar]

One could also use old raker (flat) files, to make a small knives .  That's what i'm planing to do. :D

I think you can determine high carbons steel by grinding it and looking at parts. Or just take a piece and harden it and do breaking test.

[millwright]

If you use an old file to make a knife , you may have to heat it to 500-600 degrees and slowly cool it down. This will Annael it. Otherwise they a pretty brittle