What to Do with Old Circular Saw Blades? (See Best Solution)!

There is a whole bundle of old blades lying around you, or there could be a few or just one. However, the question remains the same- “What to do with old circular saw blades?”

You would have thought of throwing it away. But it’s the metal with which you worked all these years. It’s your partner on the journey. Would you like to keep these saw blades to yourself?

Well, there can be ways to do that. You can put them to good use and keep them around. These saw blades can decorate your house. Or a partner in the workshop can be a partner in the kitchen too. Want to know how? Scroll down, discover, and try.

What is a Circular Saw Blade? What are the Other Types?

A circular saw blade is a toothed disc attached to a shaft through a hole present in the disc’s center. These blades are used to cut down materials using fast rotary motion.

Besides circular blades, there are many other blade types such as reciprocating blades, jigsaw blades, hacksaw blades, etc. The types vary in shape, usage, and sometimes material. 

A Circular saw blade is usually made of steel. To further improve the quality, producers add different additives to the blade. The tips of blades are made of tungsten carbide which helps to improve the strength of the blade. The tip’s strength is twice as strong as anyone’s teeth allowing it to cut almost everything. The same material is used for making blades of hand saws. If you want to find out about the exact characteristics of the blade, you must check its face.

What is written on a circular saw blade?

The face of the blade is its buying guide as it shows all the necessary features. You can find the information about the following attributes:

1) Blade diameter

2) The number of teeth

3) Kerf

4) Arbor hole size

Do you know what is the best Circular Saws for lefties? Check for details. You can Also check our another content about finding best carpenter tool bag!

Recycling the Old Circular Saw Blades

Now, we will start the discussion about your blades. We will start with the easy once. The more you scroll down, the more effort and creativity you will require. However, as the effort increases, the outcome gets better.

Is it worth sharpening circular saw blades?

Yes, it’s a worthy way to keep using the saw blade in the long run. If your tip is made of tungsten carbide, you can sharpen it 15 to 20 times. After that, it may wear out. At that time, you can utilize the blade elsewhere.

How do you know when to change a circular saw blade?

There is no specific indicator to know when the steel blade will become unusable. It depends upon the type of material you cut using it. However, as mentioned above, you can change the saw blade after sharpening it 15 to 20 times. After that, it becomes dull, and heat up fast while cutting.

Delivering it to Metal Scrap buyer

As these saw blades are made up of worthy metals such as steel and metal alloys, you can recycle them. There are scrap metal buyers that collect everything made of metals. They further sort the metals, heat them, melt them, purify them, and process them. The final products obtained are the metal blocks of different shapes and sizes.

You can communicate with a metal scrap dealer and let him handle your saw blades. Yeah, you won’t be able to keep the blades for your own. However, it requires lesser effort and provides you with some extra earning.

Exchanging Old Blades for New Ones

You may even find a company that would purchase the old saw blades. There are local businesses, which, in exchange, provide a discount on the new saw blades. Such a deal would be beneficial for you as well as the company.

Donating Saw Blades

If the blades can still be used to experiment purposes, you can donate them. Colleges and school communities can put them to good use and learning skills.

Painting the Blades

Besides that, painted saw blades are one of the modern decorative items that everyone would love. You can find a local artist or paint it yourself using water-based acrylic paint or oil paint. It’s a very easy task for anyone who wishes to showcase his creativity.

A Pizza Cutter

It depends upon the weight and size of the saw blade. If it is small in size and handy, all you need to do is add a shaft and handle to it. It can be an impressive creative tool to show off at parties.

Turn Blades into Clocks for home decor

You can turn the old blades into clocks. As they would be hanging high, it is will completely safe. You just need to buy a prebuilt clock mechanism part and fit it on the steel blade. Then, you can add dials to it. If you want, you can add a bit of background painting. Many gift shops sell such items as people like to shop for such things.

Turning Saw Blades into Knives

When you have some spare time and willing to do something adventurous, you can create knives out of old saw blades. When you purchase a knife, you go according to the knife design the seller provides. On the other hand, when you create knives on your own, you can decide their shape, size, and design.

Moreover, as the circular saw blade material is made of high-grade steel, you will get a long-lasting knife. The knife will be able to cut any of the food items. Therefore, you won’t need to treat the saw material for further hardening.

Please note that if the blade is too hard, you need to conduct annealing before getting started. Annealing makes the piece workable by making it softer. In annealing, you need to heat up the metal piece (850 degrees for 10 minutes is preferred, but it depends upon the quality and thickness of the blade) in the oven. Then, keep it inside till it cools down.

Let’s check out the complete process of creating a knife blade and handle.

Create a Knife from Saw Blade- A Complete Guide

Step 1- Gathering Materials and Tools

Gathering materials and tools could be the most tiring task. For creating a knife using a circular saw blade, you require several tools and materials.

1)     The first thing for which you won’t need to look anywhere is your old saw blade.

