Hacksaws are one of the most common hand
tools. Nearly everyone owns one, and if you don't have one, you need to buy
one. Hacksaws are inexpensive and very economical to use. But most of you never
use it because the one time you tried to use it things didn't go well. You
broke the hacksaw blade, the blade kept falling out of the handle, or it kept
getting stuck in the piece you were trying to cut. If you did manage to get the
piece cut, it took forever and the cut ended up crooked.
I will cover each of these difficulties as
you and I go through this article.
Hacksaws and hacksaw blades are designed to
cut metal (I will tell you how to use it 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 metal hacksaw.
What is a Hacksaw? Junior Hacksaw
A hacksaw is a metal frame designed to hold
a tempered metal blade. The blade is typically 1/2 inch high and the majority
of them are 12 inches long. The blade has a hole on each end that fits into
pins on the hacksaw. Hacksaws are designed to cut on the push stroke. The handle
(grip) on a properly designed saw is angled just right so you put a little
pressure on the blade when you push it through the material you are cutting.
Even though some so-called "experts" will tell you that you can put
the blade in the other way a hacksaw does not work well if you have the blade
in backwards.
Do you need a Hacksaw? Mini 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. It works very well to cut electrical
tubing (conduit), BMX (flexible metal tubing), plastic water pipe, (PVT &
CVT) and even nuts and bolts. You can use it to cut a 2X4 in a pinch and with
the right blade porcelain tile.
Setting up the Hacksaw to Cut.
Step 1. Determine which blade you will use
to cut the material. Use a 32 t.p.i. blade for conduit, an 18 tooth blade for
cutting off a bolt or plastic pipe and an 8 tooth for wood. In practice you
want at least three teeth in contact with the material at any time. If you are
cutting deeper than the depth of the blade use a blade that has wavy teeth. The
wavy blade leaves a wider slot (kerf) that keeps the blade from sticking in the
groove you are cutting. Heavy duty
hacksaw
You can use it to cut wood. It will cut a
lot slower than a wood saw, but it works if you don't have anything else. Use a
8 or 10 tooth blade and mark the cut line on the board both horizontally and
vertically. Use the horizontal mark to make you initial cut (groove) and the
vertical mark to keep your cut straight. Take your time and don't put a lot of
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 "grip"
your finger. Put the blade so it grips when you push the saw. The holes of the
blade go into the pins on the bottom of the frame. Many hacksaws are designed
to take different length blades so if you have an adjustable frame you may have
to shorten or lengthen the frame to fit your blade.
The teeth should try to "grab"
your finger when pushed. If they don't feel sharp, the blade is dull and should
be replaced. Blades are inexpensive so don't be afraid to replace it.
Step 3. Tighten the thumbscrew until you
can't turn it with your hand (Hand tight).This amount of tension on the blade
should keep the blade from bowing as you cut. Sometimes when I am have problems
with the blade falling off, I will tighten it another 1/4 turn with a pliers.