Hacksaw blade recommendation

[E-wan]

Can anyone suggest the best sort of hacksaw blade for a cutting 12mm A2 steal threaded rod. I've currently been using a tungsten carbide coated blade with cutting fluid in a homemade jig but noticed it's rather Blunt in the middle.

Thanks

Ewan

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[Trevanion]

Can anyone suggest the best sort of hacksaw blade for a cutting 12mm A2 steal threaded rod. I've currently been using a tungsten carbide coated blade with cutting fluid in a homemade jig but noticed it's rather Blunt in the middle.

A2 isn't particularly hard (Threaded rod is a little harder from the thread rolling process, but not much) so any hacksaw blade should cut it pretty easily. You can't really get any better than a carbide blade for longevity but I have found the old Sandflex and Eclipse blades do cut faster but do wear out quicker. The trick is to take it slow and not pull back the blade over the material ESPECIALLY on a carbide blade, you'll fracture the teeth very quickly.

Ever thought about an angle grinder?

 

[AES]

+1 for an angle grinder with suitable cut off disc.

But that CAN be a bit in-accurate, so if a hack saw is a must (accuracy) then the basic rules is at least 3 teeth in contact all the time (plus, as said above, use the saw for the FULL length, NOT "jabbing"quickly backwards and forwards in just the middle of the blade).

There's a long "tutorial" at the top of the Metal Working section (by yours truly, sorry) which goes into detail, but in a nutshell:

1. With a 12mm bar, 18 TPI may well keep minimum 3 teeth always in contact (try it); if not, then a 24 TPI blade;

2. If you're confident that you can keep sawing straight without flexing (and therefore, most likely shattering the blade), then a HSS "all hard" blade every time. If not, then a "bi-metal" blade;

3. "Best" brands IMO are Eclipse, Sandvik, Starret (in no particular order). All 3 do both "all hard" and "bi-metal" blades;

4. Do NOT bother with non-branded "£ shop" type blades.

Edit for a P.S. No cutting fluid required for any of the above. Just adds mess and does nothing to reduce temps (IF you're cutting at sensible speed, full blade stroke).

HTH