Hacksaw, Handles and Blades – No, You Don’t Know How to Use One

Hacksaws are one of the most common hand tools. Almost everyone has one, and if you don’t have one, you should buy one. Hacksaws are inexpensive and very inexpensive to use. But most of you never use it because the one time you tried to use it it didn’t work out. You broke the hacksaw blade, the blade kept falling off the handle or got stuck in the part you were trying to cut. If you managed to cut the piece, it took forever and the cut ended up crooked.

The top reasons most people have a hard time cutting metal with a hacksaw are:

You have the wrong blade

You are not using a sharp blade

There is too much flex in the blade.

The number of teeth is too low for the project.

You are putting too much pressure on the saw

You don’t squeeze work.

I’ll cover each of these difficulties as you and I review this article.

Hacksaws and hacksaw blades are designed to cut metal (I’ll tell you how to use them to cut wood and plastic) and most people find cutting metal very difficult and frustrating. The reason, most of the time, is that they don’t really know how to use the hacksaw.

What is a hacksaw?

A hacksaw is a metal frame designed to hold a tempered metal blade. The blade is typically 1/2 inch tall and most of them are 12 inches long. The blade has a hole at each end that fits the pins on the hacksaw. Hacksaws are designed to cut on the push stroke. The handle (grip) of a properly designed saw is angled just so it will put some pressure on the blade when you push it through the material you are cutting. Although some of the so-called “experts” will tell you that you can put the blade in another way, a hacksaw does not work well if it has the blade upside down.

Do you need a hacksaw?

You can cut almost anything with a hacksaw. Although it was designed to cut metal, you can use it to cut plastic, wood, metal tubing, aluminum, copper, and brass. Works great for cutting electrical pipe (conduit), BMX (flexible metal pipe), plastic water pipe (PVT and CVT), and even nuts and bolts. You can use it to cut a 2X4 in a pinch and with the right sheet porcelain.

Setting up the hacksaw for cutting.

Step 1. Determine which blade you will use to cut the material. Use a 32 tpi blade for conduit, an 18 tooth blade for cutting a bolt or plastic pipe, and an 8 tooth blade for wood. In practice, you want at least three teeth in contact with the material at any one time. If you are cutting deeper than the depth of the blade, use a blade that has wavy teeth. The corrugated blade leaves a wider groove (cut) that prevents the blade from sticking in the groove you are cutting.

You can use it to cut wood. It will cut much slower than a wood saw, but it works if you don’t have anything else. Use an 8 or 10 tooth blade and mark the cutting line on the chart both horizontally and vertically. Use the horizontal mark to make your initial cut (groove) and the vertical mark to keep your cut straight. Take your time and don’t put too much pressure on the hacksaw.

Step 2. Insert the blade so that the teeth are pointing forward. If you can’t see this, rub your finger gently over the teeth of the blade.

You will feel the teeth “grab” your finger. Position the blade so that it grips when you push the saw. The holes in the sash are inserted into the pins at the bottom of the frame. Many hacksaws are designed to take blades of different lengths, so if you have an adjustable frame, you may need to shorten or lengthen the frame to fit your blade.

The teeth should try to “grab” your finger when it is pushed. If they don’t feel sharp, the blade is dull and needs to be replaced. The blades are inexpensive, so don’t be afraid to replace them.

Step 3. Tighten the thumb screw until you cannot turn it by hand (Hand Tighten). This amount of tension on the blade should prevent the blade from bending while cutting. Sometimes when I have trouble with the blade falling off, I squeeze it 1/4 turn more with pliers.

Ok, let’s cut something.

I am going to use a metal pipe for this example. It’s easy to cut, and once you get a bit of experience with the hacksaw, cutting metal is a breeze.

To really use a hacksaw really well, you need to clamp down on your work. I have a goal on a workbench that I usually use.

If you don’t have a lens, screw a 2X4 into your bench and hold the tube against the 2X4 with your left hand. When possible, use a sight glass or clamp to secure the metal you want to cut.

Step 1. To use a hacksaw correctly, grasp the frame with both hands. (I’m right-handed, so I grab the handle with my right hand and use my left hand to hold the other end of the saw.) Hold the hacksaw so that your right hand index finger points forward to help guide the saw. While pushing the blade (forward motion) use your left hand to guide the saw so that it cuts straight. DO NOT use your left hand to apply pressure, just use it to guide your cut. Use most of the sheet. If you apply pressure in the forward motion with your left hand, the teeth will generally get too tight and the saw will “stick.” Again, the handle of a hacksaw is angled to give it proper downward pressure on the blade.

Step 2. When you reach the end of the forward stroke, stop and pull the saw back with your right hand. While pulling back, do not apply any pressure with your right hand. (It only cuts in the forward direction and pressing the return stroke will only prematurely wear the blade.) Many teachers will force you to lift the saw on the return run so you don’t destroy the blade. Move your body back and forth as you cut, pressing on the forward motion and relaxing on the return.

Step 3. Repeat this until you have seen all the way through the pipe. With a little practice, you will be able to cut about 1 hit per second. Do not strike faster than this because it will create too much heat and prematurely wear the blade again.

Do not put too much pressure on the blade. You may have to break a sheet or two before you feel how much pressure you can apply. Don’t worry, they are cheap. Don’t cut too fast, as that can also cause the blade to break. Always check to make sure the blade is firmly secured in its frame.

Reviews. Or don’t buy one at Wally World

Believe it or not, it could tell you a lot more about using a hacksaw, but this is enough for you to cut properly. Buy a good quality hacksaw that I recommend on my website. Even the cheap one I recommend is of good quality and will last you for years. With a quality saw, it won’t be long before you get good at using one.

DO NOT buy a cheap one at your local dollar store. Why? The hacksaw handle needs to be strong enough to keep the blade properly tensioned and the cheap ones will give you nothing but years of frustration. Also buy a hacksaw with an angled handle like the Stanley 150565. Some hacksaws have a straight handle and are very difficult for a beginner to use.

Blades are cheap, so buy a box of at least two numbers of “teeth” (32 teeth for metal conduit and 18 teeth for solid steel, plastic tubing, and general purpose. But don’t buy cheap blades. Cheap blades too they are). brittle and you will end up breaking many. A good saw blade cuts on its own with very little pressure from you, so change blades as soon as they become dull. To find out if a blade is dull, run your finger over the blade. If it’s still sharp, the teeth will try to “catch” on your finger. A dull blade will not. I prefer Milwaukee blades because they will bend without breaking and will last a long, long time compared to cheap blades. Better However, buy two inexpensive hacksaws and keep different blades on each. Dull, worn blades take a lot of work to cut an item, so change them as often as you would with a knife or razor blade.

Follow the link below for ToolBoxHero to buy your new hacksaw, read reviews, and learn more:

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