2)     For drawing and cutting the design, you will need cardboard, a pencil, and scissors.

3)     Chalk to draw a design on the saw blade.

4)     Chisel to score the saw blade.

5)     Wood pieces to create the grip.

6)     Pins to hold the all pieces together

7)     400 grit Sandpaper for smoothening the saw blade’s cutting edge.

8)     Epoxy to glue all the pieces together.

9)     Filer to remove the excess steel metal.

10)  Wood rasp to remove the excess wood.

11)  White mineral oil to polish the surface.

12)  Strop to sharpen the blade.

Step 2- Create the Design

As mentioned before, you can draw and create designs your way. It is the primary benefit of creating the knife using the circular saw blade.

You can choose to trace a knife that you already own. You can also choose any other suitable shape, keeping the curse consistent. Place the saw blade on a table, and draw the shape on cardboard using a pencil. You can create multiple designs, and choose the perfect one, cut it using a pair of scissors.

In your design, you can choose to extend the knife blade till the end of the handle. Such a design gives strength to the knife.

Step 3- Trace the design on the old saw blade

Keep the cut piece from the cardboard on the old saw blade. Use chalk to trace the cut piece. Please note that you don’t need a perfect shape. We, anyway, need to grind it and file it further. However, it should give a proper idea of what the knife will look like.

Step 4- Creating the knife boundary on Saw Blade

You must remain patient as the process is time-consuming and requires you to make efforts. Place the saw blade on an anvil or a firm table and wear the hearing protection before you start. Use the chisel and trace the boundary you draw using the chalk. Repeatedly move the chisel. It will create a uniform depression highlighting the boundary.

Step 5- Cutting out the knife

It is the main stage where you need to cut out the knife from the saw blade. First, you can cut off the bulk material you do not require, using a table saw. It is necessary to take precautions while working on a table saw.  Please note that using a table saw will not help you to shape the blade.

For shaping the blade, remove the excess area by moving the cut piece under the metal cutting band saw. Move the band saw near to the design’s boundary and shape it as per the design. You need to move the grinder along with the boundary to get the exact required shape. Keep your mouth and eyes cover while conducting this process for safety.

Step 6- Drilling the holes

Use a driller and create three holes on the cut piece. These holes are necessary to place a pin in each hole. That will hold the handle and knife together. If you find it necessary, you can make more holes to add more pins.

Step 7- Filing, Sharpening the bevels, and hand sanding

Now, you need to make the piece competent for cutting. For that, you must clamp the cut piece in the vice and file it to get a sharp edge. Keep the file movement consistent to ensure a uniform surface.

It would be best if you sharpened the knife’s cutting edge before placing the handle. Sharp bevels ensure easy cutting. You can use a belt grinder after filing.

Hand sanding is also required, not only for the bevel area. It is for the entire area of the cut piece, which will be visible after you place the handle. 400 grit paper is recommended for this purpose.

Step 8- Preparing the handle

You can take two scrap wood pieces and remove the bulk material, which won’t be necessary. Now trace the cut piece’s shape on the wood using the band saw. You can further grind the edge to keep them smooth.

You need to drill holes in wood pieces for pins. The position of every pin should be exactly the same as it is on the blade. For that, keep the blade exactly above the wood piece while using the drill bit. It must pass through the blade accurately where you have made the holes. Repeat this with the other handle piece too.

Step 9- Placing the blade between the handle pieces

Now, place the blade between both the handle pieces and use pins & epoxy to stick them together like forever. You must not forget to degrease all three parts before gluing them together. You can wrap the grip using duct tape (just for precaution) while the epoxy dries off.

After the glue dries, use the metal cutting band saw to shorten down each pin. You need to cut the extra length from both sides of the handle.

Step 10- Giving the final touch

Your job’s more or less done. The product is ready to be used. However, giving a final touch will it easily holdable. It will also improve the appearance.

Place the knife horizontally in the vise and use a wood rasp to file the handle’s surface. After that, it is preferable to do hand sanding to make the surface smooth. Put white mineral oil on the handle to give it a shiny appearance. If a 1000 grit belt is available, move the bevel over it for a few seconds to further sharpen the edge.

At last, hand-strop the blade on leather. That’s the best way to get an excellent cutting edge.

Conclusion

We hope you know now what to do with the old circular saw blades. If you don’t want to make much effort, you can give it to a scrap dealer. However, if you are a generous person, colleges and school communities definitely show gratitude in exchange for saw blades.

If you are a creative person, blades can be used for home decor. You can create clocks, painted wall hangings, and many more things. It depends on your creativity what you take out of these old blades. However, one of the best ways is to create a knife out of it. It’s worth giving a try. It will be a handmade tool you will use in your daily life at your home. Whenever you will utilize it, it will make your efforts easier because you will love using it. Why not? It’s something you have created. If you have any more ideas, let us know.