Hello Karen,
Excellent guidelines!. A couple of other suggestions:
I like to use three teeth per thickness of the metal. If sawing 18
gauge (.040), I prefer a 2/0 blade. When making a radical turn of at
least 90 degrees, I place all pressure to the back of the blade for a
smoother transition.
My two cents,
Jeff Herman
My mention of a rigid mechanical saw was not particularly related to
piercing but to point out that the best blades work well and that the
sawyer causes the wandering and blade breakage.
The pictures I see of hand sawing do show a lot of very erratic
control of the saw. The rigid mechanical saw just reduces these
variables quite a bit. I did try to make a saw that would help more
in piercing, but it would require special blades.
It can be used on thicker softer materials like wood but I wasn’t
satisfied with it on thinner harder metal. It is “on the shelf”.
jesse
Jeff,
I usually use a 2/0 for 18 ga, but for beginners, the #1 or 1/0 is a
little beefier for gentle turns. Blade snapping is frustrating for
test driving in the world of piercing. The action of the “teeth” is
easy to feel with a heftier blade and allows fabricators to relax.
Once your profiency improves, then of course, you can use a tinier
blade for those itty bitty cuts.
One bit of I neglected is blade quality. Forget “economy
blades.” They are poorly constructed and snap easily. My personal
favorite are Herkules. Buy them by the gross. I have a range of 4/0
to #3.
Storage tip! Get your friends to donate used Bic style ballpoint
pens with a cap. Take out the ink cartridge in the center with a pair
of pliers. Now you have the perfect storage vehicle for sawblades.
Mark the exterior body with the size and place your “pens” in a cup,
ready for use. Easy for transport in your toolbox for workshops or
class.
Karen Christians
Cleverwerx
Storage tip! Get your friends to donate used Bic style ballpoint pens with a cap. Take out the ink cartridge in the center with a pair of pliers. Now you have the perfect storage vehicle for sawblades. Mark the exterior body with the size and place your "pens" in a cup, ready for use. Easy for transport in your toolbox for workshops or class.
Another good blade storage case for blades are cigar cases. The ones
I have are plastic, 3/4" (19 mm) in diameter & 6 " (151 mm) long. I
stopped at a cigar store & asked if they had any or knew where I
could get some. Lucky for me they had quite a few on hand. Since I’m
not a smoker, I didn’t relish the though of buying cigars just for
the case they came in.
Dave
Storage tip! Get your friends to donate used Bic style ballpoint pens with a cap.
Go to the hardware store and buy a couple of feet of 1/8" (4mm) ID
brass tubing - whatever size you like. Cut it into 4" (100mm)
lengths, solder a strip of sheet across all the bottoms, and fan
them out a bit - finish it to your liking. Solder another strip of
sheet across the tops of the tubing back a bit from the open end - I
like to leave flaps that I can bend so it raises up the open ends a
bit. File the open ends to an angle for easier access, and you have
a sawblade holder for 6 different sizes, nice and neat. Mount it on
your bench, if you like… Very, very old tool, not my own
invention…
Go to the hardware store and buy a couple of feet of 1/8" (4mm) ID brass tubing - whatever size you like. Cut it into 4" (100mm) lengths, solder a strip of sheet across all the bottoms, and fan them out a bit - finish it to your liking. Very, very old tool, not my own invention...
This was my very first project as an apprentice. It’s still on my
bench. It is also the very first project I have given to every
apprentice I have ever trained. It still sits on every one of their
benches too, at least those I’m still in contact with. Outstanding
first project as it is relatively easy to do, stays with you for your
entire career, and it really is a handy little thing to have. It’s
also interesting to see how everyone approaches it differently. I
never give detailed instructions, although I will help them flesh out
their own design. A description of what the finished saw blade holder
is for, what it needs to do, and a twenty dollar bill to take to the
hardware store and get what they think they need is all they get.
(Yes, I let them keep the change, sometimes they have to go back and
they’ll need it. They also have to pick up lunch on their way back
to the shop. Hey, it’s in the Apprentice Job Description!)
I’ve never seen any two alike except for those that were built
according to specific instructions. It really gives an instructor a
little insight as to how each apprentice thinks and how they are
going to approach their new position, whether they are going to be
free thinking and artistic or more of a detail oriented technician,
whether their work is quick and dirty or carefully detailed and how
much of a self-starter and independent thinker they are. A real
window to their creative soul, their initial work ethic and their
ability to stick with a job and problem solve right off the bat. They
learn these things about themselves too. All good stuff.
Dave