Workshop thoughts

[Roger B]

I needed to hacksaw out a piece for a mounting bracket. I normally use Sandvik 18 tpi and 32 tpi blades but I had found a couple of 24 tpi blades in an old tool box. The one I choose was incredibly bad, it would not cut straight. I had to cant the frame over nearly 45° to keep it some where near the line  For the next cut I went back to my old 32 tpi blade which I could control to within a few 1/10th of a mm. Has anyone had similar problems with hacksaw blades?

I normally sweep my workshop floor with a dustpan and brush which allowed to find this escaped piece. If I had used Henry it would have been gone 

[crueby]

I've had similar behavior with bandsaw blades, sometimes would get one where the teeth were set more on one side and it would pull really badly off to the side. On the lopsided-cut one you have, is it worn a lot on one side, or the teeth set more?

[Art K]

I use one at work that pulls to one side like that, even with a new blade. The saw at home pulls to one side but not quite as badly.
Art

[cwelkie]

I too have experienced hack saw blades cutting more to one side than the other and always just put it down to being a low quality blade with more set on one side than another.

For too long my 4x6 bandsaw wouldn’t cut straight for long with a brand new blade. I discovered that the relief cut on the bandsaw wheels didn’t provide enough clearance for the tooth set on the inside.  I pulled the wheels and turned a larger relief (i.e., smaller inside diameter) to clear the teeth.  All has been good ever since!

[Don1966]

Very interesting thread I too have had the same results. I found cheap blades do that a lot. The original blades that I bought together when I bought the saw all cut straight cuts. I even tried alignment but still happened.



Don

[Daggers]

I had a problem last year.
Knowing i was running very low on hacksaw blades i purchased a number of blades of a known make at an exhibition.
When using the first of these blades i could not achieve a clean straight cut.
When i compared the blade to my old blade, same make and tpi i could see there were differences. Even the colour was slightly different. When a friend and workshop mentor of mine came to visit he examined both blades and was convinced that the new blades were not originals and just copies. Close look with a usb microscope showed the teeth out of alignment.

[Roger B]

The 'bad' blade was marked as a Sandvik blade that I must have purchased in England many years ago. The markings are different from the 'good' Sandvik blades I buy from the local tool shop.